MRFF Calls for Chief Chaplain’s Court Martial

According to a variety of reports, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has called for the dismissal of Chaplain (Major General) Douglas Carver, the US Army’s Chief Chaplain.  As noted earlier, Chaplain Carver had called for a day of prayer and fasting among his Chaplaincy corps on April 8th, which coincided with the beginning of Passover celebrations in the Jewish community.

Weinstein claimed he’d received a “tsunami” of complaints against the Day of Prayer, though his MRFF is the only organization to protest.  Weinstein, who is Jewish, said

The fact that this would fall on this same day is not just wrong or bad, but unforgivable, and Carver should be severely disciplined.

By contrast, some responses, by those of both the Jewish and other faiths, expressed support for the Chaplain, noting that Jewish fasts are entirely appropriate on this day.   One post appears to have been written by Chaplain (Col) Jacob Goldstein, the US Army’s “Senior Jewish Chaplain,” Read more

AF OTS Selections Announced

The Air Force announced the selection of 308 candidates for Officer Training School.  This is 36% of the 865 applications; nearly 50% of the selectees were enlisted Airmen.

OTS continues to be a popular means for becoming an officer–the first step to becoming a military pilot.

Military Chaplains in High Demand

There has long been a shortage in Chaplains in the Guard and reserve, as previously noted.  The Stars and Stripes notes that reservists are currently in high demand, as they are activated to fill posts of Chaplains who are deployed downrange.

Said one such Chaplain, who had been activated multiple times over the past decades:

“[The soldiers] sought reassurance that they were there for the right purposes. A lot of them had religious questions about God — ‘What does God think about this?’ People wanted to be baptized. There are no atheists or agnostics in foxholes.”

Chaplains in Battle

The Baptist Press notes the story of Chaplain (Col) James White of the 10th Mountain Division,  

Fine sand and blinding dust swirled across the Iraqi desert, providing cover for U.S. Army soldiers to advance deeper into enemy terrain. The lead Humvee inched cautiously forward. The soldiers on point radioed to a support group behind them — and asked for a chaplain…

“We’re scared,” the soldiers told Chaplain White when he joined them. “Could you take a few minutes to pray with us?”  “We all knelt there in the sand and prayed,” said White…

Heading back to the support unit, White awaited the impending battle…[The soldiers] drove slowly forward — and suddenly met a Russian-built T-72 tank. The battle was on.

Chaplains serve a vital–and unique–role in our nation’s armed forces.

Colonel Cleared in Email Controversy

As noted at the Stars and Stripes, Col Kimberly Toney was cleared in the 3rd Air Force investigation of her email that linked to a video with religious content (hosted on a website with content allegedly hostile to the President) (previous discussion).

From the article:

“After a thorough consideration of the facts, the Third Air Force has concluded Colonel Toney acted inadvertently and unintentionally and did not willfully violate Air Force policy or (Equal Employment Opportunity) guidelines,” said Lt. Col. Dave Honchul, 3rd Air Force’s director of public affairs.

Notably, the article also notes that the Air Force received no complaints from servicemembers or civilians over the email.

Military Religious Freedom: The Torah in Iraq

The Air Force news published articles and pictures (see below the fold) of a Torah dedication ceremony in Balad, Iraq, on March 23rd, as well as the accompanying adult Bar Mitzvah of an enlisted Airmen.

Contrary to some assertions, such public displays of faith do not demonstrate an institutional favoritism of a religion (in this case, Judaism) by the military or by the government.  Such expressions–even in a region of the world that has elements hostile to both Judaism and America–are not only permitted but also encouraged, just as the free exercise of other faiths is also supported.

Such displays are also wholly permissible in uniform, as these Airmen were.  The Airmen wore yarmulkes Read more

Chief Chaplain Calls for Day of Prayer & Fasting

As noted in his monthly “From the Chief,” Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Douglas L. Carver, Chief of Army Chaplains, called (pdf) on his Chaplaincy corps to join him in a day of prayer and fasting on 8 April 2009, consistent with the tenets of their faith, for

the protection, preservation, and peace for our Soldiers and Families.

Chaplain Carver noted that the intent is to support the Army’s continuing focus on the trend of suicides in the US Army (as previously discussed).

US Army Guantánamo Guard Converted to Islam

In an era where the most vocal concern about religion in the military is “illegal Christian proselytizing,” Newsweek carries the opposite side of the story: a US Army soldier who was “proselytized” by the Islamic prisoners he oversaw.

Army specialist Terry Holdbrooks [of the 463rd Military Police Company] had been a guard at Guantánamo for about six months the night he had his life-altering conversation with detainee 590, a Moroccan also known as “the General” [in] early 2004… Read more

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