An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Jan. 19, 2007

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.  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.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 108th Medical Company Area Support, 213th Regional Support Group prepare dummies for a simulated casualty evacuation at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, July 17, 2025. The 108th Medical Company engaged in a weeklong field medical exercise to validate their readiness and elevate their medical and basic Soldier skills. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. Christopher Booker)
Pennsylvania Guard Medics Simulate Chaos in Exercise
By Capt. Christopher Booker, | July 18, 2025
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - Soldiers assigned to the Pennsylvania National Guard's 108th Medical Company Area Support, 213th Regional Support Group, are engaged in a comprehensive two-week field medical exercise here.The...

Nevada Air National Guard's 152nd Maintenance Group and 152nd Logistics Readiness Squadron personnel load Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) equipment onto MAFFS #8, aircraft #554 at the Nevada Air National Guard Base on July 12, 2025. U.S. Northern Command activated two Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) Aircraft, one from the 152nd Airlift Wing out of Reno, Nevada, and one from the 146th Airlift Wing out of Channel Islands Air National Guard Station in California. Two C-130 aircraft equipped with MAFFS and their associated personnel will support firefighting efforts in the Western United States. The 152nd Airlift Wing’s “High Rollers” and 146th Airlift Wing's “Hollywood Guard” report on July 14, 2025, and will be initially based out of Channel Islands Air National Guard Base in California and are anticipated to be in place through August 14, 2025.
Nevada Air Guard Wing Assists in Firefighting Efforts
By Senior Master Sgt. Paula Macomber, | July 18, 2025
RENO, Nev. – U.S. Northern Command has activated two Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System Aircraft, one from the Nevada Air National Guard’s 152nd Airlift Wing out of Reno, Nevada, and one from the 146th Airlift Wing out of...

Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, 30th Chief of the National Guard Bureau, and Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, SEA to the CNGB, join Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer, the adjutant general of Texas, for an aerial assessment of flood-affected areas in Central Texas and to visit Guardsmen on duty supporting civil authorities with response efforts, Kerrville, Texas, July 15, 2025. To date, National Guard search and rescue operations, led by the Texas National Guard, have resulted in the rescue of more than 525 Texans. Hundreds of Guardsmen remain on mission to continue working with interagency partners in search and rescue and recovery operations.
Nordhaus, Raines see Heroism, Partnerships in Central Texas
By Master Sgt. Zach Sheely, | July 18, 2025
KERRVILLE, Texas – Early on July 4, almost 30 inches of rain fell within hours across Central Texas’s Hill Country, surging the Guadalupe River and triggering catastrophic flash flooding.Within hours, Texas National Guard...