Category Archives: Chaplain

Chaplains Serve Around the World, and at Home

The US military chaplaincy has sometimes been criticized for existing while troops are stationed in the United States.  After all, can’t troops just go off base to one of the hundreds of local churches?

In an official military article entitled “Iron Brigade Keeps the Faith,” the service of Chaplain (Capt) Christopher Adunchezor demonstrated one reason why chaplains are necessary wherever US troops are deployed:

“It is my duty as a chaplain to serve soldiers in the field, or wherever they may be, and to restore their faith and to deliver the message of God,” said Adunchezor…  Read more

Family Life Chaplains Train to Save Lives

A Fort Hood press release notes the training program for Army chaplains in marriage and family counseling.  In a trait few seem to realize, the chaplains who attend the program are not only specially trained in counseling, they also get a degree in the process:

“Our primary mission is to train Army chaplains in marriage and family counseling,” said Chap. [LtCol] Mark Knox, director of the FLCTC… “[Chaplains] go to school and get an additional degree over at Texas A&M in Counseling Psychology. And then we provide Read more

Seabees Help Chaplain Support Religious Freedom

Chaplain (LtCmdr) Neal Kreisler traveled with some unique kit to support the spiritual fitness of the troops he served, but not all the pieces made the transit.  So he got a little help.  Kreisler

brought a kosher Sukkah, or a small dwelling used outside the home during the holiday, that those practicing Judaism believe represents the Clouds of Glory by which the Israelites were protected after their exodus from Egypt…

While in transit, a piece of the Sukkah was lost and Rabbi Read more

Chaplain Promotes Comprehensive Fitness in Afghanistan

US Army Chaplain (Capt) Randy Loux is a Fort Bragg-based Soldier currently deployed to Afghanistan to exercise his specialty in “spiritual strength.”

“Whether back in garrison at Fort Bragg, N.C., or in a combat zone in Afghanistan, spiritual fitness should be the no. 1 priority because when a soldier is first and foremost ‘spiritually fit,’ then all the others will naturally fall in place,” said Loux.

He accurately notes something that escapes some who oppose religious freedom in the military:  Read more

Army Chaplain Spreads Faith in Kuwait

In the words of an official US Army news article, a military chaplain “spreads his faith” during his deployment to Kuwait:

When [Chaplain (1LT) David] Frommer is not directing services, the Yale University graduate with Third Army/ARCENT’s assistance has been able to administer religious support to Soldiers throughout Kuwait and Afghanistan, as well as have service members transported to Camp Arifjan for spiritual guidance.

Chaplain Frommer is described as the US Army’s first “cantor,” Read more

Army Chaplains Emphasize Strong Bonds Against Suicide

US Army Chief of Chaplains MajGen Donald Rutherford recently noted that “relationship problems are a leading cause of suicides,” something previously noted here.  As a result:

As part of a push to prevent suicides, Army chaplains want 50,000 Soldiers and additional family members to attend their “Strong Bonds” retreats over the next three months.

Strong Bonds has traditionally been understood to be a marriage enrichment retreat, but it has been altered to include another demographic:  Read more

Military Chaplains Serve, Suffer, Innovate

A few recent articles highlight the service of US military chaplains around the globe, doing far more than the stereotypical Sunday morning chapel service:

As the Army begins to open certain career fields to women, chaplains are affected:  The 101st Airborne just received its first female chaplain in Chaplain (Capt) Delana Small.  In so doing, she became a part of the “legendary Band of Brothers.”  Her assignment was a result of the Department of Defense “Women in the Service Review.”  The DoD article is full of praise for the new chaplain.

In Africa, US chaplains met with their military counterparts from nine East African nations for the “third annual…African Military Chaplain Conference” in Djibouti.

While Africa isn’t in the news too much, save a few isolated mentions, it is noteworthy that US military chaplains are engaging at the rate they have.

Another article covers the touching, yet surprising, story of the service of military chaplains at Arlington National Cemetery:

Led by senior chaplains Read more

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