Tag Archives: army

Military, Chaplains Fight Suicide Trend

September is the US Army’s “suicide prevention month.”

The US military, and the US Army in particular, have fought a long battle to prevent servicemembers from taking their own lives.  An Army article notes the efforts of Chaplains in Iraq to fight the growing trend of suicide in the ranks:

“We want to prevent suicide, but we need to do more than just tell people to not kill themselves,” said [Chaplain] LtCol Keith Goode… “We need to give them something to live for, we need to affirm life.”

An Air Force article entitled “Life is precious” recently covered the same topic, as a commander recounted the suicide of a member of his unit:  Read more

Soldiers Claim Retribution over Christian Concert

According to the Army Times, the US Army is investigating claims that Soldiers were punished when they declined to attend a concert by a Christian music group in May. 

The Army said Friday it was investigating a claim that dozens of soldiers who refused to attend a Christian band’s concert at a Virginia military base were banished to their barracks and told to clean them up.

Interestingly, the punishment was reportedly telling the Soldiers to go back to their barracks.

As others have noted elsewhere, this “scandal” may be a result of  Read more

Wikileaks “Morally Guilty,” Alleged Source Outspoken, Lonely

Army PFC Bradley Manning has been highlighted by a variety of papers from around the world and even his hometown.  Manning is the alleged “leaker” of the “collateral murder” video, and has apparently been implicated in the latest “WikiLeaks” releases as well.

Interestingly, news reports continue to focus on his personality as non-religious, withdrawn, and needy:

Those who went to school with him say he was often frustrated that others didn’t listen to his views on politics or religion; those views often differed from those of his peers…

In a series of online conversations with a stranger, a fellow computer enthusiast, Manning wrote about feelings of isolation.

He said the feelings stem from growing up without religious views in a very church-based town.  Read more

DADT: Reacting to the Coming Changes

Dr. Don Snider, Col (USA, Ret) was previously quoted here with respect to his article on faith and war.  Last year, before the repeal of the policy known as “Don’t ask, don’t tell” became such a talking point, he made a presentation on that very subject at the US Army War College, entitled “Reacting to the Coming Changes in “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.””

The article has some interesting perspectives, and its conclusion is telling:

It is quite insufficient for the Christian officer to react to this change in professional ethics with what I have heard on occasion, “We will just have to suck it up.” That is not leadership, rather a very poor form of followership. With study and reflection on your own part and much discussion within the fellowship, this is an evolution that you can deal with forthrightly, either in or out of active military service.

But you will have to be clear as to who you are, what you really believe, and whether you can be authentic as a Christian officer in your approach to the personal and professional tensions this change will produce. Needless to say, an inauthentic or incongruous reaction will be self-defeating to your leadership, and perhaps even toxic to your organization’s effectiveness. Time is short. I trust this outline will help you to start the necessary study and reflection.

Read Snider’s full article.

Army Integrates Chaplain Candidates with ROTC Training

In an interesting and well-received move, the US Army has begun assigning Chaplain-candidates to the US Army’s Leadership Development and Assessment Course, through which ROTC cadets train.  The commander of the school, US Army Col. Paul Wood, praised the efforts to integrate the Chaplains-to-be with the officers-to-be:

“We know chaplains as those responsible for religious services, pastoral care, and answering the difficult, solitary questions we all sometimes ask.”

“The Army Chaplaincy is…giving its candidates a place to train while assisting Army ROTC with the leadership development process. Through religious support, counseling and their ministry of presence, they play a crucial role in the making of lieutenants.”

By being alongside cadets for 29 days embedded in each regiment, sleeping in tents and under the stars, navigating the same terrain, and overcoming the same obstacles, these young candidates carry a kind of credibility that other cadre and leaders here can’t match, Wood said.

The unique program seems to have the benefits of engendering a beneficial relationship between both the officer corps and the Chaplaincy within the Army.

Charges Against Protesting Homosexual Soldier Dropped

The Associated Press reported that charges against US Army Lt Dan Choi and former Captain James Pietrangelo had been dropped.  The charges were failure to obey police after they chained themselves, in Army uniforms, to the perimeter fence at the White House.

Prosecutor Christine Chang declined to comment on why the government dropped the case.  Choi said he believes Obama administration officials didn’t want to draw attention to the policy.

While Pietrangelo would have to be recalled to active duty to face charges from the military, there are no public indications that Choi, who remains in the Army, will be charged for his political protest while wearing a uniform.

Choi had previously indicated his plans to subpoena the President.

The Army Air Force, 2010

A common “gotcha” question among the American military services is Which branch has the most aircraft?

The answer:  The US Army.

While most people think the Army Air Forces ceased to exist just after World War II (at the birth of the Air Force), the US Army retains a large air force of its own.  Granted, most of its aircraft are rotary (helicopter) rather than fixed wing, but its total number of aviation assets exceeds that of the Air Force, which is generally the assumed answer.

Still, the US Army does retain some fixed wing assets.  The Mississippi National Guard — not the Air National Guard — recently flew out to document some of the Gulf oil spill incident.  The aircraft was a C-23 Sherpa, and it was flown by the typical Army aviator: a Warrant Officer.

The Army had been planning to acquire the C-27 to replace the C-23, though funding for the Army’s allocation of C-27s was previously in doubt.

Buddhist Chaplain Leads Holy Day in Iraq

US Army Chaplain (1LT) Thomas Dyer — the Baptist-Pastor-turned-Buddhist-Priest who became the US Army’s first Buddhist Chaplain — led 200 people in a celebration of the holiest day of the Buddhist calendar while deployed to Iraq in May.

US military members from across Iraq were invited to the celebration and were allowed to travel to the base specifically for the observance.

The official effort the US military puts into allowing — even encouraging — its members to participate in the religious services of their choosing is significant.  Military members can take comfort in knowing that their leadership has their spiritual resiliency in mind and will, to the extent the mission allows, protect their free exercise.

Still, all is not without controversy. Read more

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