Military Chaplains: Have Bible, Will Travel
Or, as the case may be, Have Koran, or Vedas…
An Army news article notes the necessary travels of military Chaplains as they travel throughout the combat area in Afghanistan serving the religious and morale needs of those in their care. There have been a variety of other articles on “fob-hopping,” but this one included an interesting summary of the US military Chaplaincy:
The Chaplain’s Corps has been around since 1775. Following the creation of the infantry as a branch of the Army, the Continental Congress acting on orders from Gen. George Washington, established the Chaplains Corps making it the second oldest branch in the U.S. Army. It was Washington’s concern for the morale and moral character of his soldiers that prompted the belief that the military needed paid religious leaders to care for spiritual needs. Since then wherever there are soldiers deployed, there has been a chaplain in their midst helping them…
For more than 234 years, chaplains have been caring for soldiers. From Valley Forge to Afghanistan, they have provided counseling and spiritual nourishment for our military service members faced with the rigorous demands of deployments. When the death of a Soldier occurs, they comfort and they provide special religious services giving soldiers a little taste of home during the holidays. Whether they are preaching from the pulpit on Sunday morning or providing a sympathetic ear to a soldier in need, military chaplains have been and continue to be an important part of the U.S. military.
Via the Army Chaplaincy blog.
The Continental Congress acted “on orders from Gen. George Washington”? I think someone needs to spend less time blogging and crack open an American history book. Washington didn’t have the power to order the Congress to do anything, and couldn’t even get them to take any action on many of his requests. In reality, the Continental Congress doesn’t even appear to have thought about chaplains when first setting up how the Army would be organized. From the records of the Congress, it’s pretty clear that what happened is that when Washington first got to Massachusetts (the Bible Belt of the era), the units that had already been assembled had chaplains, so when he sent his report on the troop numbers and make-up to the Congress, they added chaplains to the pay scale as an afterthought because they were already among the ranks.
What makes you think the SGT who wrote that article blogs at all?
Your beef with one sentence above doesn’t diminish the point itself: The Chaplaincy has been serving members of the US military for essentially its entire existence, and it is an important part of the military’s effectiveness and function.
As a representative of a “religious freedom” group, would you care to say a good word about the Chaplains who support the religious freedom of US troops around the world, risking — and losing — their lives as they do so?
I’m referring to your blogging, [], not the SGT who wrote the article. As you’ve probably seen on another blog where you have often commented, people wonder when the hell you find the time to fly a plane. A reasonable question considering that you spend more time writing about MRFF than I do, and it’s my job to write about MRFF.
Edited by Admin.
It’s always good to know the true history of things…but do we really know for sure what happened in 1775? I kinda doubt that the history books contain 100% factual information so we need to look at it from a logical point of view…I think anyway.
It is logical for me to assume the George Washington did help establish the Chaplains Corp based on how things were back then, (historically speaking), with regards to religious beliefs/practices of the times. Now I haven’t read any history books that say GW did in fact establish the Chaplains Corp, but I’m certainly OK with the assumption that he could have.
Now, for the purpose of this site, and MRFF, HuffPo, and anyone else trying to establish who is right and who is wrong with regard to “Christians in the Military” I highly suggest you stick to the FACTS and the FACTS only. Too much emotion is entering into this and lots of people are following it very closely…including senior leadership. Its rapidly becoming too comical to follow instead of providing some very good and credible information to make a decision.
Chris…JD doesn’t need to fly to provide his expertise, he can do that on the ground just as effectively. We also have other jobs that “flyers” do when not in the air.
JD…YES, being what you write about “one sentence” CAN diminish the point. I know this site was probably intended to provide information and maybe hope for the Military Christians, but it is now more than that. If you put in on your blog its subject to the scrutiny of the readers…but not always in a bad way because some just want to know the truth and the facts.
Watchtower, you actually can trace how the chaplaincy began through the records of the Continental Congress, including Washington’s correspondence with the Congress. Washington did not start the chaplaincy. That is a documented historical fact. When he arrived in Massachusetts in 1775 and assessed the units that had already been formed there, he reported the make-up of these units to the Congress. It is in that report that the first mention of chaplains appears, because the units in Massachusetts (a church controlled state at that time) already had them. It was only after receiving this report from Washington that the Congress added chaplains to the list of what made up a unit, and what the pay scale would be.
Thanks Chris. I’m very glad I did not live back in those days, not sure I like the present that much either…too much BS. I plan to live at least to 100, then hope the mothership comes and takes me home for another 100 years (remember the movie cocoon…ha!)? I know, silly, but fun stuff. :-)