Senior U.S. defense leaders stand for a photo May 8,

Senior U.S. defense leaders stand for a photo May 8, 2014, at the National War College at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C., where they are attending a strategic dialogue meeting. From left were U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John F. Kelly, the commander of U.S. Southern Command; Navy Adm. Cecil D. Haney, the commander of U.S. Strategic Command; Army Gen. David M. Rodriguez, the commander of U.S. Africa Command; Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, the commander of U.S. Central Command; Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work; Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel; Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Navy Adm. William H. McRaven, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command; Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr., the commander of U.S. Northern Command; Air Force Philip M. Breedlove, the commander of U.S. European Command; Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command; and Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva, the commander of U.S. Transportation Command. (DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Sean K. Harp, U.S. Army/Released)

David was a skilled musician and poet, and he played the harp to soothe King Saul when he was tormented by evil spirits. David's musical abilities and his role as a psalmist also led him to be associated with the worship of God and with the expression of devotion and praise. The image of David playing the harp remains a symbol of the connection between music, worship, and devotion in Western tradition.