A group of Soldiers at Fort Bliss, Texas, was busy with readiness training — but their chaplains were right there with them:
“In the Army we talk about readiness,” said Chaplain (Maj.) Doug Downs, 2/1 AD chaplain. “In all different ways, folks have to be ready. Spiritual readiness is just as important for soldiers who are getting ready to, or who will potentially go to war.”
The chaplains provided a variety of services Read more
The Huffington Post had a photo collection “celebrat[ing] the religious diversity of the military” on Veteran’s Day. Their list:
In line with a similar brief in September by the SgtMaj of the Army, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey recently told cadets at the US Air Force Academy that character is more important than competence:
The chairman said the importance of character sometimes takes a backseat to competence. This should be the other way around, he said.
“Character plus competence is Read more
A US Army article from Fort Carson, Colorado, discusses a marriage enrichment seminar led by the chaplaincy which emphasized the value the Army places on strengthening and protecting the marriages of its troops:
Chap. (Maj.) John Jensen, brigade chaplain, 3rd ABCT, said the purpose of the seminar was to help strengthen each couple’s marriage.
“These marriage seminars encourage Read more
Since the Supreme Court overturned a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act, many outlets have run news stories about homosexuals obtaining military benefits, some published by the military itself.
The US Army made a point of publishing a press release highlighting that “Same-sex spouses of Soldiers now receiving benefits.” It also reiterated the controversial “gay leave” policy:
Soldiers assigned to duty stations within Read more
In a fascinating case, the Conservative Baptist Association of America has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs, essentially alleging that a VA chaplaincy training program is intentionally preventing them from sending chaplains to VA and military medical centers:
The actions of the Secretary within the San Diego VA-DOD CPE Center establishing a secular, humanist and holistic religion which excludes mainstream Judeo-Christian beliefs discriminates against CBAmerica Chaplains, prevents them from practicing their religious beliefs, have forced them out of the program and will, if not corrected, prevent future CBAMERICA Chaplains from completing the program and practicing their faith in the health care facilities serviced by the program.
The VA-DOD CPE Center is responsible for preparing chaplains to serve in military and VA medical facilites around San Diego.
The lawsuit (PDF) relies on the experiences of two CBAmerica chaplains, Read more
The LA Times, repeated in the Stars and Stripes, reports that some homosexuals in the US military have complained they were denied access to the leave to which they were entitled.
The special leave — subsequently renamed an “administrative absence” — for homosexuals to travel to areas they can obtain a marriage license was ordered by the DoD to “level the playing field” with heterosexuals who, presumably, were allowed to marry in the immediate locale of a military facility.
While the repeal of DADT was previously described as a “non-event,” the LA Times now (dramatically) describes the military as struggling with the changes: Read more
Multiple reports now cover the manual for Department of Defense Equal Opportunity officers governing training at Patrick Air Force Base — and the implications it has racist content.
“Whites are the empowered group,” states the manual. “White males represent the haves as compared to the have-nots.”
FoxNews obtained the manual from an officer disturbed by its content, as it guides all EO throughout the military: Read more