DAVAO CITY - A Filipina who grew up in Mati City, Davao Oriental province is making waves in the western side of the globe after she became the first female Asian Pacific Islander to be selected as the new Director of the Air National Guard Chaplain Corps.
Col. Leah Botona Boling currently serves as a full-time chaplain at the 154th Wing in Hawaii Air National Guard for 19 years.
“But I’ve been a full-time chaplain since 2018,” Boling told The Manila Bulletin in a virtual interview on Monday, June 28.
Boling was promoted to the rank of colonel in March this year. Her promotion ceremony was held on May 11 - which coincided with her 57th birthday.
“As a colonel, I’m the first Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) female colonel in the Hawaii Air National Guard. As a colonel, I’m also the first AAPI colonel chaplain for the US Air Force,” Boling shared.
Before 2018, while serving as a part-time chaplain, Boling also had a full-time job as a mental health supervisor for one of the biggest nonprofit agencies in Hawaii. This year, she will be relocating to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for a four-year stat tour overseeing the welfare of 108,100 Guardsmen.
Becoming a chaplain
Boling earned her degree in customs administration at the Holy Cross of Davao College here in Davao City. While doing her internship with the Bureau of Customs in Cagayan de Oro City, Boling was also active in the church. This eventually led her to pursue vocational ministry.
She finished her Master of Divinity at the Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary in Baguio City. She specialized in pastoral care and counseling.
“To get that degree, I had to do an internship as a hospital chaplain,” Boling said. Later on, she was accepted at the Makati Medical Center as a chaplain for her internship and in 1991, she applied and got accepted as a hospital chaplain in Hawaii.
“My mind has always been for ministry, what I can do for the world, what I can do for other people.”
Turning points
Boling said she never had any idea of military chaplaincy.
“Wala gyud military sa among pamilya. Even when I was there in the Philippines. My uncle was in the PNP but that was it (There was no military member in our family. Even when I was there in the Philippines. My uncle was in the Philippine National Police, but that was it),” she said.
Boling later met her husband, Jeff, who at that time was on active duty in the Air Force in Hawaii. Her husband invited her to serve as chaplain for the military, but Boling was hesitant.
“I was not really thrilled about it because I really thought that military chaplains would carry guns just like any military, and I’m not big on guns,” she said.
Her Sunday school teacher, who was also the head of the chaplain at the wing, also invited her to become a military chaplain.
But at that time, Boling said, she was still unsure since their only child, was only about two years old. “I really didn’t want to have two militaries in the family,” she said.
However, it was the 9-11 bombing in 2001 which made her decide to enter the military.
“Throughout that day I was shaking, and then I kept following the story and it really broke my heart. I was like these Airmen, these service members need someone to comfort them, to provide counseling, someone to pray with them,” she said.
After the incident, Boling’s resolve to join the Guard became stronger. In April 2002, Boling swore in as first lieutenant.
Boling said her deployment to Zamboanga in 2008 also paved the way for her to take on the full-time job as a military chaplain.
“In 2008, I was sent to Zamboanga, I was there for about five or six months for the Operation Enduring Freedom Philippines through the Joint Special Operations Task Force. While there, apparently, I did an awesome job that the Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC) here in Hawaii offered me a full-time job,” she recalled.
“I became their command chaplain, full time, for almost four years. From there, I had more opportunities to be on order” she said.
Growing up in Mati City
Boling grew up in Mati City as a child and fondly recalled treating her friends in the restaurant which their family owned. Boling’s family were also active church members. She finished elementary at the Mati Central Elementary School.
Before the pandemic hit, Boling was still able to visit her family in Mati City in February last year.
“Prior to COVID, I usually go home once a year. I’m hoping to go back home before we went to D.C. but I don’t think that’s ever gonna happen because of COVID,” she said.
Currently, Boling said her focus now is to focus on her goal of doing what is best for the interest of the Corps.
“How can I help the Airmen, how can I help the wing. We call it 54/90/108,100. I am responsible for 50 states and four territories, I am responsible for 90 wings, and the 108,100 - the guard members that I am responsible for,” she said.
“That’s how big my responsibility is, so I really need God on my side,” Boling added.
Boling also had this to say to her fellow women: "Be the best version of you."
"Don't worry about things that you have no control over. What is it that you are passionate about, follow that - which means, do your homework and be the best you can be at that job," she added.
"Ako lang mag-isa and (I am the only one) Leah Botona Boling. Nobody else can be Leah Botona Boling. So, I need to be the best version of myself, otherwise, I will miss the opportunity of being who I am," she said.