God and Country

The Republic of Georgia recently prepared to deploy a Light Infantry Battalion to Afghanistan in support of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

The fairly standard article on the deployment ceremony was accompanied by two interesting photos:

A chaplain from the Republic of Georgia’s 33rd Light Infantry Battalion anointed more than 800 Georgian soldiers at the conclusion Read more…

Along with the USAF Academy press release confirming the death of Maj Phil Ambard, an assistant professor, the Air Force also released the names of the others killed during a gunman’s attack.

Among them was Maj David Brodeur, a 1999 USAF Academy graduate and F-16 pilot.  Brodeur wasn’t in Afghanistan flying the F-16, however.  He was apparently part of a unit training Afghan pilots.

Maj Ambard leaves behind a wife and five children, four of whom have followed him into military service (his daughter just returned from deployment).  Maj Brodeur is survived by a wife and two children.

Update: Official military release on those killed in the attack, indicating LtCol Frank Bryant was also an F-16 pilot killed in the attack.  Maj. Jeffrey Ausborn was also killed; he was a T-6 pilot, though his primary weapons system is unknown.  The military released an additional report intended to dispel inaccurate press reporting on the incident.

Chaplain (Capt) Andy Shepherd and his assistant, Sgt Desmond Manning, deployed to Uganda with the Georgia National Guard in support of ATLAS DROP 11.  While their primary purpose was to serve the spiritual and morale needs of the Soldiers in their unit,

Their job didn’t end at the edge of the Drop Zone, both Shepherd and Manning reached out to the surrounding communities.

The locals seemed to be keen on the American forces, and even more so on the Chaplain:

“The locals were really glad to see us, and that really just touched my heart,” said Shepherd. “That really just put a drive in me to go visit more people out in the community to let them know we’re here and that we care and as a chaplain — as a Christian — just to show the love of God and that I do care, that I am concerned.”

As a result, the Chaplain team’s ministry expanded:  Read more…

The New York Times has an interesting article titled “Atheists Seek Chaplain Role in the Military.”

Strange as it sounds, groups representing atheists and secular humanists are pushing for the appointment of one of their own to the chaplaincy, hoping to give voice to what they say is a large — and largely underground — population of nonbelievers in the military.

The ironic part is atheists have previously implied Chaplains’ “secular” roles are better filled by people such as psychologists and behavioral health experts — leaving Chaplains to purely “religious” endeavors.

The atheists apparently want an advocate for their organized beliefs, which just sounds strange to say.  But Jason Torpy of the MAAF says exactly that:  Read more…

The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that a US Air Force Academy professor was killed in Afghanistan this week.

Maj. Phil Ambard, a foreign-language professor at the academy, was killed in Kabul, according to his daughter, Air Force 1st Lt. Emily Short.

Some people may not realize that a wide variety of people deploy to the combat zones from non-traditional fields.  The Academy likely has several instructors downrange.

Major Ambard reportedly had more than two decades of service in the Air Force.  Remember his family in your prayers.

Over on a sometime-controversial blog at Foreign Policy, Tom Ricks posts an article by Richard Andres on criticisms of the Air Force’s professional military education.  Said Andres:

In a recent book chapter, Dan Hughes, a retired Air War College professor, launched an emotionally charged diatribe against the Air War College and Air University of which it is a part…

According to Hughes, the school is run by a group of bottom-tier, anti-intellectual, Christian evangelical, Rush Limbaugh-addicted colonels who have created an institution lacking in basic academic rigor and standards.

Both Hughes and Andres indicate they were Air University professors.  For his part, Andres admits there is some credence to Hughes’ general criticisms (“politics and religion aside”).  The larger debate focuses on the overall value of the military schools.  Andres’ main point is Hughes mischaracterized the bigger struggle ongoing at Air University:  that between often liberal-leaning civilian faculty and more conservative-leaning military faculty and students:

Beyond prizing academic rigor and hoping to avoid contact with policy, academics generally share a common professional mindset that is somewhat left of center, dislikes evangelical Christianity, and views the military with distrust.

