An interesting letter to the editor was written to the Stars and Stripes by a Staff Sergeant in Afghanistan:
“Run both sides of gay issue” was shocking for me as a Christian who reads and follows the Bible. Read more
The Military Times papers have now picked up on the previously noted story about Army Chaplain (Lt) Thomas Dyer, a former Marine and Baptist pastor who converted to Buddhism and joined the Army National Guard (as published in the Tennessean).
The most recent article did have some interesting (and sometimes controversial) comments. For example, despite the accusations that Chaplains can never evangelize, the article does provide the qualifier: Read more
US military Chaplains serve a variety of roles for the military members they serve. They are spiritual advisors, shoulders to lean on, and counselors for all matters.
To that end, the Army notes that Chaplains in Iraq have helped provide video conferencing, along with Chaplains on either end of the line, for soldiers looking for marriage counseling during their separation. Family stresses remain one of the top concerns for troops in the field, who are often in combat areas for a year or more.
Update: The Air Force has identified the crewmembers as Capt. Thomas J. Gramith, 27, of Eagan, Minn, and Capt. Mark R. McDowell, 26, of Charlotte, NC. Both were assigned to the 336th Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB.
According to various sources, a USAF F-15E has crashed in Afghanistan, and the two-man crew has been killed. The crash was reportedly not due to hostile fire.
Despite controversies over religion in the military and the sensitivities of troops talking about religion with locals, the US Army has actually assigned a young Captain to do that very thing.
According to a Wall Street Journal article, US Army Capt James Hill’s job is to
turn Islam into a weapon against the Taliban.
Though the Wall Street Journal emphasizes the Captain’s religion (the article is entitled “The Baptist and the Mullah Launch a Faith-Based Attack on the Taliban”), Read more
An Afghan military officer completed the US Air Force’s Aviation Leadership Program and was awarded his wings. Lt. Faiz Mohammed Ramaki was selected to attend the training last year. It appears Lt Ramaki finished the program by flying the T-6, rather than the T-38 or T-1 that USAF pilots fly. Lt Ramaki is said to be going to fly the C-27 Spartan for the Afghan Air Force.
Traditionally, Space Shuttle crews in orbit receive a musical “wake up call” at the end of their “sleep cycle” (“night” occurs every 90 minutes or so). From the NASA website:
Wakeup calls are a long-standing tradition of the NASA program. Each day during the mission, flight controllers in the Mission Control Center will greet the crew with an appropriate musical interlude.
Apparently, the music is chosen based on requests by the crew or their families. This morning, the Atlantis crew awoke to “God of Wonders,” as performed by members of Third Day and Caedmon’s Call on the City on a Hill album, for astronaut Michael Good. This morning’s transmission can be heard on NASA’s site. After the song was played, Astronaut Mike Good said he looked forward to a productive day that would “bring glory to the Lord of all creation.” From the transmission Read more
As previously discussed, the US military has said it destroyed the local language Bibles mailed into Afghanistan by a church in the United States. Dr. Carl Moeller of Open Doors USA, which has ministries focused on delivering Bibles and support for persecuted Christians, called the destruction a waste that was “beyond necessity.”
There’s certainly many organizations that could put them to good use…I don’t think it had to go to the degree that they took it. I think it sets a very bad picture of the U.S. military’s perspective on Christianity, and frankly that troubles me.
CNN also covered the story (video). In the end, the military’s decision Read more