Why I Stay: Capt. Lamar Reece Published July 31, 2023 By Senior Airman Kayla Christenson 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla.-- Capt. Lamar Reece, 97th Air Mobility Wing deputy chaplain, from Summerville, South Carolina, served enlisted for nine years before commissioning as a chaplain to further his Air Force career. “I chose to stay because I love it,” he said. “The Air Force has been good to me and it is my family in so many ways. The Air Force understands me, gives me the freedom to be me, and provides care and support to me and my family when I need it.” Reece shared he dreamed of being in the Air Force since he was a child. “I knew that I would one day want to be an officer in the Air Force so I needed to finish school,” he said. “I did not want my mother to have to pay for school so I enlisted first to complete my bachelors before commissioning.” Reece said he is motivated to serve every day by helping others and to protect Americans and his family. “I serve so my children and this country never have to experience the things I have seen while serving overseas,” he said. “I also love helping others. If I can encourage, give hope and put a smile to someone in a day, I am good with that.” Reece said the Air Force has given him the opportunity to grow through others and he is more disciplined, focused, determined, and dedicated because of it. “The Air Force has given me the chance to become something more in life,” he said. “I am the first in my family to serve and to become an officer. I have become an example of what the military can do for someone who comes from little by obtaining my degree, certifications, and specialty training through the Air Force.”