Photo By Sgt. Lauren Twigg | Rep. Matt Salmon from the 5th District in Arizona receives the distinguished National...... read more read more
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PHOENIX - Rep. Matt Salmon from the 5th District in Arizona received the National Ten Commandments Leadership Award on April 20 in Gilbert, Ariz. Col. Elmon Krupnik, the Arizona National Guard’s State Chaplain, submitted Salmon’s name for the award.
“I nominated Mr. Salmon through his selfless actions and his commitment to his faith through the creation of this Council,” Krupnik said. “He is also one of the few members of Congress who holds community events yearly for emergency preparedness, which directly connects with the mission of National Guard in our state.”
Krupnik, as the Guard’s state chaplain, is a designated member of Salmon’s Clergy Council, the only one of its kind in the nation. Krupnik explains that the group is comprised of several clergy leaders of various faiths within Salmon’s district.
The purpose of a clergy council is to place a strong emphasis on the public acknowledgement of religion, working with local leaders of public administrations and legislation to ensure religious and various human rights are being properly represented, when establishing laws and addressing many public issues.
“This is an incredible honor and privilege, and I think of my role as a representative of the people, and my responsibility to perform the duties of a Congressman, there needs to be a solid foundation on which to stand, in order to effectively represent the people I serve,” Salmon said. “I think so many of the troubles that we find ourselves in, both internationally and nationally, would be resolved if people would adhere to these basic Ten Commandments; to love thy neighbor and give the respect to others you respect in return.”
The award was established in 1995 by the National Clergy Council as a way to commend those in public office who promote the values of the Ten Commandments, and the commandments were chosen as a universal standard of conduct that all faiths accept.
“Every two years we are elected and re-elected, and we raise our right hands to swear to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic,” Salmon said. “I don’t make any other oaths, and our Founding Fathers believed that the freedom of religious belief was so important that they enshrined it as the first part of the Constitution.”
It goes without saying that the Ten Commandments should be practiced in everybody’s lives every day to make this a better place for everyone, Salmon said.
As a chaplain in the National Guard, Krupnik’s primary responsibility is to provide ministry to Soldiers. As a leader in the chaplaincy, he also has a duty to promote community relations and serving on the Clergy Council is one way to extend the hand of faith in representing his citizen/soldier commitment.
| Date Taken: | 04.20.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.27.2015 17:41 |
| Story ID: | 161436 |
| Location: | PHOENIX, AZ, US |
| Web Views: | 238 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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