HURLBURT FIELD, Florida -- Maj. Chad Bellamy, 24th Special Operations Wing wing chaplain, received the 2015 Air Force Distinguished Service Award from the Military Chaplain Association for his direct support to over 1,000 Special Tactics forces and combat mission support personnel.
“Major Bellamy is a tremendous asset to fostering resiliency within the Special Tactics community,” Col. Matthew Davidson, 24th Special Operations Wing commander, said. “His dedication and passion to creating an environment for our Airmen and families to thrive has paid huge dividends in maintaining a healthy, combat ready force within special operations and the Air Force.”
Leading a seven-person, geographically-separated team, Chaplain Bellamy oversaw the execution of nine chaplain deployment taskings, which enabled the rapid global engagement of 1,000 Special Tactics Airmen to 29 operating locations where they executed over nine thousand close combat missions. He also ensured the delivery of 59 Chaplain Corps programs, which were synched with a strategic plan to maximize combat ready forces through resiliency and support.
At home, he delivered six mid-deployment spouse resiliency events and ten post deployment reintegration events maximizing battlefield transitional care and creating an environment where families may thrive.
Special Tactics Airmen are the U.S. Special Operation Command’s tactical air-to-ground integration force and the Air Force’s special operations ground force to enable global access, precision strike and personal recovery operations. When they are not deployed, Special Tactics Airmen are training away from home six to nine months of the year.