Most interesting, however is a somewhat chilling story about the intentional targeting of religious beliefs:  Read more…

The unsung hero of the long duration sortie (or small bladder), the piddle pack is now the focus of a lawsuit:

American Innotek, the California company that makes the ["Flight Extender"]…is suing the federal government over alleged infringement of its patented urine containment bag.

Apparently Innotek lost their contract when their “Flight Extender” was replaced by New York City Industry for the Blind’s “Piddle Pak.”  (The name likely came from the affectionate appellation, not the other way around.)  Innotek alleges that the piddle pak infringed on their patent.

Who would ever think the potty-in-a-pouch would ever be such a big deal?  Then again, ask any fighter pilot on a long flight after he drank too much coffee in the brief…

Most people can understand the need for military Chaplains when they think of Soldiers deployed to a combat zone, separated from their spiritual resources.  A North Dakota National Guard unit, activated to help fight local flooding, demonstrated the need for Chaplains even locally:

Because the guardsmen have been activated for an emergency, it can be hard to find times to hold church services and gatherings. Guardsmen work 12-hour shifts, so many simply don’t have the energy for extra activities.

To make up for this, chaplains deliver daily devotionals Read more…

The US Army proudly announced its MQ-1C Gray Eagle had successfully employed a Hellfire missile in Iraq.

Of course, the Army’s Gray Eagle is essentially the same aircraft as the Air Force’s Predator, which has been armed for some time.

The article notes some of the differences between Air Force and Army operations:

The Air Force’s Predator drones are flown by officers who are usually located back in the USA and connected to the airframes by satellite link. But flying the Army’s Gray Eagle is an enlisted soldier’s affair, done in theater and close to the ground troops that the airframe serves.

The Army Times notes the US Army’s “Soldier 360°” program aimed at “dealing with trauma and rebuilding relationships.”  The article clearly connects the program with Eastern “spirituality”:

An Army program has adopted some old Eastern practices to help allay modern post-combat stress…using holistic tactics, including yoga, acupuncture and meditation.

The program ushers noncommissioned officers and spouses through a six-phase, behavior-modifying process called “learn, do, practice, model, teach, and change,”

Interestingly, the program based on Eastern religions, taught by the Army, also has an ‘evangelical’ aspect, as the program Read more…

Chaplain (MajGen) Douglas Carver, outgoing US Army Chief of Chaplains, led his final National Prayer Breakfast at Fort Hood on April 19th.  He focused on the topic of trust.

[Carver] asked the audience to trust in God, as they trust in each other, and as the American public trusts in them.

“Nothing in all of creation can separate you from the love of God,” Read more…

This Easter, celebrate the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ, and take a moment to remember those who defend our freedoms while deployed around the world.  They, too, will celebrate His resurrection — even in small outposts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere.  And then they’ll stand up, adjust their gear, and step out on their next mission, always at their Nation’s call.

The early morning sun drifts above the horizon during Easter sunrise services at Camp Liberty, Iraq. (Photo by Sgt. Mark Matthews)

At the White House Easter breakfast, President Barack Obama spoke unequivocallly of the importance of Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection:

As busy as we are, as many tasks as pile up, during this season, we are reminded that there’s something about the resurrection — something about the resurrection of our savior, Jesus Christ, that puts everything else in perspective…

We’re reminded that in that moment, he took on the sins of the world — past, present and future — and he extended to us that unfathomable gift of grace and salvation through his death and resurrection…  Read more…

If being a Heisman Trophy winner wasn’t enough to give former University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow a life-long Biblical legacy, a new statue might do it.

Tebow is now immortalized along with two other alumni Heisman winners in a 17,000 pound bronze statue.  The life-size statue is an “accurate” depiction of the new NFL player — including the sometimes-controversial “John 3:16″ on his eye blacks.  The Christian Post reports the University of Florida has indicated support for the statues has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

An Army news video (below) describes the “humble chapel” of Chaplain (Capt) Bill Robinson in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.  Like many Chaplains, Robinson is a former Soldier (combat engineer), allowing him a unique connection to the men and women he serves.

The video shows Robinson offering the troops “prayer coins” which “aren’t magic charms, but they remind you that God is with you wherever you go.” The coins reference Isaiah 41:10:

So do not fear, for I am with you;
   do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
   I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Robinson prayed with the group before they departed:  Read more…