Category Archives: Chaplain

“New Role” For Military Chaplains?

A Canadian article notes the suggestion that military Chaplains might have a “new role” in future conflicts, directly contributing to the emergence of peace by engaging religious leaders in the AOR.

While the article speaks collectively of the “Canadian and US military” forces, the suggested “new” role for Chaplains has been an “old” one for some time in the US.  US military Chaplains have been engaging local leaders in Afghanistan and Iraq for years.

Some have dismissed the value of military Chaplains out of hand.  They fail to fully realize the extent of the impact of Chaplains on all aspects of the military’s role, including the achievement of victory.

Former DoD IG Warns on Chaplain Vetting

Former Department of Defense Inspector General Joseph Schmitz has reportedly written a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein (Chair of the Intelligence Committee) highlighting concerns with Chaplain-vetting in the US military.  He particularly emphasized the Islamic Society of North America and Louay Safi, whose direct role with the US military has been discussed here before.  (The investigation of Safi by NCIS was apparently handed to the Army, who dropped it because he was a civilian.)

Interestingly, this is not the first time this issue has been raised.  In fact, the Army’s report on the Fort Hood massacre made similar implications.

Via the Army Chaplaincy blog and FoxNews.

Chaplain Goetz Remembered by Colleagues

An article at the LA Times documents an interview with Christy Goetz, wife of Chaplain (Capt) Dale Goetz — the first Chaplain killed in combat since Vietnam.

Salient quotes:

His soldiers say the chaplain died doing what he loved — talking to them, praying with them, helping counsel them through long days and nights of fear and dread. He had been carrying CDs for them to record personal messages to their families.

“Chaplains don’t sit around the big bases waiting for Read more

Air Force Downsizing Chaplaincy

As noted several months ago, the Air Force has decided to reduce the size of its Chaplaincy.  It has apparently transitioned from voluntary separations to forced departures:

Chaplains of all denominations will be involuntarily separated through a selective early retirement board and reduction-in-force process. Roman Catholic priests, in shortest supply across the military, are eligible to leave only through early retirement.

The Air Force reportedly has 528 Chaplains today, and could see as few as 465 by September 2011.

Shortage of Catholic Chaplains draws Protestants, Contractors

The shortage of military Catholic Chaplains has been noted here repeatedly.  Now, military Archbishop Timothy Broglio has said the shortage is causing Catholic military personnel to seek help from Protestant Chaplains.

Because many in the armed services often face grave situations, [Broglio] said, questions about the meaning of life and the existence of God often surface.

“They are at great risk because there are not nearly enough priests to meet their needs,” he said. Read more

The Moral Wounds of War, Good and Evil

Chaplain (Cmdr) Gordon Ritchie addresses an infrequently discussed but increasingly important subject in today’s military:  the moral wounds of war.

In a time in which suicides are on the rise and the military is seeking moral leadership, something that often gets left out is the “moral injury” to those who must wage war at the call of their country.

The character of man recognizes, even if unconsciously, the incongruity of the value of life and the necessity of death in war.  Solace is found in knowing that one’s Read more

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