Chaplain Ministers to Soldiers, Locals in Uganda
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:
That first walk around Soroti sparked a desire in Shepherd and Manning to get out more and meet people and visit schools, churches and orphanages to assess their needs and what they could do to help. Since that first walk they played soccer and prayed with school children, talked to numerous clergy from various faiths about their ministries shook hundreds of hands. This was all this in addition to taking care of and talking to Ugandan and U.S. soldiers…
As mentioned previously, Chaplains can have a strategic impact on military operations well beyond ministering to their own troops.
This isn’t the only time US military Chaplains have helped meet the spiritual needs of Ugandans. Ugandans served with US forces in Iraq, and US Chaplains ministered to them as well — despite the incorrect claim of the MRFF’s Chris Rodda that doing so violated military regulations.
JD … if, by your assertion of an “incorrect claim” made by me, you are referring to the soldiers shipping Swahili Bibles into Iraq to proselytize Ugandan workers (the only incident I’ve written about involving Ugandans that I can remember), you are once again displaying your ignorance of military regulations, as well as customs regulations. In that case, bulk Christian religious materials were shipped into Iraq in violation of postal and customs regulations, which prohibit the shipment of bulk religious materials that are contrary to Islam, and CENTCOM’s General Order #1, which prohibits any proselytizing whatsoever in the CENTCOM AOR, was absolutely violated. Also, the colonel who went and transported those Bibles — after the shipment was rightly flagged to be returned to the United States because it violated regulations — was not a chaplain.
Rodda’s prior quote:
Despite your confident swagger, no “regulations prohibit[] this,” and it is you who display ignorance of basic facts.
Postal regulations do not prohibit the shipment of items intended for personal use, something you have admitted. The Ugandans asked for the Bibles for their own benefit. You would support the ridiculous conclusion they could have had a dozen individual packages shipped, but not one single package.
This situation is more benign than the Jewish Welfare Board “bulk” mailing Seder kits to Chaplains — kits containing “religious materials contrary to Islam.” Then again, the JWB doesn’t fit your conspiracy theory very well, does it?
Your reference to General Order Number One is asinine. The prohibition on proselytizing is not applicable because the Ugandans were already Christians. Yes, you’ve already responded by saying they were referred to as “former Muslims.” Prior conversion has no bearing on the later request for Bibles.
The fact remains they asked for the Bibles, and you say the US military’s attempt to support that request violates the law.
You’ve successfully confirmed the MRFF opposes religious freedom — at least for Christians.
Well done.
Yeah, JD … that’s why 96% of MRFF’s clients are Christians — because we oppose religious freedom for Christians.
As for the Swahili Bibles, the shipment was flagged for violating regulations. How do you explain that if it didn’t violate any regulations? And, the Ugandans were not already Christians when they went to Iraq. Do you honestly believe the story (used by the organization sending the Bibles for fundraising) that these Muslims “miraculously” started having visions of Jesus as soon as they started working for the American military and started asking for Bibles? Come on.
Correction to the previous post. The MRFF supports religious freedom for the MRFF-approved Right Kind of ChristianTM (see their treatment of USMC Lt Clebe McClary, in which they called for government restrictions based purely on his beliefs, for example).
You’re asserting a fallacy of causation, not providing evidence to support your case.
Your doubt of their story is not evidence to support violation of any regulation. You said GO1 was “absolutely violated,” yet you have failed to substantiate that accusation.
You did not refute the statement the MRFF opposed the religious freedom of those who asked for help from a US military Chaplain in obtaining spiritual resources.
Chris,
There is a growing Christian movement in Uganda (evidence from missionaries from said country to Canyon Ridge Christian Church, Las Vegas). Also there are plenty of Ugandan contractors supporting our forces in Iraq (or at least were in 2009). Some, although not that many, of those contractors used the ready access to Christian worship as Chaplains give services to servicemembers and those Chaplains don’t turn away willing guests (evidence from first-hand experience). I suppose it’s possible the Ugandans were coerced into going to the service, but it’s likely it was a word-of-mouth thing, which is legal even if it comes from Americans.
Could your events happen the other way around? They heard about Jesus from Americans talking about their individual culture (which may be religious), then they had visions, then they asked for Bibles?
Pingback: God and Country » MRFF Supporters Validate Weinstein’s Agenda
Pingback: God and Country » Chaplain Serves All in Afghanistan