WASHINGTON (July 12, 2018) -- Faith in public service was the topic of discussion during the Spiritual Fitness Luncheon hosted by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington's Chaplain's Office held in Lincoln Hall at National Defense University.
"There is no group that I would rather be with than people of faith," said Senator Elizabeth Dole, the guest speaker for the event. "To be able to share with people what my faith means to me. I feel blessed to have a mission field where hopefully we can really make a difference."
More than 120 JFHQ-NCR/MDW employees listened to Dole, as she spoke about her faith and time in public service.
"I believe she is a great example of what it means to practice and to live your faith," said Lt. Col. Tammie Crews, deputy command chaplain, JFHQ-NCR/MDW. "Her speech was very illustrative of that. Her life is because of her faith and I think that is very inspiring for people to hear."
Dole has had a long career in public service. She has served as the head of the Federal Trade Commission in 1973 and was later appointed the first female Secretary of Transportation by former President Ronald Reagan.
During her time as Secretary of Transportation she was credited with the historic "trifecta" of safety improvements, among these is safety seat belt laws, air bags and a national drinking age of 21.
"There was only a 13% usage of seat belts at the time," said Dole. "[Seat belts] were in cars but no one was using them. We were able to get all the states except one [to pass seat belt laws].
She became the President of the American Red Cross in 1991. Dole was the first woman to hold that position since Clara Burton, the organizations founder, more than a century prior. She later became the first woman to win North Carolina's Senate seat in 2002.
Dole continued to serve though the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, an organization established to support military caregivers.
The command was excited to get Dole to speak about her unique career and faith, said Crews.
"She shows that there is a way to live in your faith and to be of service to other people," said Crews.
The spiritual fitness luncheon was part of a quarterly program the JFHQ-NCR/MDW Chaplain's Office has established to engage the command and to build fellowship in a relaxing setting.
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