LINCOLN, Neb. — When Maj. Michael Zimmer boarded the aircraft for his second deployment in three years, he expected the unexpected. But the deployment presented conditions significantly different from his previous experiences, including increased operational demands, real-world threats and the responsibility of serving as the only military Catholic priest in the country.
Zimmer, a Nebraska Air National Guard chaplain supporting the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, spent six and a half months at Al Udeid Air Base providing spiritual care, crisis counseling and leadership advisement during a period marked by heightened geopolitical tension and daily mission demands.
“We serve those who serve,” Zimmer said. “People often associate chaplains primarily with religious rites, but it’s the broader support like counseling, crisis intervention, leadership advisement and daily engagement with Airmen that becomes essential during a deployment.”
During the deployment, Zimmer supported Operations Inherent Resolve, Spartan Shield, Rough Rider and Enduring Sentinel. His work resulted in more than 5,800 Airmen and Guardians engaged, 278 crisis interventions and confessions, and 406 leadership advisement sessions across 23 command briefings.
“Every day was different,” he said. “The one consistent element was celebrating Mass. After that, it could involve attending intelligence briefs, visiting Airmen in isolated, high-security locations, providing walk-in counseling or helping members navigate family crises back home. You never know what the day will hold.”
Commanders also requested Zimmer to travel to five geographically separated units across the Middle East including locations in Saudi Arabia, Israel and Tajikistan to provide pastoral care and help restore mission focus for isolated teams.
Zimmer’s deployment took a historic turn during a 12-day period of heightened regional conflict. During this period, escalating hostilities across the region placed Al Udeid Air Base on sustained high alert. The tensions culminated in a medium-range ballistic missile attack on the installation carried out by Iran, marking one of the most significant real-world threats faced by personnel during his tour.
“You never know how you’re going to react in that situation,” he said. “Discovering that about myself was grounding.”
Despite the danger, Zimmer volunteered to remain in place to support Airmen before, during and after the attack. He helped normalize stress reactions across the installation and provided clarity during periods of degraded communication. His efforts encouraged help-seeking behaviors at a time when members were experiencing heightened anxiety and uncertainty.
During the heightened threat posture, installation leadership closed nearly all base services except the gym, dining facility and the chapel, recognizing how essential spiritual resilience is for the force.
“When everything else is taken away, people lean on their faith,” Zimmer said. “The chapel had to remain open. That was intentional.”
Zimmer was the only Guardsman on the chapel team, providing a unique level of civilian-professional experience that shaped how his team planned, responded and cared for Airmen during the deployment.
“What the Guard brings is really important,” he said. “The experience we bring from civilian life provides insight active duty doesn’t always have.”
The deployment also brought personal lessons. Zimmer said his biggest takeaway was understanding the importance of post-deployment recovery.
“You don’t know how much stress you’re carrying until you decompress,” he said. “It took about 10 days before I finally accepted that I was home. Then I exhaled and realized, ‘I’m home.’”
Zimmer said the deployment reaffirmed the Chaplain Corps’ central role in supporting the force during both routine operations and times of crisis. His message to future deployers is straightforward: embrace the mission and the people around you.
“Every deployment is different. Every team is different,” he said. “If you frame it positively, you’ll have a good experience.”