Tag Archives: camp leatherneck

“Faith Has No Uniform”: Islamic Advisor Visits US Marines

Asim Hafiz, an Imam and religious advisor to the British Ministry of Defence, recently visited Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, and took the time to meet with Islamic US Marines.

While the entire event is very benign, the comments in the article actually highlighted a very basic concept behind the importance of faith in the military and the service of military chaplains:

“Anytime you meet another Muslim it’s exciting,” said Master Sgt. Anetra Cargile…“It’s like meeting someone from Read more

US Military Brings Yoga, Comedy to Afghanistan

The Department of Defense announced that “Soul-dier Boot Camp” was brought to Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, as part of Armed Forces Entertainment:

Soul-dier Boot Camp is a yoga-inspired, high-intensity, interval cardio class designed to get participants to a high cardiovascular level and then bring them down with a calming, athletic, yoga course.

In the evening, the team entertained with comedy:  Read more

Religion News Service Covers Spiritual Triage

Religion News Service — the non-profit media group that famously took a grant from atheists aimed at providing favorable news coverage — provided a balanced look at the US Army’s research into the previously-discussed virtual chaplain training, otherwise known as “spiritual triage.”

Trailing the [computer animated] combat medics, the uniformed military chaplain kneels and performs “spiritual triage,” assessing who is dead, who is soon to die, and who is likely to survive.

For the dead, there is silent prayer; for the gravely wounded and those in pain, there are words of comfort…At each point in the action, a prompt asks users what they think is the appropriate Read more

US and UK Military Religion in Afghanistan

An interesting set of articles in the UK Guardian notes the role of religion in the military in Afghanistan.  The articles were written by Riazat Butt, who is reportedly traveling through Afghanistan with Army Chaplains.

The tone of her first article, from the British outpost at Camp Bastion, implies that the majority of British servicemembers eschew religion except for the rituals associated with the loss of a comrade.

Last Wednesday evening, thousands of troops gathered to remember Lt Daniel John Clack…in a 30-minute ceremony that wove together Christian and military liturgy. For many in attendance, the vigils will be their only regular exposure to religion whether on deployment or in Civvy Street.

The memorial monument bears a shining cross made from expended shell casings.

British Sergeant Ryan Coleman described the attitude this way:  Read more