Task Force Talon holds first prayer breakfast

Photo By Maj. Joel Seppala | U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jefferey Slown, commander, Task Force Talon, 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, presents a commander’s coin to the guest speaker, U.S. Air Force chaplain Maj. Buddy Walker, 36th Wing deputy chaplain, during a prayer breakfast Aug. 27, 2015. Prayer breakfasts are an important part of Soldier resiliency.  

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, GUAM

08.28.2015

Courtesy Story

94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command

By Maj. Joel Seppala
Operations officer (S-3), Task Force Talon, 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam - “Praise the Lord and pass the…biscuits!”

That was the spirit of the fourteen Soldiers from Task Force Talon, 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, as they met at the Top of the Rock Club on Andersen Air Force Base, Aug. 27, for the first Task Force Talon prayer breakfast since the unit’s arrival on Guam in April 2013.

U.S. Air Force chaplain Maj. Hyral “Buddy” Walker, 36th Wing deputy chaplain, was the guest speaker. The keynote topic was prayer and Walker’s animated, energetic presentation style educated the Soldiers on some of the various types, styles, techniques, and occasions for prayer.

Walker discussed the various reasons for prayer such as worship, confession, asking for forgiveness, giving thanks for blessings or thanksgiving, to ask for things for ourselves or supplication, and praying for the needs of others or petition. With this myriad of prayers available, one can find himself or herself truly "praying without ceasing" as Saint Paul advises in the book of Thessalonians in the New Testament of the Holy Bible.

In a single day, for example, a Soldier can find himself praying in supplication that he will make it to morning formation on time - praying in thanksgiving that he was able to join the ranks just before the first sergeant walked out the door - and then praising God as the first sergeant announces that the physical fitness test scheduled for that morning has been rescheduled for next month.

According to Walker, prayers can be as simple as the offer of petition for Soldiers attending a prayer breakfast. A prayer can also be complex or eloquent such as an invocation given at a national prayer event. Prayers may be uttered routinely around a dinner table or when asking for renewed health for someone that might have fallen ill. Prayers can be spoken anytime whether kneeling, standing, running, or driving. They can be raised up holding a rosary or a rifle.

Walker reminded the audience, “Sometimes, the best kind of prayer is that which is just like talking to your best friend.”

Prayer breakfasts are an important part of Soldier resiliency. These types of events are an enduring tradition throughout the U.S. armed forces and within the larger U.S. fovernment structure.

The 94th AAMDC senior enlisted religious affairs adviser, Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Seppala, shares: “Prayer breakfasts address the spiritual fitness component of the Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness (CSF2) model. The spiritual component is the unseen force that compels a Soldier to keep moving forward even through the worst situations.”

When describing the value of prayer breakfasts to Soldiers, Seppala states, “Prayer breakfasts nurture the development of a Soldier’s spirit through fellowship with other Soldiers in a non-threatening environment.”

Though this was the first Task Force Talon prayer breakfast, it will not be the last.

Task Force Talon commander, Lt. Col. Jefferey Slown, noted, “The task force is working to build a strong unit ministry program that will include additional prayer breakfasts, single Soldier and Family retreats, and other spiritual programs over the next year. This event was the first of many to help build CSF2.”

• Date Taken: 08.28.2015
• Date Posted: 09.02.2015 01:43
• Story ID: 174963
• Location: ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, GU