Izmir chaplain wins USAFE award Published Feb. 29, 2012 By Tanju Varlikli 425th Air Base Squadron Host Nation Advisor IZMIR, Turkey -- Chaplain (Capt.) Craig Forsythe, 425th Air Base Squadron chaplain, was awarded the 2011 U.S. Air Forces in Europe Edwin R. Chess Award following the USAFE announcement of chaplain corps award winners Feb. 14. Forsythe will now compete at Air Force level. The award is named after Edwin R. Chess who was the chief of chaplains in 1966, and the criteria for the award is based on how chaplains care for others in the ways of providing for religious and spiritual needs of a unit. "Winning an award like this is a great honor. This award would not have been possible without the support of my leadership," said Forsythe. The award recognizes active-duty, company-grade chaplains who make outstanding contributions to the Air Force and the community and clearly stand above their peers in professionalism, motivation and results. "Winning the Edwin R. Chess Award is quite an achievement," said Lt. Col. Joel Elsbury, 425th ABS commander. "Being recognized as the winner of this award is a phenomenal accomplishment and reflects a dogged commitment to excellence." Forsythe is head of the Izmir's "Religious Team" with the assistance of Bülent Patur, chapel coordinator. The duo provides Izmir community members regular services and programs designed for the small populace of the 425th ABS, a geographically-separated unit of the 39th Air Base Wing at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. "Compared to other installations, this is a very small community; but the challenges and opportunities are the same," said Forsythe, in his ninth year as a chaplain. There is no base, so reaching out to service members takes creativity. Forsythe enjoys the challenge of fostering community and seeing people come together to encourage each other and to share one another's burdens, he said.