FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – The Religious Support Office (RSO) welcomed the community to two events Wednesday as they decorated the sanctuary in preparation for the Christmas holiday and lit the menorah in celebration of Hanukkah.
“We helped the community usher-in and celebrate the Advent season and Hanukkah,” said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Shay Worthy, garrison chaplain.
Both Advent and Hanukkah began Nov. 28, 2021.
“Advent, in Latin ‘ad-venire’ or ‘to come to’, is the season encompassing the four Sundays and weekdays leading up to the celebration of Christmas,” Worthy explained.
Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Lights celebrating Jewish independence, reestablishing worship and the miracle of light, he said.
“It was wonderful to have the community respond and attend,” Worthy added. “Both events are examples of spiritual resiliency.”
Soldiers and civilians from the community volunteered their holiday spirit to string lights, decorate trees and drape festive garland throughout the chapel, said Sgt. 1st Class Richard Wallace, senior enlisted representative for religious affairs.
“All the decorations for the sanctuary were donated to the Religious Support Office over time,” said Wallace. “Some were given by congregation members who are no longer with us.”
Wallace explained RSO has more than enough decorations to deck the halls and sanctuary due to generations of generosity.
“We are improving morale for those who come into the building and want to experience their particular religious service of their denomination during the holidays,” said Wallace.
Outside the Main Post Chapel, a Nativity scene adorns the front entrance to the courtyard and a menorah stands before the sanctuary doors.
Jewish service members, families and community members joined in an evening ceremony to light the menorah signifying the miracle of Hanukkah.
The lighting opened with a welcome and blessing from Rabbi Benzion Shemtov from the Chabad of Cochise County, Sierra Vista, Arizona.
“To celebrate victory against Syrian-Greek oppressors, Jewish people gathered to light a menorah,” Shemtov said. “They found consecrated oil to light for only one night.
“The miracle is the consecrated oil lit up the darkness for eight nights.
“The beautiful message of Hanukkah is that one candle can dispel a lot of darkness,” he said. “Each and every one of us is that candle.”
With this light, we lead others, Shemtov emphasized.
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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM)/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.
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