DVIDS – News – Breakfast aimed at mental preparation

“The Bible teaches us to rejoice in hope, endure tribulation, and pray without ceasing,” President Joe Biden said in his proclamation of the 2024 National Day of Prayer. “My prayer for our nation this year is that we continue to believe that our best days are ahead of us, and that we continue to believe in integrity, decency, dignity, and respect. May we instead be made in God’s image and seen as precious fellow citizens in God’s eyes, leaving no one behind, giving everyone a fair chance, and giving no safe place to hatred. Please remember that if we act together, nothing is beyond our ability.”

Biden proclaimed May 2, 2024, as a National Day of Prayer, and Fort Jackson attended the breakfast held at the 1917 Club.

The National Day of Prayer was not only an opportunity for people of different faiths in our workplaces to come together to pray for our country, but also an opportunity to build resilience.

For Colonel Kenneth Dwyer, resilience isn’t just a part of his job (as commander of the Leadership Training Brigade, he leads the Holistic Health and Fitness Academy and Master Resilience School), it’s a way of life. .

During the breakfast, Dwyer spoke about “how we can build resilience as human beings through our faith, our families, and our brothers and sisters of faith.”

Dwyer was seriously injured in a gunfight during his third combat tour in Afghanistan.

As he was helping a Mk-19 gunner reload, a rocket-propelled grenade exploded and the 40mm grenade he was carrying exploded. He instantly lost his hand, and the shrapnel also lost his left eye and part of his teeth.

He said he was angry at first for being hurt, but other emotions began to arise.

“The next thing I thought about was peace,” he says. “At least my soul is protected, and I know that for sure…”

“I’m here today because the men and women of the U.S. military are more concerned about the livelihoods and lives of those around them than they are about themselves. My team was more concerned about me. , which set me on the path to Killzone.”

Recovering from my injury was difficult, I didn’t know if I would ever be “back to a functioning human body”, and there were many days when I celebrated victory by just moving my fingers a little more.

Dwyer kept nudging his fingers, “believing that no matter the circumstances, God has a plan for our lives.”

He said the first step to getting back on his feet was surrounding himself with positive people. Among those around him were his family and “brothers and sisters in the faith who helped me endure, and for that I am so grateful.”

Dwyer knows a lot about Army Field Manual 7-22 – Holistic Health and Fitness.

FM “talks about mental readiness. This is a great duty that we have to tell our soldiers now, we have to tell our soldiers about the mental element and readiness,” he said. Stated. “Spiritual preparation is about reaffirming your principles, beliefs, and values ​​and giving your life purpose and meaning.”

According to FM 7-22, paragraph 3-21, “Soldiers who successfully develop, maintain, and repair their condition in the face of adversity demonstrate spiritual readiness. Leaders who understand spiritual readiness do this by fostering dialogue, fostering team cohesion, and creating a climate of mutual respect and dignity that allows people of all faiths and non-religions to practice freely and wholesomely. This approach allows for collective and individual preparedness.

The breakfast was a multi-religious event, with prayers offered by ministers of various faiths.

Dean Branum joined Latter-day Saints of The Church of Jesus Christ in praying for the family. The Reverend (Major) Matthew Whitehead, a Catholic priest, joined forces with the Soldiers’ Assistance Association in praying for the government. Muslim Chaplain (Captain) Mustafa Lahouchen prayed for the troops. Retired Major General Jeff Jacobs prayed for the nation on behalf of Judaism.