Wounded Warriors Journey with Israeli Peers

Jews in Green reports on an interesting program that teams US military veterans with their peers in the Israeli Defense Forces to “heal” during a 10-day visit to the Holy Land.  The program is known as “Heroes to Heroes.”

Heroes To Heroes Journeys to Israel gives American disabled veterans the experience of a lifetime and is designed to educate, motivate, stimulate discussion and bonding with peers, and be a springboard for emotional and spiritual healing both during and after the experience.

The trips are free.

It appears to be a unique and fascinating experience available to wounded “veterans from all services and all backgrounds.”

Seabees Help Chaplain Support Religious Freedom

Chaplain (LtCmdr) Neal Kreisler traveled with some unique kit to support the spiritual fitness of the troops he served, but not all the pieces made the transit.  So he got a little help.  Kreisler

brought a kosher Sukkah, or a small dwelling used outside the home during the holiday, that those practicing Judaism believe represents the Clouds of Glory by which the Israelites were protected after their exodus from Egypt…

While in transit, a piece of the Sukkah was lost and Rabbi Read more

California Passes Unnecessary Law with No Fanfare

The state of California recently passed a law — SB1140 — that explicitly states clergy are not required to perform homosexual ceremonies.  The law is naturally intended to protect those who might have faced attacks — potentially through equal opportunity or even IRS channels — against religious leaders who act on their faith in opposition to homosexuality:

A person…shall not be required to solemnize a marriage that is contrary to the tenets of his or her faith. Any refusal to solemnize a marriage…shall not affect the tax-exempt status of any entity.

Notably, no law required clergy to act against their faith.  The law was a preemptive Read more

Chaplain Promotes Comprehensive Fitness in Afghanistan

US Army Chaplain (Capt) Randy Loux is a Fort Bragg-based Soldier currently deployed to Afghanistan to exercise his specialty in “spiritual strength.”

“Whether back in garrison at Fort Bragg, N.C., or in a combat zone in Afghanistan, spiritual fitness should be the no. 1 priority because when a soldier is first and foremost ‘spiritually fit,’ then all the others will naturally fall in place,” said Loux.

He accurately notes something that escapes some who oppose religious freedom in the military:  Read more

Video: Fort Hood Victims want Massacre Declared Terrorism

While there is a current controversy over how quickly President Obama called the attack on the US consulate in Libya a “terrorist” act, another similar scandal has simmered for nearly three years.  In November 2009, a gunman yelled Allahu Akbar and opened fire in an Army processing center.  He killed 14 people and wounded more than 30 more.

Despite his motivations and associations, his attack was classified as “workplace violence.”

As a result, the Soldiers wounded in that event and the families of those who were killed do not have access to Read more

Appeals Court: Muslim Soldier Can be Forcibly Shaved

Despite his claim that he grew his beard for religious reasons, an Army appeals court has ruled US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, accused in the 2009 Fort Hood massacre, may be forcibly shaved to meet US Army grooming standards.

The court also ruled that Col. Gregory Gross, the trial judge, properly found that the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act does not give Hasan the right to have a beard while in uniform Read more

Comfort Amid Cruelty: Christian Doc on Serving in Afghanistan

As a Christian surgeon deployed to Afghanistan, some tragedies will forever be burned into my memory. One such experience happened during a mass casualty situation. A vehicle-borne IED detonated in a public place, killing several Afghanis and injuring eight, including a six-year-old boy… 
 
Before long, the sound of two arriving Black Hawk helicopters thundered throughout the ER. The trauma teams quickly and skillfully began treating the incoming patients—securing airways, placing chest tubes, starting IVs, and taking X-rays while assessing injuries. 

When the boy was brought in…

Read more.  You won’t be disappointed.

US Military Looks to Fish Oil to Combat Suicide

You can’t say they’re not trying:

A three-year, $10 million study, to be funded by the Department of Defense and conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina, will test whether omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils can relieve the anxieties and quiet the suicidal thoughts plaguing many combat veterans…

Participants get to chug fish oils smoothies.

For all the criticism the US military has received over it handling of the epidemic of suicides in its rank, it at least appears to be trying, and to be fair, it’s not the only thing they’re trying.

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