Month: January 2010

Jewish Chaplain Candidate Awaits Waiver for Beard

Rabbi Menachem Stern answered a 2008 ad for military chaplains, “went through all the hoops,” and in July 2009 was told

that the Accession Board had approved him, and at one point “I actually got orders to appear. I received a letter saying that if I agreed to a commission, I should report for swearing-in.”

Subsequently, that invitation was revoked because Stern, who represents an Orthodox sect of Judaism, wears a beard.

“For me, my beard is part of my religious garb,” he explained. “…By not trimming my beard, I show that I represent the unadulterated view of the holy Torah. While there would be ways around it, and many of these ways are kosher, keeping to the original version of the Torah is the only way we as members of the Chabad Lubavitch community believe a person should live.”

According to the Aleph Institute, the Army Chaplaincy isn’t opposed Read more

Wedding Ring Returned to Hill AFB Widow

Air Force Captain George Bryan Houghton was killed in June of 2009 during a night training mission in his F-16.  An article from the Associated Press, as distributed by FoxNews, recounts the story of his widow’s liaison officer (the officer who becomes the family’s help in any way necessary) going an extra mile to help her obtain closure.

The article reports that Houghton’s widow, Josie, only asked for the investigators to return one thing to her: his wedding band.  Unfortunately, it was not recovered in the initial crash investigation.  The liaison, Maj. Robert Ungerman, took it upon himself to correct that failing, and a moving story results.

Read the full story.

Christian Soldier: Greater Love Hath No Man than This

A touching local news article reports a father’s reaction to his son’s death in Afghanistan.  The father, J.D. Hickman, was a former military man himself.  Of his son, he said

“Jason was a man of faith, he was a Christian…Being former military, I can say if you’re going to die, there’s no better way of dying than dying for your country, for your people.”

The faith of these two men was important enough that it was a prominent part of a father’s intimate eulogy of his son.  His legacy was that of a man of faith, even as he served his country in the US military.

When asked if there’s anything else he’d like to share regarding his son, Hickman is quiet for a moment. Then his voice cracks, “John 15:13.”

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Nothing more needs to be said.

Religious Freedom Day, 16 Jan 2010

Updated with President Obama’s proclamation.

Each year since 1993 the President has declared January 16th to be “Religious Freedom Day,” in order to remember the passage of Thomas Jefferson’s 1786 Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (see 2009).  President Obama does not appear to have issued his proclamation for tomorrow yet (now available), though the day has been a topic of discussion in varying forums across the internet.

Jefferson’s statute continues to be a strong expression for the value of religious liberty even today.  Though the statute has been discussed in many places and in great depth, there are two important points to take from the statute:  Read more

Army Trains Soldiers in Positive Thinking

In its latest attempt to provide Soldiers with mental resilience, the US Army is requiring each of its Soldiers to receive psychological training conducted through a $117 million program by the University of Pennsylvania’s Positive Psychology Center.  The 10-day course

teaches concepts such as focusing on what goes right, expressing gratitude, and analyzing and correcting negative views of ambiguous events.

In short, it is “the power of positive thinking.”  The program is not without its critics, who blast the psychological theory as Read more

Academies Among 100 “Best Value Colleges” 2010

As noted at AF.mil, the US military academies (Air Force, Navy, Army, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine) were ranked in the “top 100” Best Value Colleges by the Princeton Review/USA Today (again, see 2009).

The military academies, which combine both military and academic training, are government-funded and built around their missions.  As a result, they are no-cost, have low student/teacher ratios, and provide some of the best educational opportunities in the US.

As quoted in the Air Force article, The Princeton Review said

If you can make it through this four-year gauntlet, though, an Air Force diploma is an awesome credential. You will almost certainly leave here with a knack for leadership and a skill set that will impress your friends.

While “impressing your friends” is hardly a worthwhile credential, it is worth noting that the Review recognizes the value of a military academy diploma.  They are challenging to earn, and are earned in limited numbers, making them a commodity even in the civilian sector.  (Though the education is valuable, an Academy diploma does not necessarily have instrinsic value within the military.)

The 2010 Princeton Review can be accessed directly here.

Navy Midshipman Stands Out for Christ

This site has previously documented the public faith of Tim Tebow, the unquestionably talented Florida quarterback who led his team to championships and wore his faith on his life, as well as his eye blacks.  He has been lauded for publicly living out his faith in his “profession.”

The Baptist Press documents another “stand-out linebacker” who “serves Christ,” this time as a military Midshipman at the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. 

Ross Pospisil is the Navy football defensive team captain, helping lead a team Read more

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