Tag Archives: Military

Chaplains Consider DADT Repeal, Loss of DOMA

FoxNews notes a gathering of Chaplains and endorsers who are forming a “coalition” to

provide legal and other support for chaplains and soldiers who might be disciplined over conflicts concerning their views on homosexuality.

According to the article, the Chaplains and their endorsers are concerned about how the integration of openly homosexual military members will actually play out — not just how the DoD says it will.

The article explains the disconnect, when the military responded to the questions with a standard refrain:

“We’re working under the assumption that DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) is the law of the land and we haven’t been working in anticipation of anything else right now,” said [Chaplain Carleton Birch, spokesperson for the Army Chief of Chaplains].

Retired Chaplain (COL) Ron Crews has helped found the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, and says that’s precisely Read more

Can a Christian Serve in the US Military?

Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. –Psalm 144:1

Can a Christian serve in combat?  Is war inconsistent with the commands of Jesus Christ?

Recent events have given new life to the age old discussion about whether “Christian” and “military” are mutually exclusive (never mind being a “Christian Fighter Pilot”).  Particularly for new Christians, or Christians who grew up in peaceful times and areas, the concepts of a “warring Christian” who is a child of the loving God can seem contradictory.

(There are also many non-Christians who try to find an apparent contradiction in military Christian service.  The intent here is to address those with a Christian worldview.)

There are many books and pamphlets written on this topic, and most categorize their analysis in two categories. The “anti-war” division centers on the “pacifist teachings” of Jesus. The “pro-war” division centers on the Just War doctrine supported with Biblical citations. Well-researched books quote Augustine and Thomas Aquinas Read more

Trust is a Casualty: Abdo Makes Eighth Attack/Attempt on Military

Update:  This post has been corrected here; the actual number of attacks/attempted attacks is nine, not eight.

Following the arrest of PFC Naser Abdo on charges he planned to kill Soldiers at Fort Hood in what has been described as a “terror attack,” a local paper says “trust is a casualty” for the military and Islamic communities, describing a tension between non-Islamic Soldiers and their Muslim comrades.

Some may not realize Abdo’s arrest marks eight recent attacks or attempted attacks on the US military by assailants who have apparently been motivated by their Islamic faith. Half of those attacks or attempted attacks have been by members of the US military:  Read more

F-16 Runs Off Runway at Oshkosh

A formation of Alabama Air National Guard F-16s landed at Oshkosh’s EAA AirVenture 2011 last week.  Important safety tip:  If you’re landing in front of a crowd at an airshow on a minimum-length runway, don’t land hot.  Number 2 couldn’t quite get it stopped before the concrete ran out and ended up folding a nose gear in the mud.

Amateur video at YouTube. 

Even the crowd was critiquing his landing.

“Terror Plot” Soldier Naser Abdo Defiant, Weinstein Equivocates

US Army PFC Naser Abdo, arrested last week on charges he was planning to blow up a restaurant and kill Soldiers near Fort Hood, Texas, was defiant at his court appearance.

Abdo…refused to stand up during Friday’s hearing when everyone in the court was asked to rise for the judge.

As he was being led out of the courtroom, he yelled out “Iraq 2006” and the name of the 14-year-old Iraqi girl who was raped and murdered in 2006 by a U.S. soldier. He then shouted: “Nidal Hasan Fort Hood 2009.”

Organizations that had previously supported Abdo in his objector application have now disavowed him:

“If any of these allegations are true, any sort of violence toward anyone goes completely against what a conscientious objector believes,” said Jose Vasquez, executive director of Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Another group, Read more

Brigade Chaplain Supports Every Soldiers’ Needs

US Army Chaplain (Maj) Francisco Stodola highlights Chaplains’ duties to support the needs of all troops:

For chaplains serving in the United States Army, service and faith reinforce each other and guide the invaluable duty they perform as counselors and mentors…

“This is one of the major jobs of every chaplain,” said Stodola, “to see that every soldier’s needs are met. Every chaplain is expected to take care of all the troops under his care.”

As often noted here, while Chaplains are, by definition, religious figures, they do far more than see to only personal religious needs in the military; they directly support Read more

US Army Private Naser Abdo Arrested in Terror Plot

Private First Class Naser Abdo has reportedly been arrested by Texas police near Fort Hood, Texas.  Abdo wasn’t assigned to Fort Hood; he was assigned to Fort Campbell in Kentucky.  The Army said Abdo was AWOL from Fort Campbell.

Local police indicated they had interrupted a “terror plot” in their arrest of PFC Abdo.  He was reportedly found with guns, gunpowder, and the makings of a backpack bomb.  The arrest was made possible by a tip from local gundealer Guns Galore.  Clerk Greg Ebert said the staff of the store was concerned because Abdo was purchasing large quantities of gunpowder — while asking questions about how to use it.  Guns Galore is reportedly the same store where Maj Nidal Malik Hasan purchased his firearm.

According to AP reports, Abdo has admitted to planning an attack at Read more

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