A local article from the South Carolina paper The State, reprinted at Stars and Stripes, highlighted the Fort Jackson, SC, US Army Chaplain’s Museum.
The U.S. Army Chaplains Museum at Fort Jackson has artifacts dating back to the earliest days of the chaplain corps, which was founded by an act of the Continental Congress in 1775. George Washington appointed the first chaplains.
The article notes the museum is specifically seeking Read more
Congressman Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) published a lengthy and very strongly worded column that summed up what he called “Obama’s War on Religion in the Ranks.”
If Army chaplain Emil Kapaun served in Afghanistan today rather than Korea six decades ago, President Obama would probably give the Catholic priest discharge papers instead of the Congressional Medal of Honor.
ADVERTISEMENT
While the majority of US troops reportedly ascribe to some form of Christianity, Department of Defense press releases on the faiths of US troops might make some people think otherwise.
The vast majority of official US military press releases dealing with religion focus on one of two things: military chaplains or a religious holiday. It is not unusual for a DoD article to highlight a Chaplain’s support of Christmas or Ramadan, for instance, as the DoD did with US Army Chaplain (Maj) Dawud Agbere, who celebrated the Muslim holy month in Afghanistan with American and allied troops, as well as local nationals.
In general, though, there are very few articles that focus on an individual line soldier — and that individual person’s religious faith. When those articles do come out, they are almost exclusively about non-traditional minority faiths.
For example, the Army once wrote about SSgt Muna Nur, specifically focusing on her status as a “Muslim medic.”
The military has routinely highlighted Read more
Though the US Air Force once withdrew a short lesson on Just War theory under criticism, the concept itself remains both valid and required knowledge for members of the modern military.
As an ROTC instructor at Loyola Marymount University, US Air Force Major Patrick Reimnitz wrote a paper entitled “The Call to Arms: Christianity and the Just War Tradition,” to
help his students reconcile their moral beliefs with military service.
The topic was covered decades ago by LtGen William Harrison (and updated here), but Reimnitz’s piece goes into great detail with regard to Read more
Given the scandal over sexual assault in the US military right now, it may surprise some to learn that the DoD is defending its continued sale of pornography on military facilities.
Last month, Morality in Media wrote a letter to the Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel appealing to him to enforce the 1996 Military Honor and Decency Act, which prohibits the sale of sexually explicit material at DoD facilities.
As reported by MiM, the Assistant Secretary of Defense replied, saying the DoD had “previously reviewed” the magazines — and he then Read more
A Bagram-based Chaplain “travels the base” — including working alternating day/night weeks — to make sure every Airman is “spiritually fit.” Chaplain (Capt) Myung Cho and his Chaplain Assistant, Staff Sgt. Frank Rivas, constantly work the base and even provide nearly a dozen opportunities for worship: Read more
US Army Private Chris Munoz has reportedly filed an application to be a conscientious objector — just days before his unit ships out to Afghanistan. His lawyer, James Branum, said he’s actually been trying to do it since about halfway through basic training last year:
At weapons training, he really began to think about what he was being asked to do. He was told there could come a situation where he might be forced to fire on a child. He realized then he could not Read more
A chaplain deployed to Afghanistan has taken it upon himself to go above and beyond: he not only ministers to US and NATO troops, but also local Afghan troops:
[US Army Chaplain (Maj)] Dawud Agbere is the only active-duty Muslim U.S. Army chaplain in Afghanistan and one of just four in the Army. As such, he’s in high demand for holding services, counseling U.S. and NATO soldiers – Muslim and others – and overseeing chaplains in smaller units. But in the last few weeks, Agbere has created a new role for himself: a Muslim ambassador from NATO forces to the enlisted soldiers of the Afghan National Army.
The impact the chaplain can have on the local troops may be significant; Agbere’s commander even went so far as to call him their “secret weapon.”
The article is an interesting read. It also makes you wonder what the reaction would be if a Christian or Jewish chaplain similarly spoke with Afghan soldiers about his faith.
ADVERTISEMENT