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
National Public Radio (NPR) recently reported that the Buddhist Chapel at the Air Force Academy, a room in the lower floors of the iconic Cadet Chapel, “represents tolerance” of beliefs at within the military institution.
The Buddhist hall within the Chapel has actually been in use for years (it was even renovated in 2007) so it is unclear why NPR is covering the story now. However, they do provide several quotes that indicate the religious climate at the Air Force Academy has “improved” from Read more
Chaplain (Capt.) Emil Kapaun, a World War II and Korean War Chaplain who died in captivity in North Korea, was recommended for the Medal of Honor by outgoing Secretary of the Army Pete Geren.
According to the Stars and Stripes,
Kapaun was captured by the Chinese in the fall of 1950, when Communist forces overran the 1st Cavalry Division in northern Korea near the Chinese border. American commanders had ordered their forces to retreat, but Kapaun, a Catholic priest with the 3rd Battalion, refused and stayed to care for the men who couldn’t flee.
Stripes also called Kapaun a “prisoner of war,” which while commonly understood is technically inaccurate. Read more
Capt. Nicholas Giglio, an F-16 pilot from Shaw Air Force Base, is presumed dead after his aircraft collided with another F-16 off the South Carolina Coast. Based on testimony from the other pilot, Capt. Lee Bryant, who was able to land at Charleston AFB, and the fact that the automated beacon initiated by ejection never came on, the Air Force has concluded that Capt. Giglio did not survive the initial impact.
The Air Force has transitioned from rescue to recovery.
According to the Wing Commander, the 32-year-old Capt Giglio Read more
Updated: Information and photos of the pilots are available from a local news source.
The Air Force announced that two F-16CJs from Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, had collided over the Atlantic Coast during night training on Thursday.
One, piloted by Capt. Lee Bryant, managed to land at Charleston AFB. The other, piloted by Captain Nicholas Giglio, is unaccounted for, and Giglio is reported missing.
Coast Guard vessels conducting rescue operations found debris believed to be from the second aircraft. Regrettably, the absence of an emergency beacon–which normally transmits automatically after an ejection–increases the likelihood that Giglio went down with his aircraft.
Along with Gordon Klingenschmitt, Jim Ammerman and the Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches are being sued by Michael and Bonnie Weinstein for “imprecatory prayers.” A recent news release indicates that Ammerman and the CFGC will be represented by the Rutherford Institute.
The Rutherford Institute describes itself as an organization that is “dedicated to the defense of civil liberties and human rights,” including “the defense of religious…liberties.” Ironically, Weinstein and his organization, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, are Read more
The White House announced that President Obama observed the
auspicious holiday of Diwali, or festival of lights, in the East Room of the White House.
making him the first US President to do so. Diwali is reportedly
a major pan-Indian festival celebrated around the day of the new moon in October-November.
Obama lit and bowed to a ceremonial Diwali lamp.
The Times of London online published an article on Chaplain (Lt Cdr) Carey Cash, the US Navy Chaplain at Camp David, the Presidential retreat.
The article appeared to rely heavily (if not exclusively) on the Washington Post article on the same subject the day before, though it took a far more provocative tone. It was entitled “‘Islam is violent’ says President Obama’s new pastor Carey Cash,” which is inaccurate on more than one level, and it attempted to emphasize what it claimed were Cash’s controversial beliefs. (FoxNews repeated the article with the headline “Obama’s New Pastor Views Islam as Violent Faith.”)
First, it likened Obama’s link to Chaplain Cash with his experience with Reverend Wright: Read more