One team, one fight: One prayer for many

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kristopher Levasseur
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  More than 260 Liberty members attended the National Prayer Breakfast featuring the Air Force chief of chaplains March 27 at the Eagle's Landing.

Liberty members from various religious denominations gathered together to celebrate the national tradition.

The Air Force does not just worry about the mental and physical fitness of its troops anymore, said Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Charles Baldwin. The Air Force now encompasses spiritual fitness, he added.

"Before I was a chaplain I was a pilot. One of the most critical parts of flying is the approach and landing," said Chaplain Baldwin. "Every pilot learns to put his or her trust in an instrument called the ILS indicator [A collection of discrete radio navigation aids used by pilots of all types of aircraft for approach guidance to a specific airport runway, especially during times of limited visibility.] This device will lead pilots through storms and bring them to safety just as God will lead us through the storms of life."

Event participants ranged from servicemembers to high school students. They took part in the breakfast by singing songs and performing religious readings for Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths.

According to Chaplain (Capt.) Thomas Searle, Prayer Breakfast groups were inaugurated in the Senate and House of Representatives in 1942. In 1953, President Eisenhower established the first Presidential Prayer Breakfast.

According to the event program, the purpose for the breakfast is to bring together the military and civilian leadership of the U.S. in recognition of the moral and spiritual values that the U.S. is founded upon.

For the past 30 years, military men and women have been holding their own local prayer breakfasts in conjunction with the National Prayer Breakfast.

"The event went very well," said Chaplain Searle. "Chaplain Baldwin gave an entertaining and insightful message on the relevance and accessibility of God in daily life. Two Lakenheath High School students were participants in the program, which added the fine dimension of both youth and dependents to this military event."

The National Prayer Breakfast is not just a religious service; it is a time to join together and reflect on Air Force values and to pray for our country's welfare, said Chaplain Searle.