Tag Archives: Military

USAFA SPIRE Leaders Protect Religious Freedom under New Regulation

The US Air Force Academy recently met with all of its SPIRE volunteers — faith representatives who help USAFA with its spiritual support through the Special Program in Religious Education program [emphasis added]:

About 60 volunteers from Buddhist, Earth-Centered, Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Latter Day Saints, Catholic and Protestant groups gathered to review leadership guidelines and sign a SPIRE Memorandum of Agreement before working with cadets.

“The volunteers are like tentacles of the chapel,” said Chaplain Read more

Atheists Attack Military Bibles, DoD Defends

The American Humanist Association claims it wants to support religious freedom when it demands an atheist chaplain. Simultaneously, it is threatening “legal action” because camouflage Bibles are available at a military inprocessing station for the Missouri National Guard.

The…recruitment center for the National Guard as well as other military offices…exhibited and offered camouflage-covered Bibles free of charge to recruits enlisting in the National Guard…The letter was sent on behalf of an anonymous recruit who felt that the government was impermissibly endorsing the Bibles and coercing recruits to take them…

The letter demands that the government immediately cease its practice of offering Bibles to National Guard recruits and remove any biblical literature from its possession.

The person who complained was a member of Read more

US Soldier Forced Out over Religion, Sues US Army

US Army Master Sergeant Nathan Sommers made waves last year when he said he faced retribution from the Army for political bumper stickers, reading conservative political books, and serving Chick-fil-A sandwiches at his promotion party after the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Those controversies apparently boiled over into what the Army called a substandard performance evaluation (which MSgt Sommers contested). The poor evaluation triggered a review of his continued enlistment, and he was recommended for discharge — even as his other appeals were still being processed. Since he was eligible to retire, he was essentially forced to do so.

The day after he retired, he filed a lawsuit claiming he was forced out of the military due to his religious beliefs.

Master Sergeant Nathan Sommers, a 25-year veteran of the military and a decorated soloist in the U.S. Army Band Chorus, claims he was forcibly retired from the Army due to his religious and conservative political beliefs.

MSgt Sommers may have one of the stronger cases Read more

Will Mikey Weinstein Fear US Marine Corps Chaplaincy? (Video)

Michael “Mikey” Weinstein — the man who runs a “charity” that claims Christians in the US military are trying to start a nuclear war — may have a new reason for fear. You see, RAdm Brent W. Scott just became the chief Chaplain of the entire US Marine Corps.

As the senior Navy chaplain serving in the Marine Corps, Scott will oversee nearly 300 chaplains and 250 religious program specialists currently supporting the spiritual needs of Marines. He will also serve as a key advisor to the commandant on religious accommodation, morals and ethics, and the spiritual welfare of the force.

New US Navy Chief of Chaplains RAdm Margaret Kibben, Chaplain Scott’s new boss, was enthusiastic about Scott and the importance of his position:  Read more

US Navy Gets First Female Chief of Chaplains

With the retirement of Rear Adm Mark Tidd, Rear Adm Margaret Kibben, formerly the US Navy’s Deputy Chief of Chaplains and Chief of Chaplains for the Marine Corps, was promoted to Rear Admiral (Upper Half) and assumed the position of Chief of Chaplains for the US Navy.

Both her promotion and assumption of duties marked a historic event for the Navy and its Chaplain Corps as Kibben became the first female chief of Navy chaplains and the first female Navy chaplain to hold the rank of rear admiral upper half.

As the new Chief Chaplain, RAdm Kibben, who is endorsed by the PC(USA), “pledged” to have her chaplains support service members and their families

so that they “grow spiritually, are certain of their moral and ethical foundations, and are free and able to exercise and enjoy a community of faith.”

Read more

Chaplain on Life Decisions

Chaplain (LtCmdr) Harvey Macklin recently had the opportunity to give a sermon to “improve unit cohesion.” He was able to see his Marines grow “not just as warriors, but also as strong spiritual leaders:”

[Soldiers are] going to have to make a decision one day on who they’re going to follow and what they’re going to put their trust in. From my perspective, trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as our savior to lead us, guide us; to help us with our mind, our heart, our soul and our strength, is who we are. Everything else comes after that. Bravery, courage, obedience, loyalty; it all comes out of who you are. If you don’t know yourself, you’re going to have very little success in life.

Read more. Read more

US Military Highlights Respect for Muslims

A report at FoxNews highlights a message from US Army Col. Kevin Glasz, brigade commander of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, regarding respect for Islam during Ramadan:

“This is a period of great personal restraint and commitment in addition to renewed focus on worship,” Brigade Commander Col. Kevin Glasz wrote. “I’d like to encourage you to learn just a little more about this religion, but more importantly, I’m asking you to be considerate and do not consume food or drink in front of our Muslim colleagues; it is a simple, yet respectful action.”

In contrast from policies governing US military personnel in Bahrain, which was highlighted here last month, the USUHS is in Maryland, and there are no laws in Maryland governing Ramadan.

Optimistically viewed, it is just a supportive statement from the military to help others respect the faiths of those around them. But as an anonymous Marine officer is quoted in pointing out, this kind of “supportive statement” is only used in reference to Islam:  Read more

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