Photo By Sgt. Salvatore Ottaviano | Retired Brig. Gen. Robert Pleczkowski, Army Reserve Ambassador for Pennsylvania and...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. – Military personnel and chaplains joined together May 1 for the 74th Annual National Day of Prayer held here at the Fort Dix Chapel.
Retired Brig. Gen. Robert Pleczkowski, Army Reserve Ambassador for Pennsylvania and former Army Reserve Deputy Chief of Chaplains, was featured as the guest speaker at the interfaith luncheon for a time of reflection, prayer, and inspiration.
Pleczkowski imparted wisdom by referring to Martin Luther, an eminent figure in Christian history and the father of Lutheranism. He emphasized how Luther said that he had to schedule his time for prayer for when he woke up in the morning before his working day began because he was just so busy for the rest of the day.
“He’s pointing out that if something is so important, you block off the time so you can do it before something else cuts in the way,” said Pleczkowski.
“Why do we get up to do PT at ‘0-dark-thirty,’ before anything else gets in the way? It’s important. It becomes the priority,” he continued. “You make the priority for those things that are important, so nothing else can get in the way. It's done, you’ve done it, and your day already starts off well.
“So maybe that's how we need to start our day, or maybe we put it in the appointment book,” Pleczkowski added.
Maj. Gen. Kris A. Belanger, commanding general of the Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division, presented Pleczkowski a Certificate of Appreciation during the occasion.
“We present this to you for donating your time and for your inspirational words provided on this National Day of Prayer,” said Belanger. “Your dedication to the military and specifically the Army Reserve did not end with your retirement. You are a shining example of what it means to be a ‘Soldier for life.’”
Two stated intentions of the National Day of Prayer are that it will be a day when adherents of all great religions can unite in prayer, and that it may bring renewed respect for God to all the peoples of the world.
“Sometimes, it hits you like a ton of bricks to talk about what’s a priority,” said Pleczkowski. “So, the idea is, sometimes we need an outside source to give us that rap on the head and have those ‘A-ha!’ moments to remind us what is priority and how do we make it happen.
“So, maybe in our appointment books, just put whatever you want initially,” he continued. “Keep it private, keep it personal - thought time, prayer time, whatever it is - to remind us to spend that moment…it’s important.”
The National Day of Prayer invites people of all faiths to pray and meditate for the nation, with history and precedence dating back to the nation’s inception by order of Gen. George Washington.
“It seems like the busier we get - the busier we get,” Pleczkowski explained. “What does that do? That makes us tense. That makes us anxious. That makes us very stressed. Sometimes it makes us angry. It makes us short. It can make us feel that way even to those we love.
“We take that stuff home with us when we don’t want to,” he said. “We spend less time with those we love. We find that we might want to spend less time with our God, because we’re just so exhausted and he’s the one that loves us most of all.”
The National Day of Prayer was established by a joint resolution of the United States Congress in 1952, signed into law by President Harry S. Truman, to be declared by Presidential proclamation each year.
| Date Taken: | 05.09.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.09.2025 13:59 |
| Story ID: | 497537 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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