Dover Air Force Base recently erected a sculpture in the meditation garden of the Center for the Families of the Fallen:
The bronze sculpture depicting a guardian angel holding and protecting a wounded soldier will sit in the meditation garden Read more
US Army Private Chris Munoz has reportedly filed an application to be a conscientious objector — just days before his unit ships out to Afghanistan. His lawyer, James Branum, said he’s actually been trying to do it since about halfway through basic training last year:
At weapons training, he really began to think about what he was being asked to do. He was told there could come a situation where he might be forced to fire on a child. He realized then he could not Read more
The US Marine Corps permitted its members to wear their uniforms in the San Diego homosexual “pride” parade.
As noted at the Air Force Times,
According to the Pentagon, an estimated 5,600 active-duty troops and 3,400 National Guard and Reserve members are in same-sex marriages and relationships.
Notably, in the run-up to DADT repeal, the Department of Defense had repeatedly said it would not attempt to quantify the sexuality of US troops. From the Support Plan for Implementation
The Department of Defense and the Services should continue their policy against requesting, collecting, or maintaining information about the sexual orientation of Service members.
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Michael Weinstein has threatened to file a lawsuit if Congress passes the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act with the religious liberty amendment intact.
Weinstein said that he would immediately sue if the amendment passes, calling it “completely unconstitutional.”
No one need worry. It seems every time you turn around Weinstein is threatening to sue someone. (For a short list, web search “Mikey Weinstein tell it to the judge.”) Weinstein followed through on his threats against the US military only four times (and lost every time). He then promised to appeal (“Technicality!” he cried)… and he then did nothing. He appears to know that saying “I’ll sue” will get him quoted in the press, which is all he really wants.
As an aside, it is somewhat entertaining to see how the Religion News Service described Weinstein: Read more
Wisconsin Army National Guard state command chaplain, Chaplain (Col) Douglas Fleischfresser, recently welcomed 1LT Christopher Mohr to the Guard as Wisconsin’s first (and only) Buddhist chaplain.
“I think it speaks for where we’re going in diversity and the need to have a diverse viewpoint in spirituality,” said Fleischfresser…
During his first two-weeks Read more
Religion News Service’s Kimberly Winston* writes about Jason Heap, a humanist trying to become a chaplain in the US military.
Heap’s goal is not assured. He fits the requirements…The only thing he does not have is an endorsement from a religious organization approved by the Navy.
And there’s the rub: Heap is a Humanist…The Humanist Society — like all organizations that represent nonbelievers — is not among the Department of Defense’s list of approximately 200 groups allowed to endorse chaplains.
Ultimately, the article does little more than try to keep the concept of “atheist chaplains” (which have been discussed ad nauseum) in the media, and it says little new.
On the other hand, the article does include a fascinating response from DoD spokesman LtCmdr Nate Christensen on “why there are no nonbelievers Read more
Even while in training, US Marines from MCAS Iwakuni were able to worship with fellow believers as their chaplain decided to “Preach on the Beach:”
Marines are alike in many ways, but not all worship in the same way, however all are welcome to attend “Preach on the Beach.”
“Catholic, Jewish, Muslim or whatever it is, Read more
A chaplain deployed to Afghanistan has taken it upon himself to go above and beyond: he not only ministers to US and NATO troops, but also local Afghan troops:
[US Army Chaplain (Maj)] Dawud Agbere is the only active-duty Muslim U.S. Army chaplain in Afghanistan and one of just four in the Army. As such, he’s in high demand for holding services, counseling U.S. and NATO soldiers – Muslim and others – and overseeing chaplains in smaller units. But in the last few weeks, Agbere has created a new role for himself: a Muslim ambassador from NATO forces to the enlisted soldiers of the Afghan National Army.
The impact the chaplain can have on the local troops may be significant; Agbere’s commander even went so far as to call him their “secret weapon.”
The article is an interesting read. It also makes you wonder what the reaction would be if a Christian or Jewish chaplain similarly spoke with Afghan soldiers about his faith.
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