Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi recently spoke to a group of 400 Chaplains and Chaplain Assistants at the National Guard Bureau’s 2011 Joint Chaplain Conference in Washington. She praised the Chaplains and lauded their roles in
The Chaplain Corps is one of the best tools to help fight the rise in military suicides, Pelosi said. Read more
The Iliff School of Theology in Denver has created a one year Master’s Degree to help current military Chaplains
assist service members suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Associated Press indicated the program was created for the Air Force. Chaplain (Maj) Abner Valenzuela, of the Air Force Office of the Chief of Chaplains, indicated the program was created to respond to “emerging needs.” Like much of a Chaplain’s training “measuring success” is “difficult,” but it is part of the continuing effort by the military to use all available resource to address the needs of its troops.
Or, as the case may be, Have Koran, or Vedas…
An Army news article notes the necessary travels of military Chaplains as they travel throughout the combat area in Afghanistan serving the religious and morale needs of those in their care. There have been a variety of other articles on “fob-hopping,” but this one included an interesting summary of the US military Chaplaincy:
The Chaplain’s Corps has been around since 1775. Following the creation of the infantry as a branch of the Army, the Read more
Kentucky Army National Guard Chaplain Pat Dolan was promoted to Brigadier General at the beginning of January. He will serve as the Army National Guard Assistant to the Army Chief of Chaplains, Chaplain (Major General) Douglas Carver. According to Army Public Affairs, he is the first Roman Catholic Priest to hold the position.
Chaplain (BrigGen) Dolan has been deployed to a variety of locations, including four times to Iraq.
Via the Army Chaplaincy blog.
US Army Chaplain (Col) Dennis Newton is chronicled in an Army article that covers his tour of duty at Fort Irwin, where he reinvigorated the local Christian community:
Chaplain Newton said the decision was made to change the 11 a.m. service to a contemporary praise service, known as ChapelNext. But in order to accommodate those who have different flavors of Protestant services, the gospel service was made healthy and a traditional hymn service was established.
“We jumped from 70 people in attendance to…190 in the first week,” he noted…
Overall, the average number of people attending religious services on any given Sunday at Fort Irwin now nears 1,000, he said.
Christian Soldiers weren’t the only ones who benefited from the Chaplain’s Read more
A local news channel interviewed interviewed US Army Chaplain (Col) Lance Kittleson as he described his role as a spiritual support for Soldiers:
As a chaplain in the army, [Kittleson is] the senior pastor and administrator of a military congregation of more than 5,000 soldiers at bases all over Iraq.
“My job is to make sure the commander is informed on religious implications of his mission as well as provide direct support to our soldiers: Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, whatever they may be,” Col. Kittleson said.
He says faith is very important during a time of war. Read more
As noted earlier this year, Rabbi Menachem Stern has been trying for some time to become a US military Chaplain, but has faced resistance over his orthodox appearance. He has apparently been unable to obtain a waiver for his beard.
He is now reportedly suing the Army for “denying him a commission” because of his religious tenets. His lawsuit specifically cites the recent waivers given to Sikhs — men who were not Chaplains — and a bearded Muslim intern Read more
An interesting article written by Chaplain (Capt) Robert Schobert of Goodfellow AFB, Texas, notes his study of the “wiki-holidays” occurring over the next few weeks.
The article includes the increasingly common appeal for care for those who may not feel very “joyful” this time of year, and focuses on the inherent inclusiveness of the military community.
Whether you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Pagan, Democrat or Republican, you are a vital part of this diverse community. And just like me, you are blessed to be a critical element of this unique American experience of living and working alongside others that are absolutely not just like you, but wish you joy and peace this time of year just the same.
While the article seems fairly current, it has actually been reprinted a few times over the past few years in nearly identical form.