Tag Archives: army

Punished Chaplain Requests Accommodation, Gets Support

Below:

  • Jewish Endorser Backs Punished Christian Chaplain
  • Chaplain Lawhorn Requests Religious Accommodation
  • Commander Denies Request to Rescind Letter of Concern
  • Atheist Soldier Derides Christian Faith

Jewish Endorser Backs Punished Christian Chaplain

Yeshiva Pirchei Shoshanim, a Jewish endorsing agent for US military chaplains, has publicly backed US Army Chaplain (Capt) Joseph Lawhorn — a Christian chaplain punished for sharing his personal story of how faith enabled him to weather depression [emphasis added]:

[YPS] believe[s] the Letter of Concern is inappropriate and will have negative consequences on all military chaplains…

YPS supports the right Read more

Military Commander Sues after being Fired for Violating Post-DADT Repeal

In a scandal surprisingly little-reported by the mainstream press, a US Army aviator and commander was fired, reprimanded, forced to meet a retention board, and now faces a forced retirement — because he intervened when two uniformed officers participated in a “full blown make out session” on the dance floor during a unit formal ball.

The two officers were homosexual.

He has now filed a lawsuit saying but for that fact, the commander would not be facing the end of his career.

Two years ago, LtCol Christopher Downey intervened when he was notified that two female officers on the dance floor were acting inappropriately — and they were becoming the focus of an increasing number of cameras and cell phones.  (The behavior was described several ways, including “French kissing,” “grabbing each other’s butts,” and a “full-blown make out session.”)  Having just returned from commanding the unit in Afghanistan, where Read more

Army: Chaplain’s LOC Not Punishment

Update: Chaplain Lawhorn’s attorney responds to the Army characterization here, and Chaplain Lawhorn says

As is the case with every endeavor or circumstance in my life, my ultimate intention will be to bring honor to God. To that end, I will be praying and pursuing as this case and these circumstances continue to evolve.

The Army responded to the outcry over the story of US Army Chaplain (Capt) Joe Lawhorn being punished for sharing his personal story of battling with depression by saying he wasn’t, in fact, punished:

Maj. Gen. Scott Miller, commanding general of the Maneuver Center of Excellence, [said] in a statement on Friday: “A local letter of concern is not punishment. Rather, it is an administrative counseling tool, with no long-term consequences.”

So the Army is saying that an officer was ordered to report in to his boss’s boss, was told he was violating US Army regulations, and was told his personnel record would reflect this adverse response — but he wasn’t being punished?

Whether it is “punishment” within the military lexicon is ultimately irrelevant. The Army officially responded negatively to a chaplain only because an atheist complained that the chaplain said something religious — even when there was nothing wrong with him saying something religious. The chaplain’s lawyer maintains the official negative response is inconsistent with military regulations and the US Constitution — charges to which the Army has not yet responded.

The chaplain’s ecclesiastical endorser has likewise asked the commander to rescind the letter.

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Former Ranger: Military now a “Social Experiment”

Chuck Holton, a former Army Ranger and author of A More Elite Soldier, in a recent interview:

“The military is being turned into this great social experiment and they’re not being allowed to go out and accomplish their mission – which is to defeat the enemy,” he said.

“Now they’re being told, ‘You have to defeat the enemy, but you have to do it without actually offending them,'” he said.

More at CBN News.

Read more

Army Punishes Chaplain for Mentioning Faith

Update: Chaplain Lawhorn’s initial LOC is now available, and, as reported, it hinges entirely on (subsequently rescinded) violations of two regulations — and this interesting justification:

As a result, an individual in attendance wrote an article about the event on http://militaryatheists.org.

It would be interesting to see the Army cite a regulation that supports action against a Soldier because “a person wrote an accusation on the internet…”

Update: Now covered at the Army Times, the Christian Post, the Gospel Herald, the Daily Caller, and Opposing Views.  Atheist Jason Torpy responded to the “evangelical backlash” over his accusations against the Army.

The Liberty Institute is now representing a chaplain who was punished by the US Army for mentioning his faith during a unit training day:

On November 20, 2014, Chaplain Lawhorn conducted suicide prevention training [in which he] discussed his own personal struggles and how he used the Bible to successfully combat his depression. One of the soldiers in attendance complained to an atheist group about Chaplain Lawhorn’s presentation. In response…Colonel David G. Fivecoat, issued Chaplain Lawhorn a Letter of Concern alleging that Chaplain Lawhorn “advocated for…Christianity and used Christian scripture and solutions” and therefore violated Army regulations.

The complaint was shepherded by atheist and former Army Captain Jason Torpy, who published the complaint online 24 hours after the event — meaning it was public even before the Army had a chance to respond.  The Army may also have been influenced by the publication of the “scandal.”

In a seeming admission the commander might have gone too far, Col Fivecoat apparently called Army Chaplain (Capt) Joseph Lawhorn back Read more

Wheaton ROTC Under Review for Christian Requirement

Wheaton College — an unabashedly Christian university — has had an ROTC program since a few years after the close of World War II. Wheaton requires its faculty to be of the Christian faith, a requirement also levied upon its ROTC instructor, as the instructor is considered to be a member of the Wheaton faculty (though they are paid by the US military, not the school).

When the position of ROTC instructor was recently advertised among Army officers, the “must be of Christian faith” requirement caught the attention of a Soldier who pointed it out to Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s MRFF.  Weinstein was typically unmoved [emphasis added]:

Wheaton and its fundamentalist Christian ROTC unit are to the United States Constitution what a dog with a full bladder Read more

Sikh Denied ROTC Files Lawsuit

The ACLU has filed a lawsuit against the US Army on behalf of Sikh Hofstra University student Iknoor Singh, who was denied entry into ROTC because he would not comply with Army grooming standards that conflict with his religious beliefs.

From the filing (PDF):

When Mr. Singh asked for a religious exemption from these rules…, Defendants denied his request, despite approving similar religious and medical accommodations for other uniformed Army personnel in recent years.

Mr. Singh is now left with an untenable choice: Enlist as an ROTC Cadet and abandon the sacred religious practices that he has followed his entire life, or forfeit his dreams of joining ROTC–along with Read more

Chaplain Serves Faithful in Afghanistan

A US Army news article highlights Chaplain (Capt) Edgardo Rivas, a Seventh Day Adventist chaplain currently serving in Afghanistan:

The U.S. Army chaplains corps motto is “pro deo et patria,” which translates “For God and Country,” and points to their dual role as mentioned in their mission statement…

“There was one particular Soldier that came to my service, whom was a Seventh-day Adventist before,” said Rivas. “After the service, he approached me and told me that it was time for him to Read more

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