In September the US Army in Camp Buehring, Kuwait, provided an opportunity for Soldiers to encourage their spiritual strength in a Spiritual Fitness Breakfast.

Soldiers deployed to Camp Buehring, Kuwait, attended a Spiritual Fitness Breakfast Saturday at the main dining facility to strengthen their spiritual resiliency.
 
More than 500 soldiers attended the breakfast. All faiths and beliefs were welcomed as discrimination for one’s belief in the Army is not tolerated.

One speaker was LtGen Vincent Brooks, the commanding general of the Third Army:

“Hang on to your spirit when all else around is failing around you, when physically you are broken, when there is sadness or despair.” said Brooks. The spirit is a foundation of CSF; resiliency of spirit is required by soldiers to overcome the stresses of deployments. Resiliency is a tool to help soldiers cope with living away from their families and the comforts of life back home.

While the event was popular with the troops, the Army’s handling of some aspects of it demonstrates the sensitivity of the subject.  For example, the awkward caption to the photo above:

Soldiers…take a moment to meditate or pray to their higher power or in their belief during a Spiritual Fitness Breakfast…Comprehensive Soldier Fitness…encourages soldiers to increase their spiritual fitness by accepting all faiths and beliefs to make well-rounded soldiers in today’s Army.