Tag Archives: Afghanistan

British Chaplains Face Shortage, High Demand

Not unlike their Yankee counterparts, the British military is reporting difficulty in recruiting military Chaplains, despite an ever increasing demand due to the ongoing conflicts.

The Rev Stephen Sharkey was deployed to Afghanistan and described his support of the troops:

“I let the soldiers know I was there, sometimes they would seek me out. We talked about everything ‑ pastoral, financial, personal, relationship, grief and bereavement issues. I would talk to anyone, whether they were Christian or not.”

He said the majority of those he met were open to faith and spirituality. “Often they ask us to pray for them. They say it can’t do any harm. When they go out they don’t know if they will come back. When their friends go out, they don’t know if they’ll come back.”

The challenges of supporting the religious freedoms of military members–as well as the honorable drive to support those freedoms–are not limited to the American military.

MWR Facilities Removed from Afghanistan

As reported at the Air Force Times, Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) facilities are being removed from Afghanistan, consistent with General McChrystal’s previous guidance that the facilities–from Pizza Hut to new car sales–are detrimental to the warfighting spirit necessary for the expeditionary mindset:

“This is a war zone — not an amusement park,” [US Army Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Hall, the top U.S. enlisted man in Afghanistan] wrote.

(Yes, military members can purchase cars while deployed in combat areas, for delivery when they arrive home.  There are often special discounts and tax exemptions included in the deal, though that by no means guarantees a “steal.”)

Many facilities are exempt, as are some that are associated with other units.  The facilities affected by McChrystal’s order have 90 days to close.

Army Initiates Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program

The US Army’s master resilience training school will open on Fort Jackson in April.

The school is part of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, the Army’s latest attempt to train Soldiers not only for war, but also for life.  To that end, the CSF program describes “five dimensions of strength:”  Physical, Emotional, Social, Family, and Spiritual.

The Army apparently recognizes one of the most common displays of spiritual strength among its Soldiers: the poster for “spiritual strength” contains a photograph of uniformed and armed Army members praying in a circle.

US Army Graphic

US Army Graphic

Ironically, this public expression of spirituality is occasionally imperiled by critics who feel that the displays inappropriately connect the US military with religion (more specifically, Christianity).  For the time being, the military’s hypersensitivity to religious offense has not yet restricted public displays of Read more

Soldiers Work to Repair Ancient Church

According to the New York Times, St. Elijah’s Monastery was damaged during the initial fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom.  It was subsequently occupied by a US Army unit as a garrison:

The division then made the site a garrison and painted its emblem on the stucco above the low door to the monastery’s chapel. The insignia remained there until a chaplain contemplated the righteousness of having “Screaming Eagles” adorn a house of God.

“That’s not right,” the chaplain said, as the story goes.

The US Army unit now occupying St. Elijah’s now aims Read more

“Secret Bible Codes” on Military Weapons

The latest “breaking scandal” on religion and the military is nearly laughable.  In short:

  • Trijicon has a well-known reputation for building high quality weapons sights.
  • The US military contracted with them to buy their commercial rifle sights.
  • The company includes an abbreviated Bible reference in the model name on the sight.
  • ABC News reported that Michael Weinstein has called these “Jesus rifles.”

This “controversy” is so contrived as to be ridiculous.  However, if you’d like to read more, what follows is a cross-section of the comments made and the reasoning (or lack thereof) behind them.    Read more

NATO Denies Desecrating Koran…Again

A protest in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan was inspired by a claim that international troops “destroyed copies of the Koran.”  NATO said one person was killed–a sniper targeted by coalition forces–while Afghan officials reported six deaths.

As reported on al Jazeera,

Residents in Garmsir district of Helmand province on Tuesday said that Nato-led forces raided a house in the area on Sunday and destroyed copies of the holy book in a local mosque…  Read more

Christian Soldier: Greater Love Hath No Man than This

A touching local news article reports a father’s reaction to his son’s death in Afghanistan.  The father, J.D. Hickman, was a former military man himself.  Of his son, he said

“Jason was a man of faith, he was a Christian…Being former military, I can say if you’re going to die, there’s no better way of dying than dying for your country, for your people.”

The faith of these two men was important enough that it was a prominent part of a father’s intimate eulogy of his son.  His legacy was that of a man of faith, even as he served his country in the US military.

When asked if there’s anything else he’d like to share regarding his son, Hickman is quiet for a moment. Then his voice cracks, “John 15:13.”

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Nothing more needs to be said.

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