Photo By Sgt. Jasmine Higgins | Chaplain Col. William Green, I Corps chaplain, receives a gift for his role as the...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – Service members, their families and Department of Defense civilians all gathered together for the Joint Base Lewis-McChord National Prayer Breakfast at the American Lake Conference Center on JBLM, Washington, Feb. 16.
The National Prayer Breakfast was created to enhance the readiness and resilience of the attendees regardless of their religion and background.
This year’s JBLM national Prayer Breakfast hit a bump in the road when the original guest speaker, Chaplain Maj. Gen. Paul K Hurley, was forced to cancel due to transportation problems resulting in Chaplain Col. William Green, I Corps command chaplain, to step in at a moment’s notice as an alternate speaker.
Green took to the stage jokingly referring to himself as a “plan B” and a “pitch hitter."
“He lit a fire under my butt again,” said Spc. Kelly Kennedy, a medical lab technician specialist, Bravo Company, Troop Command, Madigan Army Medical Center. “Honestly, I was skeptical to come here. Religious stuff makes me a little nervous, but he kind of struck a chord with me.”
Green’s speech hit on a variety of difficult topics with the intention of giving the audience hope.
“That indeed is today’s message,” said Green. “There is hope on the other side of despair and hopelessness.”
The message of “hope” that Green wanted to portray hit home and resonated with many of the men and women at the breakfast, even causing some to become emotional.
“I’ve been having a lot of medical issues and it has been very scary because I have been losing hope that I’m going to get better and for things to get back to normal,” said Kennedy. “This was a reminder that I’m not alone, so that in itself already makes me feel better.”
People from all backgrounds and religions are encouraged to come and support the JBLM National Prayer Breakfast.
“I absolutely would recommend my future Soldiers and my battle buddies to come in and at least be a part of this,” said Kennedy. “Even if they are not religious it’s worth it because it’s not just about the religious aspect. It’s a reminder that you have family within your ranks, within your unit, your brigade, your battalion. Maybe your first line isn’t the best person to talk to, but there is always someone there with open arms to help you. This is a family and we need to stick together.”
| Date Taken: | 02.18.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.18.2016 09:54 |
| Story ID: | 189129 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US |
| Hometown: | OAK FOREST, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 71 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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