Sailor Spotlight: Religious Program Specialist Enhances CREDO Mission

Each quarter, commands across the Navy recognize their highest-performing Sailors for outstanding character, dedication and going above and beyond their duties.

“On many occasions, Religious Program Specialist 1st Class Shane Barger has gone above and beyond,” said Lt. Christina Mauntel, CREDO’s deputy director for CNRH. “He took on a leadership role to coordinate spiritual readiness month for CNRH and assisted Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands by remotely planning most of the week’s upcoming events. When the CREDO team traveled to Kauai, Barger led and executed the spiritual readiness events on base to great success.”

Mauntel described Barger as a great asset to CREDO’s mission.

“Barger’s drive and initiative are above and beyond the average Sailor at his level of responsibility,” noted Mauntel. “His ability to improve program effectiveness and work cohesively in a team has dramatically improved CREDO’s ability to execute our mission.”

The award came as a surprise to Barger, who had arrived at CREDO Hawaii in late September 2025 after graduating from the Religious Program Specialist Managers Course in Newport, R.I.

“It’s an honor to me that I was nominated by my command as Sailor of the Quarter,” said Barger. “It meant a lot to me that they see the work I’m putting in and that my command felt that this was the right time to validate my work ethic.”

The Navy Region Hawaii CREDO for Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking supports service members and their families by providing retreats, seminars, and workshops that strengthen resilience, foster personal growth, and improve both well-being and interpersonal connections.

“Being the developmental organization that CREDO is, we’re helping Sailors and families by making their resiliency stronger, which makes the Navy stronger as a whole,” said Barger.

Barger said he helps strengthen resiliency in military families by planning and executing marriage enrichment retreats for couples who want to improve their relationship.

“My sole purpose is marriage retreats and the betterment of commands,” said Barger. “Sometimes we take couples that want to build on the foundation of their marriage and take the next step to grow.”

The marriage enrichment retreat is a weekend getaway for couples who want to reconnect after a deployment or learn to better understand their partner. This retreat also helps couples who want to strengthen their relationship in a relaxed setting.

Mauntel said CREDO manages more than 100 events each year with a 98% satisfaction rating from participants as recorded by the U.S. Navy’s Interaction Customer Evaluation system.

Barger said his interest in the Navy came from his father, a retired Senior Chief Aviation Electronics Technician who has helped guide Barger throughout his career.

“My dad is a retired Senior Chief and he kind of appeased my competitive side,” said Barger. “I always ask him for mentorship, but I also know that the Navy we are in today is different from the Navy my dad was in.”

Barger added that he was also influenced by his peers at a young age.

“I was involved in our youth programs at my local church,” said Barger. “I honestly liked going to church because of the people I was around.”

After reflecting on his CREDO achievements and 12 years of service in the Navy, Barger highlighted the importance of selfless service.

“My outlook on thinking that we’re doing this not for ourselves but for the betterment of other people is the whole purpose of CREDO’s mission,” said Barger.

Navy Region Hawaii oversees all shore-based operations, quality of life programs, and environmental responsibilities to support the readiness of the fleet, warfighters and the U.S. Navy’s mission in the Pacific.