Email   Print   Share By Erin Rogers, Sentinel Leisure Editor

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Soldiers from TF ODIN, 15th MI Bn., 21st Cav. Bde. and OTC visit before eating breakfast and listening to Gary Rosberg, marriage expert, at the prayer breakfast Friday morning at West Fort Hood. Erin Rogers, Sentinel Leisure Editor

Soldiers from OTC, 21st Cav. Bde., 15th MI Bn. and TF ODIN enjoy a breakfast from Jason’s Deli Friday monring at the prayer breakfast at West Fort Hood. Gary Rosberg, marriage expert, spoke at the prayer breakfast. Erin Rogers, Sentinel Leisure Editor

Gary Rosberg, marriage expert, speaks to Soldiers from OTC, TF ODIN, 15th MI Bn. and 21st Cav. Bde. Friday morning at the prayer breakfast hosted by Fort Hood’s chaplains at West Fort Hood. Erin Rogers, Sentinel Leisure Editor

A prayer breakfast geared toward bringing Soldiers together to talk about perseverance in marriage and keeping the spirituality in a marriage took place in the 15th Military Intelligence Battalion (Aerial Exploitation) conference room Friday before the sun came up.

Close to 135 Soldiers from Task Force ODIN, 15th MI (AE) Bn., 21st Cavalry Brigade (Air Combat) and Operational Test Command joined together to have breakfast and listen to encouragement from Dr. Gary Rosberg, marriage expert.

Together, Gary and his wife, Barb, make up the team of America’s Family Coaches, and travel around the world hosting and coaching marriage workshops. They use their own experiences and knowledge of marriage and family to help other couples.

“Gary and his wife, Barb, have made a global impact on families by sharing their insight and knowledge about marriage,” said. Lt. Col. Dave Rogers, 21st Cav. Bde. deputy brigade commander.

Gary and Barb were at Fort Hood hosting a three-day marriage workshop and agreed to speak at two prayer breakfasts early Friday morning as a request from some of Fort Hood’s chaplains.

“Every opportunity we have to strengthen and build our military Families is important,” said Chap. (Capt.) John Hoos, 15th MI (AE) Bn. chaplain. “It helps us to evaluate the relationships we have within our Families and learn how to get through the tough stuff.”

Gary and the Soldiers in attendance took time to visit and share breakfast together before Gary spoke to them about perseverance and keeping God in marriage.

He began by telling everyone how thankful he and his wife are for their service.

“I will be the first to say – I can’t understand what you go through as Soldiers,” Gary said. “But I can promise that I appreciate it immensely. I do not take my freedom for granted. The sacrifices you and your Families make so that I can be free are never unnoticed – you’re my heroes.”

He then went into how spiritual marriage is and recounted stories from the Bible about temptation, infidelity, faithfulness, trust, perseverance and God’s sovereignty.

“Families go through pain and sorrow, and when they persevere through those things, they come out on the other side stronger,” Gary said. “Push through the hard times; 85 percent of couples who tough it out and get to the other side of a ‘failing’ marriage come out of it tougher, happier and successful.”

Gary said sometimes when couples are going through the hardest times, if they can just make it through that patch of the marriage season, they will succeed. He said being broken apart is more difficult to get through than toughing it out together, and strengthening the marriage through the struggle.

“When there is pain in a family, we need to rejoice,” Gary said, “because it produces perseverance.”