CHAPLAIN (MAJOR GENERAL) HOWARD D. STENDAHL Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Howard D. Stendahl is the Chief of Chaplains, Headquarters U. S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. As a member of the special staff of the Chief of Staff, he establishes guidance and provides advice on all matters pertaining to the religious and moral welfare of Air Force personnel. He is responsible for establishing an effective chaplain program to meet the religious needs of all members of the Air Force and their dependents. As Chief of Chaplains, he is the senior pastor for more than 680,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian forces serving in the U.S. and overseas. He leads an Air Force Chaplain Corps of approximately 2,000 chaplains and chaplain assistants from the active duty and Air Reserve components. As a member of the Armed Forces Chaplain Board, he and other members advise the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff on religious, ethical and quality-of-life concerns. Chaplain Stendahl was born and raised in St. Paul, Minn. He was ordained into the ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1977. He studied clinical pastoral education and served as a parish pastor in Texas and Wisconsin before entering the Air Force Chaplain Corps in 1985. His assignments include Director of the U.S. Air Force Chaplain Service Institute; Command Chaplain for Air Education and Training Command and Air Combat Command; and Deputy Chief of Chaplains. EDUCATION 1973 Bachelor of Arts, Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota 1977 Master of Divinity, Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota 1988 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama 1994 Doctor of Ministry, Graduate Theological Foundation, South Bend, Indiana 1995 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama 2001 Air War College, by seminar 2004 Master of Strategic Studies, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Alabama 2014 Doctor of Divinity, Honoris Causa, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C. ASSIGNMENTS 1. May 1985 - June 1988, Protestant chaplain, Basic Military Training School, Permanent Party Chapel, Lackland AFB, Texas 2. June1988 - June 1991, Protestant chaplain, Shaw AFB, S.C. 3. June1991 - July 1994, cadet chaplain, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 4. July 1994 - May 1995, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 5. June 1995 - October 1997, senior Protestant chaplain, Vandenberg AFB, Calif. 6. October 1997 - July 1999, command staff chaplain, U.S. European Command, Patch Barracks, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany 7. July 1999 - June 2002, senior staff chaplain, Headquarters Air Force Recruiting Service, Randolph AFB, Texas 8. June 2002 - July 2003, wing chaplain, Ellsworth AFB, S.D. 9. July 2003 - May 2004, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 10. May 2004 - June 2006, Director, USAF Chaplain Service Institute, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 11. June 2006 - June 2009, Command Chaplain, Air Education and Training Command, Randolph AFB, Texas 12. June 2009 - March 2011, Command Chaplain, Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va. 13. March 2011 - August 2012, Deputy Chief of Chaplains, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 14. August 2012 - present, Chief of Chaplains, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster Bronze Star Medal Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster Joint Meritorious Unit Award Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with "V" device and three oak leaf clusters Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with oak leaf cluster National Defense Service Medal with bronze star Southwest Asia Service Medal with two bronze stars Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Humanitarian Service Medal with oak leaf cluster Air Force Overseas Ribbon - Short Air Force Overseas Ribbon - Long Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon with silver oak leaf cluster Air Force Recruiter Ribbon Air Force Training Ribbon Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) Kuwait Liberation Medal (government of Kuwait) EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION Captain May 28, 1985 Major Feb. 1, 1994 Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 2000 Colonel Feb. 1, 2005 Brigadier General April 1, 2011 Major General Aug. 2, 2012 (Current as of August 2015)