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LAGHMAN, Afghanistan – At seven thirty in the morning, many
soldiers are working out, some may still be asleep, however, on Dec.
6, 2013, a group of soldiers and civilians came together for
fellowship at Forward Operating Base Gamberi's dining facility.
The 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division's Chaplain
Office hosted a prayer breakfast. “The character of a leader” was
the event's focal topic.
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U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kenneth Harrison and Command Sgt. Maj. Noe
Salinas share a light moment during the first Forward Operating Base
Gamberi prayer breakfast Dec. 6, 2013. Salinas serves as the senior
enlisted adviser of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division,
Task Force Patriot and Harrison serves as the commander of 4th
Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. The topic
of the prayer breakfast was the “Character of a Leader.” (U.S. Army
Photo by Sgt. 1st Class E. L. Craig, Task Force Patriot PAO)
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“Character is the foundational building block for good
leadership, because it's with good positive character that
you build trust and gain a positive influence over the
people you serve with,” said Maj. Ned Bartlebaugh, chaplain,
brigade chaplain, 4th BCT, 10th Mtn. Div.
The event
officially began with Sgt. Maj. Brian Harmon, brigade combat
team operations sergeant major, delivering a prayer for the
4th BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. soldiers and Chief Warrant Officer 4
Cecil Hughes offering a separate prayer for the families
supporting [deployed soldiers] at Fort Polk, La.
The BCT commander and senior enlisted
adviser and their subordinate battalion command teams were
all present for the prayer breakfast.
“We've been
deployed for about three to four months, so we're in that
middle mark,” said Bartlebaugh. “We have Christmas coming up
and I felt like we needed to do something different that
would take us from the daily grind but allow us to focus on
something that would help us complete our mission.”
The 101st Jazz Trio performed during the welcoming portion
of the event, followed by Spc. Richard Anderson, 4th BCT,
10th Mtn. Div., who sang two Christian songs.
One
senior noncommissioned officer in attendance thought the
event's topic was fitting.
“At this point in a
deployment... soldiers start missing their families and that's
when things that shouldn't happen sometimes do,” said Master
Sgt. Ronnie Rooks, food service adviser, 4th BCT, 10th Mtn.
Div. “So I think it' s a message we all needed [in order] to
give us that extra push to make it back home.”
Bartlebaugh chose this topic for a very specific reason.
“Each individual's character, from private to general, has
an impact and reflection on the unit as a whole,” said
Bartlebaugh. “Everybody that's here is a leader and we ought
to be leaders of character in our homes, in the workplace or
in the community, preferably all three.”
Fitting the
chaplain's focus of character extending past the gates of
the Army, Rook's definition of character is more about the
person and less about the occupation.
“Character
tells you who I am,” said Rooks. “It lets you know what I
stand for, what I'm willing to accept, and what I'm willing
to do and it's something I won't sacrifice.”
By U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class E. L. Craig
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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