Col. Stephen Browne, right, director of Plans and Policy for U.S. Forces Japan, speaks to the nearly 200 guests in attendance at the National Prayer Breakfast held May 2 at the Camp Zama Community Club.
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CAMP ZAMA, Japan – When Col. Stephen Browne was part of the Great East Japan Earthquake recovery efforts in 2011, he knew prayers for everyone involved were pouring in from around the world.
Knowing that so many people had him in their thoughts was able to carry him through the many arduous days, even when the work had pushed him past the point of exhaustion, he said.
“I was so busy that I hardly had time to sleep … [and] there is no doubt that there were things that sustained me far beyond my physical capabilities,” Browne said. “There is a lot of power in prayer, regardless of what religion or belief system you have.”
Browne relayed this story and other experiences to the nearly 200 guests in attendance at Camp Zama’s National Prayer Breakfast held May 2 at the community club here.
When the event started, attendees helped themselves to a buffet-style serving of various breakfast foods. Different command chaplains offered various prayers after the meal — for families, for peace, the armed forces and the nation — before Browne was introduced.
Currently the director of Plans and Policy for U.S. Forces Japan, Browne was in 2011 serving as a liaison among U.S. forces, the Japan Self-Defense Forces, and the bilateral coordination action team known as Joint Task Force – Tohoku. The joint team helped with the coordination and planning of disaster recovery and reconstruction operations as part of what was dubbed “Operation Tomodachi.”
The colonel praised the event as a great way to promote fellowship within the community and said he was impressed by the number of people in attendance.
“I like the fact that we can get together as a faith group [with] a shared set of common values … despite that we may follow different religions,” Browne said. “That says a lot about who we are as people, as individuals.”
The event also included an address from Col. Marcus Hunter, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Japan, and a musical performance by a chorus made up of community members.
