Category Archives: Chaplain

US Army Chaplains Go Where It Sucks

A group of Army chaplains sat down with a local reporter and helped explain their role in the US military — a role that goes well beyond leading Sunday services.  Chaplain (LtCol) Paul Hurley was joined by five chaplains:

Major Moon Kim, a Presbyterian minister who serves as Deputy Division Chaplain; Maj. Clayton Gregory, a Church of God minister and Family Life Chaplain; Capt. Jared Vineyard, 4th Brigade Combat Team; Capt. Erik Alfsen, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, and Capt. William “Jeff” Sheets, 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion…

They talked about their service to the wounded and dying in Afghanistan and Iraq, some they knew personally.  In fact, the personal relationship with the troops was a focal point of their ministry: Read more

Military Faces Catholic Chaplain Shortage, and Surge

Chris Carroll at the Stars and Stripes notes the importance of Catholic chaplains to a large majority of the US military population — and yet the marked shortage of priests in the military as a whole.

Searching for bombs day in and day out, [US Army SPC Joe] Murphy needed the reassuring hand of his faith more than ever, but because of a worsening shortage of Catholic chaplains in Afghanistan and throughout the military, it had never been more difficult to practice it.

“The only time in Afghanistan I ever saw a priest was Read more

Chaplain on Combat and Eternity

The story of 1LT T.C. Houston has already been noted, but the eventual full article written by the reporter had an interesting anecdote not told the first time:

One soldier, a sniper, wrestled with his mission. Houston said the guardsman was struggling with the paradox of killing and eternity. Houston said he helped the soldier understand how God views this and how he can continue with his mission.

“According to the Bible, restoring peace is a righteous act in accordance with faith,” the chaplain explained.

While only a snippet of what was likely a much larger conversation, it is seems to be far better than the answer to the similar question raised in Faith of the American Soldier, originally discussed here.

There are moral wounds in war, even apart from an individual’s religious beliefs.  Fortunately, the military recognizes that potential and supports both chaplains and other means to try to address that sacrifice by its servicemembers.

Via ArmyChaplaincy.com.

Article: Religious Leadership Merges with Marine Corps Values

US Navy sailors with the religious ministry teams of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group were instructed in Marine Corps leadership traits and principles in a recent professional education course.  (The Marine Corps uses the Navy chaplaincy program.) 

One class was taught by Sgt. Maj. Herbert W. Wrench, the 2nd Marine Logistics Group sergeant major, one of the senior leaders within the group.

The training was primarily an overview of how the Marines work in comparison to the Navy, something the SgtMaj says few sailors take the time to understand.  By taking the time, the members of the religious support teams increased their ability to minister to the Marines they will serve.

US Military Chaplain Reaches out in Faith Exchange

Chaplains protect the religious liberties of US military servicemembers, but as noted here often, they also support the strategic objectives of the US military mission.

A Chaplain at the transit center in Manas, Kyrgyzstan, did that very thing:

One of the four mission pillars of the Transit Center is to build relationships, and…Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Steven Thompson decided to reach out to his Kyrgyz Republic brethren.

He asked a few of the translators at the Transit Center if there was a Baptist church in town…So one Sunday, Thompson, Master Sgt. James Iaun, the superintendent of chapel operations, and a translator showed up for a service.

The pastor of the church in Bishkek, Anton Berdnikov, asked the chaplain to return Read more

Military Chaplain Conference Discusses Effects of DADT Repeal

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary‘s Institute for Faith and the Public Square recently hosted an aptly named conference on chaplains in the US military:

Chaplaincy: Ministering in Caesar’s House

“There is a growing negative atmosphere toward evangelical Christianity,” said Lloyd Harsch, church history professor and institute director. “Under the guise of tolerance, everyone who holds a religiously informed position is now viewed as suspect because they’re [considered] intolerant.”

A panel specifically on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal included retired Chaplain (MajGen) Douglas Carver, former Army Chief of Chaplains.  Carver specifically noted Read more

US Chaplains Train Burundi Military on Combat Stress

US military chaplains from US Army Africa helped train chaplains of the Burundi Army on combat-related stress.

The first such USARAF-led seminar of its kind conducted in Africa, U.S. Army Africa Command Chaplain Col. Jonathon McGraw said the seminar showed Burundi chaplains and medical personnel how to help their leaders identify signs and symptoms associated with combat stress.

The US Army has struggled through more than 10 years of war to Read more

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