FORT CAMPBELL, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division and 101st Combat Aviation Brigade shared a secret to their perseverance during their ongoing operations in the Middle East: religious celebrations.
Religious celebrations provide a space for soldiers of all different groups to sustain troop resilience, while also allowing them to grow their spirituality while far from home. Practicing religion boosts moral and brings soldiers together under another similar purpose. These celebrations are usually led by partner chaplains within the 101st CAB.
“Religious support is a combat multiplier,” said Maj. Michael Dawson, pastor and chaplain for the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade. “The Army has acknowledged the importance of spiritual connection to our resiliency and lethality, and have embraced it. We understand that a Soldier is not going to be at their best if they’re not able to exercise their religion.”
On Erbil Air Base in Iraq, a group of soldiers and civilians follow Capt. Imam Mohammed Ekililu into a small wooden chapel.
Capt. Ekililu is the chaplain at the 2nd Squadron 17th Air Cavalry Regiment who led this group to a meal celebrating the Islamic holiday, Eid al-Fitr. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of dawn-to-dusk fasting during the month-long celebration of Ramadan. Capt. Ekililu claims that the experience was powerful moral-booster and promoted a sense of belonging among the group.
“When soldiers see that they have a place of worship and someone that understands them spiritually, they light up,” said Ekililu. “Sometimes they are still learning and when they can come to a place and there’s someone to lead the prayers, they are happy. They find peace in practicing their religion.”
Later that same day, the chapel held Christians who were celebrating the days leading up to Easter. The hall was filled with sounds of worship and praise, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and his triumph over death. Four days prior, the sanctuary held the Catholic Feast of Annunciation, which commemorates the Virgin Mary being visited by the archangel Gabriel to announce the coming birth of Jesus.
A few weeks later on the Al Asad Air Base in Iraq, a Jewish Rabbi leads soldiers through a Passover Seder. Captain Adam Strater, the 412th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) chaplain, reads from the Haggadah; the Jewish writings explaining the sequence for the Seder. The Seder is the ritual meal and service held for Passover.
“Almost 90% of Jews celebrate Passover in some capacity,” said Strater. “We are celebrating the release of our bondage from under Pharaoh. The idea is that in doing so we are putting ourselves in the place of the Israelites who were slaves in Egypt, and we are embodying their movement from slavery to freedom through this meal that has different steps along the way.”
Similarly, Muslims practice empathy towards others during the observation of Ramadan. “When we are fasting, starving, and going through testing, it reminds us of the people in developing nations, the people on the street, the beggars.” said Ekililu. “You get a taste of what some people face every day of their lives.”
Chaplains who devote themselves to serve troops overseas stress the importance of religion in these military communities. Deploying overseas fosters a strong sense of purpose within the soldiers and chaplains work hard to nurture and foster the feeling for soldiers of all religious backgrounds.
“My main audience are soldiers,” said Strater. “I make sure they are supported the best I can by giving them access to their own religious practices, supporting them through pastoral care, and offering them 100% confidentiality to be able to have conversations.”
Dawson reiterates the importance of religious dialogue within soldiers.
“This deployment is an opportunity to walk alongside our Soldiers as they take a journey,” said Dawson. “To have conversations, that in my mind are divine appointments. We are in this location; we are in close proximity, and it creates these opportunities to have those very intimate discussions about something that is life changing.”
When spiritual well-being is prioritized as part of the pledge to build resilience in soldiers, the brigade fosters feelings of unity, trust and, most importantly, community. This type of healthy environment strengthens mission readiness and deepens the soldiers’ commitment to the team.
“Our unit bond transcends a lot of differences that we have,” said Dawson. “You can look at socioeconomic variables, you can look at political variables, and you can look at religious variables and see, even though we come from different places, we are all a part of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade.”
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