Sikh Officer Begins Service in US Army

Updated with NPR story.

Capt Tejdeep Singh Rattan recently completed US Army officer basic training.  He and Dr. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi are Sikhs who have been granted waivers to Army uniform standards allowing them to keep their beard, hair, and turbans, as required by their religious faith.

Two of the more interesting parts of the story are Rattan’s perspective on others’ perceptions, as well as the steps his trainers took to prevent misconceptions about who Rattan was.  Rattan said:  Read more

Photos Show Chaplains at Work

The Sacramento Bee has a collection of high-quality photos of Chaplains at work in Afghanistan.  Included are

  • Catholic Chaplain (Capt) Carl Subler, shown delivering Mass and praying prior to a convoy (previously covered here)
  • Chaplain Gary Lewis, shown in a FOB Chapel, complete with Chapel library
  • Chaplain (Maj) Shon Neyland, shown singing in a Gospel service
  • Chaplain (Capt) Loren Aderhold, shown delivering a sermon
  • Chaplain (Capt) Kevin Burton, shown both counseling and using his electrician’s experience

and an interesting picture of Chaplain’s assistant Sgt. Oscar Santiago, shown carrying a rifle in one hand and a guitar in the other.

Via the Army Chaplaincy blog.

Fighter Pilots Grounded after Flyby

Two F/A-18E Super Hornet pilots were grounded–permanently–after a board decided that their flyby of a college football game was intentionally too low and thus “unsafe.”  A Military Times article states that the pilots performed a flyby of the November 7, 2009 Georgia Tech v Wake Forest game below the 1,000 foot minimum set by Navy rules…and then reported the incident after landing.  (The flyby in question is on YouTube, which also lists the names of the pilots and indicates they were both 96 grads of Georgia Tech.  The flyby was low-speed, gear down, and high power.)

The pilots went before a Naval Aviator Evaluation Board, which is likely Read more

Navy Advised to Abandon F-35

A recent article at the Military Times suggests its “time to bail” on the Navy version of the JSF (the F-35C).  (The online article is a lead-in to a longer story in the print version of the Military Times.)  The proposal instead is that the Navy purchase more F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.

This would not be the first time the Navy “bailed” on a joint program.  The F-111 was also supposed to be a joint program; the Navy bailed on the F-111 “B” and later acquired the F-14 instead.  In the 1970s, the YF-16 and YF-17 had a “fly-off” won by the YF-16.  The Navy, which was part of the program, didn’t like the single engine F-16 and instead Read more

Complaint Against Chaplain’s Website

The presence of a link on a Fire Department Chaplain’s web page caused a local citizen, Ken Fagan, to complain that a “taxpayer supported website should not have links to religious groups.”  The website is the page of Pastor Jack Martin, and is part of the Spring Hill Fire Department’s official site.

While Fagan is entitled to his opinion, it is unsupported by fact.  The complaint reportedly caused the temporary removal of the link.  It was said to be restored, though the site in its current form appears to be virtually devoid of external links.  The site also now has numerous statements about how it is intended to be for “all citizens” and not in support of any particular faith tradition.  Even the Chaplain’s biography, which naturally describes his theological background, is qualified with a statement saying it is not intended to promote a specific faith.

The concept of religious freedom, as protected by the US Constitution, was never intended to proscribe all persons in public service from ever mentioning religion or Read more

General, Astronaut Lauds Faith and Prayer

Retired Brig. Gen. Charles Duke Jr, an Apollo astronaut and the 10th man to walk on the moon, was invited to speak at the US Air Force Academy prayer luncheon on February 9th.  He spoke on “America’s Godly Heritage,” and noted that he and his wife redirected their energy “toward God.”  He is now president of the Duke Ministry for Christ.

In his remarks, General Duke also highlighted the nation’s religious heritage:

“From the beginning, we were a Godly nation. We were conceived as a religious nation with freedom of religion but not free from God,” he said.

He cited the Mayflower Compact written in the 1600s Read more

Weinstein Decries “Religious Rape” in US Military

Katie Drummond writes an article for AOL News that is essentially a fluff piece on the advocacy of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, as virtually every example in the article is an MRFF talking point.

The most recent “issue” is the participation of military base Chaplains with Focus on the Family, which has reportedly simulcast various resources, including its landmark Truth Project, to military bases.  (Drummond calls FotF’s relationship with the military “lucrative,” without explaining the basis for her belief of financial involvement.)  When explaining his opinion that these “voluntary” religious events aren’t really voluntary, Michael Weinstein Read more

Muslim Soldier Seeks to Help, Become Chaplain

An official Army.mil article introduces Army Spc Mikail Lawal, a Muslim soldier (pictured below, reading the Koran) who is living out his faith and considering a career as a Chaplain.

DoD Photo (Sgt Ben Hutto)

DoD Photo (Sgt Ben Hutto)

His current job is essentially a customer service representative at a FOB in Iraq, making sure passengers get on the correct helicopter.  He goes out of his way to be respectful and helpful, a spirit attributed to his “deep faith in Islam.”

In explaining why he wanted to become a Chaplain, Read more

1 … 517 518 519 520 521 … 608