Team Edwards gathers for National Prayer Breakfast

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Stacy Sanchez
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Team Edwards gathered at Club Muroc for the 2008 National Prayer Breakfast Feb. 21.

The National Prayer Breakfast began about 60 years ago with a small group in congress who prayed for the President.

The guest speaker for the event was Chaplain (Col.) Wayne Knutson, Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency senior agency staff chaplain.

Chaplain Knutson began his national prayer speech by praising the chapel for all the great work they had done. He also entertained guests with jokes and stories about his arrival to Edwards.

After several moments of laughter, Chaplain Knutson switched to a more serious note and spoke to the Edwards community about the importance of religion.

"If you have watched the news over the past year, you noticed everyday there were reports on American and coalition casualties," Chaplain Knutson said. "Despite our most heroic efforts, hundreds must walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Every week, I open up the Air Force Times and look at the photos of casualties who didn't survive an improvised explosive device."

The Chaplain referred to an IED as the 'boom' in life.

"'Booms' are the things in life that we never expect whether in a deployed location or not," Chaplain Knutson said. "There are things in life that happen at a moments notice."

Also as apart of his speech, the colonel brought his "deployment bag" that he takes with him on several deployments.

"The Air Force says everything I will need on a deployment is in this bag," Chaplain Knutson said. "I think of my religion in the same way I think of my bag. Everything I need to survive in life is in my religion.

Chaplain Knutson said like his bag, his religion needs to be tough.

"I believe that some of us have grown out of our religious bag or times got tough and we let go of the bag," Chaplain Knutson said. "And some of us are still looking for our bag. The National Prayer Breakfast reminds us not to get forget our religion when things are not looking our way."

Also at the event, Col. David Miller, Air Force Flight Test Center vice commander, asked Team Edwards to take what Chaplain Knutson said to heart. 

"I ask that we all have religious mobility kits with us," Col. Miller said. " That way we can help one another when the time is needed."

Chaplain Knutson said he and his wife were truly honored to be for the breakfast.

"Edwards is always pushing the envelope," Chaplain Knutson said. "There has been some extraordinary people her who have done some extraordinary things."