Doura Christians Observe Good Friday
Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers observed Good Friday with Christians from the Doura neighborhood of the Iraqi capital, March 21.
Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Dragon, attended the service at St. John’s Church near the Doura market.
A reduction in violence in the area since November has allowed the church to hold regular services. Prior to then, the church had not held a service since May.
One MND-B Soldier said that with peace spreading throughout Baghdad, the Iraqi people are returning to their normal routines, such as attending worship services.
“They’re seeing a sense of normalcy return; they’re seeing the opportunity to go to church without getting shot at, without getting blown up. They’re seeing that opportunity,†said Master Sgt. Joseph Kather, who hails from Coffee Springs, Md. Kather serves as the Human Terrain Team non-commissioned officer in charge with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.
For another Soldier attending, being invited to the service was special.
“It’s just an awesome privilege to be able to be with the Iraqi people, to see them returning and being able to worship without fear from sectarian violence,†said Capt. Ronnie Fisher, who serves as a chaplain with of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Bn., 4th Inf. Regt. Fisher is a native of Corpus Christi, Texas.
DVIDS
By Cpl. Ben Washburn
4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 25th, 2008 at 11:00 am and is filed under War on Terror, Iraq, War on Terror, Iraq, Rebuilding, War on Terror. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
