Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    Posture Statement

    State Partnership Program

    Special Features

    About the Guard
    
        How We Began

    Air National Guard

    Army National Guard    
    
        DEERS Soldier Journey

    Leader Development Program

    History and Heritage

    I am the Guard

    NGB Official March

    Leadership
    
        CNGB

    VCNGB

    SEA

    DANG

    DARNG

    Joint Staff    
    
        J-1

    J-2

    J-3

    J-4

    J-5

    J-6

    J-7

    J-8

    Personal Staff    
    
        Inspector General

    General Counsel

    Public Affairs

    Executive Support Services

    Legislative Liaison

    Special Staff    
    
        National Guard Office of Special Victims' Counsel

    Office of the Provost Marshal

    Office of the Joint Surgeon

    Director of Acquisitions

    Small Business Programs

    Chaplain

    Senior Leader Management Office

    Diversity Equity Inclusion

    Comptroller

    Resources    
        National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance

    Community Engagement

    FOIA

    Fact Sheets

    Helpful Links

    Image Gallery
    
        News Images

    Graphics

    Historical Paintings

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Legislative Liaison

    Small Business Programs

    Social Media

    State Websites

    Videos    
    
        Featured Videos

    On Every Front

    2019 Videos

    2020 Videos

    2021 Videos

    Suicide Prevention

    Family Programs

    Environmental

    Trial Defense Service

    Holistic Wellness Challenge

    Contact Us  Home
  News
  Article View
 
 Download
 Details
 Share
 NEWS
 Duty Day with God By Staff Sgt. Lorin T. Smith
                36th Combat Aviation Brigade
 UR, Iraq - The Ziggurat, a 50-foot pyramid temple, towers over the vast Iraqi desert. Less than a mile away sits the royal palace, which was the capital of Sumeria more than 6,000 years ago. This is Ur, one of the world's oldest cities, and its ruins are all that remains of a society long gone. These historic relics of Mesopotamia, the "cradle of civilization," are tourist sites for Coalition Forces to visit. After Saddam Hussein's army abandoned Tallil Air Base, which surrounds the ruins, during the initial Operation Iraqi Freedom push in 2003, U.S. and British troops secured the area and now run the base. Ur curator Dhief Muhsen, 45, from An Nasiriyah, Iraq, has been giving tours to Coalition military service members ever since. Muhsen said the hour-long tour around Ur's historic sites attracts troops from all over the Central Command Area of Operation. On Nov. 30, eight Soldiers from the 449th Aviation Support Battalion (ASB), 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, received one of his special tours. The 449th ASB Soldiers traveled to the holy ruins through the Duty Day with God program established by the chaplains within the 36th CAB.Â  The day-long event lets Soldiers take time away from their workplace to visit either the Biblical remnants of Ur or more secular sites like the Crossed Sabers Memorial or the Tomb of the Unknown Iraqi Soldier in Baghdad, Iraq. The purpose of this program is to allow Soldiers to refresh their spiritual faith and boost morale, said Chap. (1st Lt.) Benjie Bender, Headquarters Services Company, 449th ASB. "A Duty Day with God trip is important because it gets us back in touch with the roots of our faith and it helps the Soldiers realize this didn't just happen in some far-away fantasy world, but that our faith is grounded in history. It is connected to a place, time and location, and is something very concrete that you can see, feel and touch," Chap. (1st Lt.) Bender said. While all Soldiers on the trip came for different reasons, Spc. Larry Anthony, who is from Dallas, and assigned to Company B, 449th ASB, went to Ur to pray at Abraham's home. "Abraham was the first prophet chosen by God to believe in the one true God and to preach His message. The prophets came from his bloodline, so seeing his house was very important for me; it was almost like a pilgrimage," Spc. Anthony said. Trips to Ur might soon become a thing of the past. The Iraqi government plans to take back the religious ruins in the near future. However, no date has been officially set for when this will happen. Ur is purported to have been called "the city of firsts." Historians claim the first arch, the first wheel, the first museum, and the first forms of writing were created here. Excavation efforts from 1922 to 1934 unearthed many treasures buried in the tombs of Sumerian kings and queens. Several bricks making up the royal palace and smaller temples have cuneiform writing on them. Arches adorn doorways. Holes made with human fingers are found in a brick in the building's floor, which was how a builder then marked his work. Muhsen compared the finger holes to how Iraqis vote today, by dipping their index finger in purple ink and marking a ballot. Before leaving the holy land, Chap. (1st Lt.) Bender, also from Dallas, took the Soldiers up to the top of the Ziggurat for a prayer service. He told them about the story of how Abraham left Ur of the Chaldeans, which is the city's Biblical name, to spread the word of God around the world. "I wanted to find a story that would help them break the routine of the mission; sometimes their spirituality runs dry," Chap. (1st Lt.) Bender said. "I wanted to give them an opportunity to participate in this spiritual retreat and refresh their faith. I may have gone outside the wire, but I have never gone outside God's wire," he said.
 SHARE
 PRINT
 
 NY Army Guard Band Performs for Netherlands King and Queen
 By Eric Durr,
  Air National Guard Conducts Sentry Savannah Exercise
 By Master Sgt. Caila Arahood and Senior Airman Victoria Coursey,
  Hawaii Air National Guard Hosts Sentry Aloha Joint Exercise
 By Tech. Sgt. John Linzmeier,
  More
 Air National Guard Conducts Sentry Savannah Exercise Guard News • 9 hours ago
 Hawaii Air National Guard Hosts Sentry Aloha Joint Exercise Guard News • 10 hours ago
 National Guard, US Army North, FEMA Train for Hurricane Response Guard News • 11 hours ago
 Cal Air Guard F-15 Pilots Train with Marine Corps F-35 Pilots Guard News • 12 hours ago
 Tennessee Guard Rescues Hiker in Great Smoky Mountains Park Guard News • 3 days ago
 2024 (193)  2023 (427)  2022 (526)  2021 (697)  2020 (936)  2019 (387)  2018 (323)  2017 (346)  2016 (245)  2015 (356)  2014 (399)  2013 (469)  2012 (556)  2011 (533)  2010 (1071)  2009 (357)  2008 (638)  2007 (295)  2006 (188)
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil