Tracey Cooper-Harris, a US Army veteran, has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Though the precise cause of MS is unknown, the VA determined her disease was service connected, qualifying her for disability benefits. However, her request for spousal benefits was denied because she is in a homosexual relationship not recognized by federal law. She has now filed a lawsuit as a result.
The couple’s lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in Los Angeles, argues that a federal law and military policy that resulted in the denial of benefits are discriminatory and unconstitutional.
If the couple were straight they would receive Read more…
Categories: Government and Religion Tags: army, dadt, defense of marriage act, doma, homosexual, maggie cooper-harris, marriage, Military, Obama, Religion, religious freedom, tracey cooper-harris
The rate of divorce in the US military was recently reported as 3.7%, with an increase in officer divorces accounting for an increase in the military as a whole.
The Air Force had the highest rate, at 3.9%. Enlisted women had a nearly 10% divorce rate.
The general American population had divorce rate of 3.5% in 2009, the last year for which numbers are available. (It’s unclear if these “population” numbers also included members of the military.)
While this may sound dire, it’s also worth noting it is difficult to Read more…
The Fort Bragg command chaplain’s office hosted the latest meeting of Strong Bonds, the chaplain-based marriage strengthening retreats intended to help troops on the homefront.
“It’s especially critical for military personnel in that it’s difficult enough being in a relationship with someone, but when you take the dynamics of the military, the Army, the separation, the work stress, the long hours from time to time, that puts additional stress on relationships,” said Chaplain (Maj.) Ralph Clark…
The chaplains host 8 such seminars every year, and are based on a variety of relationship models: Read more…
Categories: Government and Religion Tags: army, atheism, Chaplain, Constitution, dadt, fort bragg, homosexual, jason torpy, maaf, marriage, mikey weinstein, Military, MRFF, ralph clark, Religion, religious freedom, strong bonds
Update: The Pentagon has said bestiality would still be impermissible. Aides in Congress are saying the repeal may not stand anyway.
US Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) successfully submitted an amendment to the 2012 Defense Authorization Act that would explicitly protect US military chaplains in regard to homosexual marriage:
The Wicker legislation would prevent military chaplains from being forced to perform a marriage ceremony if the chaplain objects for reasons of conscience…
“This amendment will allow the chaplains of our Armed Forces to maintain the freedom of conscience necessary to serve both their Nation and their religion without conflict,” Wicker said.
Nothing officially requires chaplains to perform Read more…
Homosexual Marine Cpl. Ashley Vice and her partner, Jaime Murphy, “married” two straight Marines, Cpls. Jeremiah Griffin and Joseph Garner, to obtain the financial benefits of marriage without intending to actually be married. All three have reportedly been discharged for bad conduct.
Three Marine corporals have been discharged for Read more…
Categories: Government and Religion Tags: ashley vice, camp pendleton, dadt, doma, fraud, homosexual, jaime murphy, jeremiah griffin, joseph garner, marines, marriage, maureen dooley, Military, san diego
Though “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has been repealed, its controversies continue.
Military chaplains can preside over same-sex marriages on military installations in places where same-sex marriage is not prohibited by state and local laws, according to a new Pentagon policy unveiled Sept. 30.
Having the ability to “preside over” ceremonies was never really in question. Rather, the grand controversy was the use of federal facilities to conduct ceremonies not recognized by federal law. Though not specifically referring to same-sex ceremonies, this, too was addressed: Read more…
Categories: Government and Religion Tags: dadt, defense of marriage act, doma, homosexual, jeh johnson, marijuana, marriage, Military, Pentagon, Religion, religious freedom
The Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Representative Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), and committee member Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) have called on the Department of Defense to delay the planned repeal of the policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
The Committee and others have complained the DoD has failed to provide any of the documentation required for the certification to the President that occurred two months ago. The documentation was supposed to cover policies and regulations implementing repeal.
Since it is evident that the department does not have final, approved policies in place, we believe it is essential that you take immediate action to Read more…
Categories: Government and Religion Tags: armed services committee, chapel, dadt, homosexual, house of representatives, howard mckeon, joe wilson, marriage, Military, Navy, Pentagon
USA Today notes preliminary data from the US Army indicates “the suicide rate for female soldiers triples when they go to war.”
The findings…show that the suicide rate rises from five per 100,000 to 15 per 100,000 among female soldiers at war. Scientists are not sure why but say they will look into whether women feel isolated in a male-dominated war zone or suffer greater anxieties about leaving behind children and other loved ones.
Some might earlier have called that last statement sexist, particularly in light of recent recommendations that women be allowed in combat Read more…
Chris Patti, reportedly a Navy cryptologist, wrote an opinion piece at the Washington Post saying repeal of DADT was the “easy” part, and now Secretary of Defense Robert Gates faces “difficult” questions. Oddly, Patti raises no questions that have not already been addressed. Just like the terse answer to those who wondered if they could resign early if they had moral reservations about repeal (“No.”), the military working group on DADT repeal provided terse answers to Patti’s questions. For example, he asks: Read more…
Gays have been in the military since the beginning of armed conflict, and allowing them to admit that fact does not change the fact that they take the same risk as straight service members and are due the same respect.
Quotes like these are increasingly common — even from Christians – and demonstrate ignorance of the point of those who have opposed repeal of the law banning homosexuals from serving.
The fact that homosexuals have served within the military, in violation of the law, does not nullify the validity of the law (anymore than violation of any other law does so).
Risk, sacrifice, etc, are all irrelevant. There is no Read more…
Focus on the Family has a series of articles on “The Chain of Command in Marriage,” a brief look at the challenges to marriage in the military. Interestingly, it quotes Judy McChrystal, wife of former Chaplain (Col) Scott McChrystal, who is brother to General Stanley McChrystal.
The article is a fairly comprehensive overview of the challenges to maintaining (and rebuilding) a healthy marriage within the military environment. The author is Jocelyn Green, author of Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives, one of many marriage and military resources available from Officers’ Christian Fellowship.
Chaplain (Capt.) Brent Crosswhite, a US Army Chaplain from Fort Hood, is deployed to Iraq, but still managed to team up with his wife to help strengthen Soldiers’ marriages.
The Chaplain is holding a marriage class in Iraq while his wife leads an identical one for spouses at Fort Hood. The husbands and wives cover the same materials, and at the end of each session there is a video teleconference with the other class. One of the goals is to mitigate the 20 to 30 divorces that the average Army brigade Read more…
Marriages in the US military, especially in this wartime environment, will inevitably face separation. One Army unit’s Chaplains placed special emphasis on marriages at a recent retreat, and they will continue that emphasis throughout the upcoming deployment. The news report notes that Read more…
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