Tag Archives: Chaplain

Group Demands Army Cancel “Evangelistic Event”

Americans United for the Separation of Church and State has called for the US Army to cancel a Chaplaincy event at Fort Bragg, NC.  The event is Rock the Fort, which is associated with Billy Graham’s Evangelistic Association.  According to the BGEA website:

When evangelist Josh Holland gets up to speak at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C., this Saturday, he plans to honor the soldiers who are present, thanking them for their sacrifice and what they do to ensure our nation’s freedom.

“I also want to talk about the truest kind of freedom, which is found in a relationship with Christ and in freedom from sin,” Holland said during a phone interview this week.

The AU takes issue:  Read more

Chaplains Support the Mission with Mizpah Coin

Among the many missions of the US military Chaplaincy, Chaplains attempt to support the mental and spiritual well-being of Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and Marines.  This has become particularly important with the rate of suicides in the military.  One of the ways the Chaplaincy is fighting for their troops is support for relationships, including significant support for military marriages.

Chaplain (Maj) Michael Reeves of Fort Stewart apparently came up with a unique way to help strengthen military marriages: a unit Mizpah coin.

Chap. (Maj.) Michael Reeves, installation chaplain, is the one Read more

Mormon Chaplain Serves USAFA Cadets

An Air Force Academy press release notes the service of Chaplain (Capt) Zebulon Beck, one of only nine active duty Air Force Mormon Chaplains, who will minister to “more than 100 Mormon cadets.”

An interesting part of the article is the reference to the “mandatory two-year mission” of Mormons:

As is the case with other Mormons of similar age, many cadets interrupt their studies for the mandatory two-year mission. Those who do so often come back changed people.  Read more

Number of Chaplains Opposing DADT Repeal Increases

The Alliance Defense Fund previously wrote a letter to President Obama in which 41 retired Chaplains, speaking freely since they are outside military service, opposed the repeal of the policy known as “Don’t ask, don’t tell” on religious freedom grounds.

Last Friday they added to that number, with 25 new signatories.  As noted at the ADF,

The letter states, “By raising homosexual behavior to the same protected class as innate, innocuous characteristics like race and gender, the armed forces will cast the sincerely held religious beliefs of many chaplains and Service members as rank bigotry comparable to racism.”

The release of the letter nearly coincided with Read more

The Chaplain and the Veteran

Air National Guard Chaplain (LtCol) Richard Cavens was deployed to Dover Air Force Base as part of the mortuary operations center — the organization that deals with the fallen and their families.

When the history buff took some personal time in the local area — a break particularly necessary for those dealing daily with the casualties of war — he happened upon the Korean War memorial, and met a man there who understood like few today could.

The rest can only be read as it was originally written…

US Military Chaplains Minister, Mentor in Africa

Illinois National Guard Chaplains are reportedly part of deployment MEDFLAG 10, a “joint medical exercise aimed at providing humanitarian assistance to the local people” in the African Congo.

While the Chaplains serve their own units, they also have the opportunity to liaise for strategic impact:

In addition to supporting U.S. service members, the ministry team is engaging with chaplains of the armed forces of Congo.

“Our Congolese counterparts showed special interests in discussing areas of trauma, family care and post-traumatic stress,” said Krumrei.

The Illinois National Guard ministry team is conducting a three-day workshop with FARDC chaplains, aiming to bring peace within the country and to the people, said Krumrei.

Religious Faiths Coexist in US Military

In an apparent effort to thwart conspiracy theorists, the US military has occasionally taken to publicizing what is obvious to the casual observer within the military.  Over the past few years, for example, the military has posted a variety of news articles noting servicemembers of all faiths and no faith have the protected ability to exercise their ideologies even while serving.

Just this week, the Navy published an awkwardly-titled but sincerely-written piece from the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, “Members of Differing Faiths Peacefully Coexist on Navy Aircraft Carrier.”  Obviously, members of different faiths peacefully coexist throughout the military, though some might allege otherwise without substantiation.  The article offers a concise and fairly comprehensive coverage of the efforts by the US military to appropriately ensure the religious rights of its members:  Read more

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