AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar -- As Americans, I suspect in our heart of hearts that we all gladly celebrate holidays, days that are uniquely special to us as individuals and bring us a deep sense of meaning and purpose. For some of us, we ground them in our faith traditions and they are holy days; for others, we ground them in life philosophies that help us make sense of the world and what is best for humanity and us.

Last week we celebrated an Inter-faith Thanksgiving Service at Victory Chapel. The display of diversity in the service was inspiring. We heard Sacred Readings from Islamic, Jewish, Christian, and Hindu religions; each emphasized a deep concern for treating others as we wish to be treated and for giving thanks to God for his blessings. The different styles of music were fantastic. I felt such an overwhelming sense of gratitude and pride as I stood with my brothers and sisters singing the words of the hymn America the Beautiful:

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

That service would make our nation’s founders proud of what was termed “the great experiment;” where the republic they created had no state sponsored religion. That great experiment is alive and well in America today. Our Thanksgiving Service was an example that diverse religious groups can live in peace and respect the right to love God according to the dictates of each individual heart.

While America is far from perfect, we offer a message of hope to our world, locked in ideologically and religiously based conflict, that there is a better way. A way where respect for diversity and difference forms the bedrock of culture and society.

Thanksgiving kicks off a season of holiday celebrations across America. I recently sent the USAF Chaplain Corps December Religious NOTAM to our commanders. While not all-inclusive, the letter listed 13 major religious holy days in the month of December. I want to encourage each of you to celebrate your faith during this season. I hope that all of us will respect and learn from those whose practices are different than ours.

I am a United Methodist Chaplain and I learned an important life lesson from a Jewish chaplain I served with years ago at the United States Air Force Academy. One beautiful Saturday morning, I received the horrible message that my mother was dead. I was in shock and my only thoughts were on how to get my family home to Virginia to grieve the loss of my mom. The Rabbi and his wife showed up at our door, helped us pack our bags, took us to the airport, and told us that they would care for our home and pets during our absence. Upon our return, they picked us up at the airport and brought us to our home, which they had immaculately cleaned. In addition, they had stocked the kitchen with food, some of it kosher!

During the next year, the Rabbi became a close friend and spiritual guide as I walked through the grief process. He never attempted to make me Jewish, but his love and concern instilled in me a huge appreciate for his faith. While we differed in our “orthodoxy,” what we considered the correct belief system; he taught me the power of “orthopraxy”, the correct practice in how we treat one another. He was an Airmen taking care of an Airmen.

Please know that our Chaplain Corps team is proud to serve with each of you. We are available 24/7 to celebrate and walk with you through both the good times and the bad times of life. Thank you so much for your sacrifices and service for our nation and for your noble efforts to bring peace and security to this AOR.