{"id":35685,"date":"2016-08-08T00:30:43","date_gmt":"2016-08-08T03:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/?p=35685"},"modified":"2016-11-24T21:10:53","modified_gmt":"2016-11-25T00:10:53","slug":"deployed-chapels-and-chaplains-a-beacon-of-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/08\/deployed-chapels-and-chaplains-a-beacon-of-light\/","title":{"rendered":"Deployed Chapels and Chaplains a Beacon of Light"},"content":{"rendered":"

An article<\/a> from the Iowa Army National Guard described the value of the US military providing religious support for its troops:<\/p>\n

A single, unassuming shelter stands out. On the surface, it looks just like the rest, except for one small detail \u2013 a small, navy blue flag, with a single white cross in the center.<\/p>\n

Many Soldiers walk by this tent without a second thought. However, to a Soldier of faith, it\u2019s a beacon of light in an otherwise dreary environment.<\/p>\n

This flag is a cue to Soldiers of Task Force Ironman, Iowa Army National Guard that they have a place to practice their religion. Even in this unforgiving terrain, far from home, they\u2019re offered a reminder they\u2019re not alone.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Chapels and chaplains have occasionally been criticized by some for bringing religion to troops downrange — even in combat. What those critics frequently fail to realize is the troops want<\/em> that religious support, and they have a right<\/em> to exercise their faith. So while a militant atheist may object to a tent sporting the chapel flag — or consider a cross in a combat area to be “flaunting” in the face of Islam<\/a>, as Chris Rodda once farcically claimed — the troops find it a “beacon of light”, and a “reminder they’re not alone.”<\/p>\n

And in the world of combat deployments, family separations, and life-and-death struggles, that is certainly a good thing.<\/p>\n

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