The US Army has made a concerted effort to support the “whole Soldier” concept with its Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program. These programs have targeted the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being of American servicemembers.
Chaplains in Afghanistan have been vital to that cause in many respects: Read more
Chaplain (Cmdr) Gordon Ritchie addresses an infrequently discussed but increasingly important subject in today’s military: the moral wounds of war.
In a time in which suicides are on the rise and the military is seeking moral leadership, something that often gets left out is the “moral injury” to those who must wage war at the call of their country.
The character of man recognizes, even if unconsciously, the incongruity of the value of life and the necessity of death in war. Solace is found in knowing that one’s Read more
An effort by local businesses and military leaders has garnered the sprawling Fort Campbell military facility the finances it requires to build a new chapel. A group of 55 local business leaders and public officials
explained to lawmakers that at that time, Fort Campbell was at only 31 percent of the military requirement for chapels. The existing chapels — aging World War II-era “temporary” structures — often had inadequate capacity for Eagle Remembrance ceremonies to honor fallen comrades.
The large facility will allow assemblies of over 1,200 and provide space for a variety of religious services. The local paper editorializes: Read more
In 2008 the NFL did a short special on the inspiration of the military fly-by at the end of the pre-game National Anthem.
For those that sometimes don’t understand the impact a simple act might have, the video is moving.
The video can be seen at the NFL. For a point of comparison, previously, a conspiracy theory group has complained that US military flyovers of NASCAR are endorsing a world takeover.
Originally noted at FighterPilotUniversity.
The Fort Bragg Freedom Festival, the atheist response to the evangelistic Rock the Fort, has previously been discussed. How, precisely, it will be executed appears to have gotten…complicated.
For one thing, the “Freedom Festival” Facebook page now says it is (emphatically) “no longer associated” with its own website: Read more
A lengthy but interesting article by US Marine Lt Sam Jacobson covers his experience as a Jew in the Marine Corps, from his drill instructor asking if he needed kosher meals to the US military flying “interested Jews” to special religious services while fighting in Iraq. At points he describes a “generous mood of religious accommodation” and even the presence of a “no preference” room during a time dedicated for religious services.
Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of Jacobson’s story is the theme he reveals of how gruff military members sometimes deal with the increasingly “sensitive” subject of religion.
He gets ‘scolded’ for sleeping during the time dedicated for religious exercise, but admits sleeping was a closely controlled exercise in training: Read more
Military Archbishop Timothy Broglio has previously expressed his opposition to the repeal of the policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” In a recent article, however, he articulated his opposition not strictly on religious grounds, but on Constitutional ones:
The archbishop explained that while individuals may have a legal right to declare their sexual preferences, they have no comparable “right” to serve in the military at the same time.
Rather, he said, the military reserves to itself the right to deny individuals that privilege — just as soldiers may forfeit the privilege of military service in many other ways, through their speech and behavior. Read more
Astronaut and US Army Col Doug Wheelock has become the first US Army commander of the International Space Station. Wheelock is a former Army test pilot, and he is also a Christian.
“The most important thing is to put your faith and trust in God and to keep your life in the center of His will,” Wheelock said. “When you do that, everything else tends to work out.”
He previously spoke to students at Oklahoma Christian University from space.