U.S. Air Force Maj. Michael Zimmer, a local pastor, has been recognized as the Air National Guard Chaplain of the Year.
Zimmer, of Beaver Crossing, received the 2025 Samuel Stone Award during a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Zimmer is a chaplain assigned to the 155th Air Refueling Wing. He also serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Beaver Crossing and St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Utica.
The Department of the Air Force-level award recognizes one outstanding Air National Guard chaplain who demonstrates exceptional service, leadership and commitment to strengthening the spiritual readiness of Airmen and the communities they serve.
“Chaplain Zimmer was validated all the way up through the Chief of Chaplains and headquarters of the Air Force,” U.S. Air Force Col. Jonathan R. Bell, director of the Air National Guard Chaplain Corps, said during the award presentation. “His name is emblazoned in the history books, and he will also be receiving a federal ribbon on his uniform because he is set apart.”
During Zimmer’s deployment to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, he served as the sole Catholic priest for the largest chapel in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
Supporting operations including Inherent Resolve, Spartan Shield, Rough Rider and Enduring Sentinel, Zimmer provided spiritual care to thousands of joint and coalition members. He has been deployed to locations around the country, including Washington, D.C., and Florida, and around the world, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Tajikistan and Tanzania.
“A lot of people really grow in their faith during that time,” Zimmer said. “A lot of people work on issues or things kind of pop up, and when you throw potential combat and combat into that, it’s just a whole 'nother dynamic. It reminds us of our own mortality.”
Zimmer delivered more than 5,800 spiritual fitness interactions, supported hundreds of crisis interventions and confessions, provided leader advisement and led religious services and educational opportunities for deployed personnel.
He also supported Airmen during periods of increased operational stress, including the 12-Day War and Operation Midnight Hammer response efforts.
“Chaplain Zimmer was at the forefront of ensuring that warfighters were cared for spiritually, were grounded faithfully and were empowered to take the next step when they themselves may have been asking the question of why, how or what for,” Bell said.
Beyond his deployed operations, Zimmer strengthens the Nebraska National Guard community through spiritual care, leadership development and volunteer service.
Zimmer’s interest in military service began before he entered the seminary.
“When 9/11 happened, I was a junior in high school and very nearly enlisted at that point,” he said. “I prayed about it, made the decision not to, and not long after that, I made the decision to go to seminary, knowing the role of priest to chaplaincy. A good friend of mine was an army chaplain.”
Zimmer, who was raised in Firth, attended minor seminary at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, then major seminary at Mount Saint Mary’s in Maryland. He was ordained a priest in 2012.
“God intervened in my life and gave me an option to work with Him or be without Him,” Zimmer said about his decision to become a priest.
After his ordination, Zimmer served as the pastor for various churches. In 2018, he got the opportunity to become a military chaplain and has served with the 155th Air Refueling Wing since then. He was the first full-time chaplain hired by the 155th.
As a chaplain, Zimmer serves all military members regardless of their faith. He said he loves serving with the 1% of Americans who serve in the military.
“I get to work with a very, very unique group of Americans, and I love being able to work with people of lots of different backgrounds and really just meet them where they are and help them journey forward,” he said.
He also loves serving his local parishioners in Beaver Crossing and Utica.
“There's something special about being in the rural communities where people really love living their life, and you see the priorities of God, family, and country have all very much lived out,” he said. “Small towns are just a different feel, and so it's really a blessing to be able to be part of communities like that.”
On base, those who serve are often asked, “What is your why?” and “Why do you serve?” Zimmer said being a pastor reminds him of his “why.”
“I love serving as a pastor because it still roots me in the fullness of the Catholic identity,” he said. “As a chaplain, not all that I do is Catholic-specific, and so it’s very nice to come back to a Catholic community that I’m a part of. You get to be part of their family and the things that are going on in their life, so it brings a grounding and a normalcy to my military service.”
According to Zimmer, being a priest is a gift.
“It’s an unbelievable gift to be a part of all families and none,” he said. “We don’t have our own family, but we belong to all the families. We get to walk the journey of people’s lives. What people experience in a lifetime, we get to experience, sometimes, in a day.”
Zimmer was surprised and humbled to learn he had received the national honor.
“To be honest, I was grateful for it, but at the same token, I don’t serve for awards,” he said. “So I’m very humbled to be selected, but by no means do I do what I do in order to be recognized.”
At the ceremony, Zimmer credited the recognition to the support of God, his family, leadership and the many people who have supported his military and religious service. He said it is a privilege to serve those who serve.
He said he feels blessed to be part of an amazing group of people who want to take care of others.
“There are chaplains all across the country who do amazing things, and I’m just one of them,” he said. “While I might have received the award and recognition this year, when I was deployed last year, my team downrange was incredible. They all did incredible things.”
