Tag Archives: Military

The Challenge of Shabbat in Baghdad

The Jewish Journal documents the story of US Army Captain Eric Goldie, a Jewish soldier deployed to Iraq and trying to remain faithful to his religious exercise in an article entitled “Shabbat in Iraq: Under the Gun“:

On Shabbat, Goldie and a small group of soldiers, embassy workers and contractors — and even one Iraqi-Jewish woman — would gather in the U.S. Embassy to daven. That woman, Halida, would sneak into the embassy to participate, a considerable risk in a city where Jews were hiding their true identities…

Goldie endured a gauntlet of barriers himself just to get to the embassy for services.   “I had to take an armored transport, wearing 60 pounds of body armor, with my weapon, to attend,” he said.

The article contains what may be a swipe at the military Read more

Fort Hood Hosts Islamic Iftar

Chaplain (Maj) Khalid Shabazz and his chaplain assistant, Sgt Jessica Covello, hosted an Islamic iftar attended by “more than 60 soldiers and family members” at Fort Hood, Texas.

“Fasting increases our awareness of God and self-restraint,” Shabazz said. “Abstaining from something so natural such as food and water allows ourselves to gain a greater respect for those who suffer on a daily basis.”

Sgt Covello even tried a little mutual support:  Read more

Air Force Chief Targets Bible in POW Memorial, IG Defends It

A long-running US military tradition is the POW/MIA table.  While often a discrete event at formal functions such as military dinings-in, many dining facilities maintain a continuous POW/MIA table within their facilities.  There are actually many variations on the display, though one of the more common ones follows:

The table is round – to show our everlasting concern for our missing men (and women).

The tablecloth is white – symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to duty.

The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of Read more

Appeals Court Upholds Fort Hood Bomber Sentence

Former US Army PFC Naser Abdo appealed his conviction in the planned (and prepared) bombing attempt of his fellow US Army Soldiers near Fort Hood, Texas, in 2011.  The court denied his appeal.

The appeals court denied Abdo’s request to consider his initial police detention a full arrest instead of just an investigatory stop, which would have made it unlawful and rendered it and statements obtained at the time inadmissible as evidence…

The court also denied that Abdo’s trial was unfair…

Abdo was the famous Islamic conscientious objector who was later charged for having child pornography on his government computer, went AWOL, and Read more

Air Force Chaplain Targets Single Airmen

While some people think of families and kids when talking about a chapel, Chaplain (Capt) Randy Croft of Shaw Air Force Base wants to focus on single servicemembers:

“We want to help strengthen single airmen and soldiers, and support strong resilient, spiritually fit singles so they can do their mission really well,” Croft said.

Though he is a religous leader, Chaplain Croft reiterates the military position that “spiritual” does not necessarily mean “religious:”  Read more

The Humanity of the Chief of Staff

General Mark Welsh, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, has long been respected by many in the Air Force for his down-to-earth approach to life and other people.  That attitude became widely known after his famous inspirational speeches found their way to the internet.

He had this quotable last week, when overseeing the change of command at the US Air Force Academy:

During his speech, Welsh pardoned cadets in trouble for minor infractions and regulatory breaches.

“You major offenders are still screwed,” he said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

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Chaplains’ Assistants Protect Lives, Religious Liberty

When talking about military religious freedom, much of the focus is naturally on chaplains.  Often left unmentioned is the assistant, bodyguard, and companion of military chaplains: his chaplain’s assistant.

As noted in a recent Marine article, chaplain’s assistants not only support activities at home, but they are also the armed protectors of the unarmed chaplain when deployed:

Religion has always been important to 19-year-old Seaman Apprentice Jacob L. Brown, a religious program specialist…

When he learned that he could pursue it while serving his country, he jumped at the chance… Read more

Michael Weinstein Goes Defensive, Repeats the Crazy

In response to last week’s article highlighting his penchant for alliterative adjective abuse, Michael Weinstein posted a defensive 1,500 word diatribe saying people should cut him some slack.  He claims he rants like a foul-mouthed playground bully because he’s trying to save the world [emphasis added]:

What sane person can doubt that anything less than a tooth-and-nail, eye-gouging fight will protect the American people from those both in uniform and [in] the House and Senate who seek to plunge the United States into an end-times war of apocalyptic proportions? Such a worldwide conflagration of combat is precisely what fundamentalist Christian Dominionists see as necessary for ushering in the Second Coming of the Christ, or “Rapture.” They ruthlessly lust for their promised worldwide bloodbath…

The aircraft carriers, Unmanned Aerial Systems, Peacekeeper Missiles*, bunker-busters, nuclear ICBMs, and 2.35 million active duty and reserve personnel…comprise the jewel in the crown that the “Christian Taliban” aims to seize at any and all cost.

There you have it, folks.  Weinstein should be granted wide latitude because his noble goal is to save the American people from the crazy Christians in its own military and Congress.  (To be clear, this isn’t the first time he’s made this claim.)

And who are these crazy Christians?  Read more

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