Category Archives: Chaplain

Jewish Arlington Memorial Sees Movement

The plan to raise a memorial to Jewish US military Chaplains killed in combat — to accompany the memorials already in place for Protestant and Catholic Chaplains — received a boost when the US Senate passed a resolution honoring their service.

The US House was poised to pass the necessary legislation to approve the memorial last week.  The legislation would also eliminate the currently required Congressional approval that has delayed the Jewish memorial for several years.

Via ArmyChaplaincy.com and also at ReligionClause.

Chaplain Works for Religious Unity in Army

US Army Chaplain (Col) Mike Lembke, having returned from his third tour in Iraq, recently spoke to the 19th annual Four Chaplains Prayer Breakfast in York, Pennsylvania.  The local article notes Chaplain Lembke has “emphasized religious unity throughout his career.”

Throughout his career he’s found his main emphasis is to create religious acceptance within units. Lembke said he’s work alongside Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist chaplains – each caring for soldiers’ needs and working together for unity.  Read more

Buddhist Chaplain Celebrates Vesak

As noted previously, Chaplain (Capt) Somya Malasri recently celebrated the Buddhist Vesak at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.  Chaplain Malasri is reportedly the only active duty Buddhist Chaplain in the US Army.  (Buddhist Chaplain (Lt) Thomas Dyer is in the Army National Guard.)

Like Chaplains of other faiths, Malasri’s presence provides a unique support for members in the military of his faith:

Part of [Chaplain’s Malasri’s] service to others includes providing weekly Buddhist services on base. Spc. Lawrence Ross…attends regularly.
 
“(It gives me) a sense of belonging, where a group can connect without any animosity of judging,” he said.
 
Ross, who became a Buddhist in 2008, says that it has helped him become a better Soldier and that having a Buddhist presence on base helps people see another side of the Army.
 
“It’s not all about kicking down doors and killing people,” he said. “It’s all about helping people. Bottom line.”

Malasri has an interesting take on the apparent contradiction of a Buddhist Chaplain/Soldier — a religion stereotypically “peaceful.”  Read more

Chaplain Recalls Impact of Suicide Attack, Impact of His Ministry

US Army Chaplain (Capt) Vincent Hardy was stationed at Bagram, Afghanistan, when a suicide bomber struck a FOB of his unit in mid-April, killing 6 Soldiers.  In the Army Times reprint of The Leaf-Chronicle article, Hardy remembers the fallen he knew so well:

Five of the six soldiers killed were from Hardy’s battalion, the 101st Special Troops Battalion. He knew them all and interacted with them regularly…

Two of the Soldiers obviously depended strongly on the Chaplain for their spiritual support:

Sgt. 1st Class Charles Adkins, described by Hardy as a “man of God,” stayed right next to him in the barracks at Gamberi.

He recalled Sgt. Linda Pierre as an especially devout Read more

Chaplain Ministers to Soldiers, Locals in Uganda

Chaplain (Capt) Andy Shepherd and his assistant, Sgt Desmond Manning, deployed to Uganda with the Georgia National Guard in support of ATLAS DROP 11.  While their primary purpose was to serve the spiritual and morale needs of the Soldiers in their unit,

Their job didn’t end at the edge of the Drop Zone, both Shepherd and Manning reached out to the surrounding communities.

The locals seemed to be keen on the American forces, and even more so on the Chaplain:

“The locals were really glad to see us, and that really just touched my heart,” said Shepherd. “That really just put a drive in me to go visit more people out in the community to let them know we’re here and that we care and as a chaplain — as a Christian — just to show the love of God and that I do care, that I am concerned.”

As a result, the Chaplain team’s ministry expanded:  Read more

Military Atheists Want to Join Chaplaincy?

The New York Times has an interesting article titled “Atheists Seek Chaplain Role in the Military.”

Strange as it sounds, groups representing atheists and secular humanists are pushing for the appointment of one of their own to the chaplaincy, hoping to give voice to what they say is a large — and largely underground — population of nonbelievers in the military.

The ironic part is atheists have previously implied Chaplains’ “secular” roles are better filled by people such as psychologists and behavioral health experts — leaving Chaplains to purely “religious” endeavors.

The atheists apparently want an advocate for their organized beliefs, which just sounds strange to say.  But Jason Torpy of the MAAF says exactly that:  Read more

Military Chaplains Serve, Even at Home

Most people can understand the need for military Chaplains when they think of Soldiers deployed to a combat zone, separated from their spiritual resources.  A North Dakota National Guard unit, activated to help fight local flooding, demonstrated the need for Chaplains even locally:

Because the guardsmen have been activated for an emergency, it can be hard to find times to hold church services and gatherings. Guardsmen work 12-hour shifts, so many simply don’t have the energy for extra activities.

To make up for this, chaplains deliver daily devotionals Read more

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