US Marines at Camp Leatherneck recently hosted a “Faith in Combat Leadership” breakfast to “get back in touch with their religion.”

“The purpose of (the breakfast) was to build camaraderie amongst all the people and build a community,” said [Chaplain] Navy Lt. Allen A. Presser Jr…“It was geared for everyone, both religious and nonreligious alike. It was in interfaith service to break down walls and give people an opportunity to come together.”

Like many other chaplaincy events, the breakfast was also open to other NATO troops on the base, and speakers were from the varying beliefs:

The people who attended were happy they got a chance to participate. With speakers from several religions, everyone got a chance to hear passages from different holy books.

One Corporal noted she’d been working on Sundays so hadn’t been able to go to church, so the breakfast was a strong source of spiritual support.

Troops don’t always have the ability to regularly participate in their chosen spiritual exercise, despite the sometimes valiant efforts of military chaplains.  (Some have been known to run midnight or 3AM services specifically for servicemembers on the night train who can’t attend during the normal day.)  They recognize that the mission comes first, but the military also recognizes the value of their spiritual fitness.  The US military generally does an admirable job of protecting the religious freedoms of its troops deployed to war.