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FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – When Soldiers and their families look for fellowship and spiritual enthusiasm, it’s natural to turn to the Religious Support Office (RSO), but over the last two years, these characteristics were at the very core of the chaplain who put people first.
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Shay Worthy, command staff chaplain for the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence & Fort Huachuca, left the position on June 30, and will be heading to Korea on an unaccompanied tour to become the Deputy Command Chaplain, 8th U.S. Army at Camp Humphreys.
“My middle daughter is about to graduate from college, and my youngest daughter is about to graduate from high school,” Worthy said. “It just didn’t seem like a good family plan to be overseas and have them graduate, so they will be staying in the states and moving to North Fort Meyers, Florida to be by my wife’s parents.”
Worthy assumed command of the RSO in August of 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic limited what the team was able to accomplish at the beginning of his tenure. As restrictions continued to lift, the team was able to meet many of the goals Worthy had identified.
The team completed 14 single-spaced pages of goals throughout Worthy’s tenure which wouldn’t have been possible without each hardworking member of the RSO, he said.
“All of those accomplishments are indicative of the staff, I didn’t do those,” Worthy said. “One of the biggest accomplishments for me was reopening the chapel. Part of that reopening was rededicating, renaming and revitalizing it.”
The revitalization process included finding a creative new way to repair an inoperable fountain in the courtyard. Staff Sgt. Vanessa Young led the revitalization project of the fountain by clearing out the old mulch inside and adding river rocks. The effort made it a calming and peaceful place with olive trees, rose bushes and other plants and flowers.
“Chaplain Worthy supported us through the whole revitalization process,” Young said. “He was out there with us scraping up rocks, moving over 50 tons of rock and he was out there with us from six thirty in the morning till late in the afternoon and on weekends. He was out there supporting and working with us and not just delegating.”
The things RSO staff members will miss the most about Worthy are the amazing opportunities for career advancement and the constant recognition.
Young said throughout the time Worthy was in command, he was always looking for ways to support the Soldiers with awards, coins and professional mentorship.
“Chaplain Worthy was great at recognizing achievements and mentoring and coaching,” said Chaplain (Maj.) Daniel Cho. “He allows his Soldiers to grow and gives them every opportunity to attend trainings and professional development courses.”
While Worthy did a lot for his Soldiers, he also did a lot to help his civilian employees with career progression.
“My job description had not been changed since the 1970s,” said Morgana Biddix, religious support assistant. “He changed that to match what I’m actually doing…it even mentioned that I had to be a good typist – on a typewriter – so it was very old.”
The RSO team elaborated on how much they will miss Worthy and how he led from the front, empowered them and improved their careers. All of them mentioned how kind and caring he was and how he always put people first.
“I’m going to miss his high spirits and positive attitude,” Young said. “Also having him back me up if any issues arise.”
Cho agreed and said, “I’m going to miss his energy and enthusiasm.”
“The compassion and sense of humor is what I’ll miss most,” Biddix said. “He always made sure we were safe throughout COVID, gave me free reign to do my job and made sure to set everyone else up for success.”
Worthy said he’s going to miss the tightknit community of Fort Huachuca and Cochise County as a whole. Being at a smaller post has brought people together and allowed him to make connections with people from all over, he explained.
“When I got here, somewhere I heard the term Team Huachuca,” Worthy said. “So now I end all my prayers with ‘God bless Team Huachuca’, and the other day I did that, and Colonel [Jarrod] Mooreland said, ‘I’m going to miss that,’ and I said, ‘I’m going to miss saying that.’”
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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.
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