In September the US Army in Camp Buehring, Kuwait, provided an opportunity for Soldiers to encourage their spiritual strength in a Spiritual Fitness Breakfast.
Soldiers deployed to Camp Buehring, Kuwait, attended a Spiritual Fitness Breakfast Saturday at the main dining facility to strengthen Read more
Jason Torpy, the former Army soldier and atheist vicariously offended when he saw the Camp Pendleton cross on the internet, may have another target.
As noted previously, crosses are used frequently in US military memorials around the world. Torpy has already demanded that the Argonne Cross be removed from Arlington National Cemetery, and that the US Marine Corps remove locally raised crosses on Camp Pendleton — something he only knew about because he read a local (positive) news article.
Now, another memorial may face the same atheist anger. Four US Army Ranger trainees lost their lives in a training incident nearly 20 years ago, and their fellow soldiers remember them:
On Feb. 16, 1995, four young men training to become a part of the elite military force died of hypothermia after a river rose rapidly and flooded a swamp they were training in during a mission.
A modest wooden cross marks the spot…
Photo credit: DEVON RAVINE \ Daily News
Rangers make an annual trek to the location: Read more
In the words of an official US Army news article, a military chaplain “spreads his faith” during his deployment to Kuwait:
When [Chaplain (1LT) David] Frommer is not directing services, the Yale University graduate with Third Army/ARCENT’s assistance has been able to administer religious support to Soldiers throughout Kuwait and Afghanistan, as well as have service members transported to Camp Arifjan for spiritual guidance.
Chaplain Frommer is described as the US Army’s first “cantor,” Read more
Despite Chris Rodda’s claim that highlighting the US military’s support for all of its troops — including atheists — is somehow bad, Jason Torpy of the one-man Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers recently praised Fort Bragg for doing just that:
Ft Bragg chaplains showed openness to nontheists in allowing the [Niose] event at Watters Family Life Center on Ft Bragg. This is a positive step forward, showing openness from the chaplaincy and community-building by the local humanist community.
While it undermines the MRFF narrative that the US military is a coercive Christian complex, it remains true that the military supports all of its servicemembers, without regard to religious belief, to the extent the mission and resources allow.
Unfortunately, Torpy went beyond that topic and attempted Read more
NBC recently updated the controversy of Bible references being inscribed on the side of Trijicon’s ACOG weapon sites sold to the US military (as well as other nations).
Nearly three years later — despite the military’s assertion that is making “good progress” — the code remains on many rifles deploying to Afghanistan…
For those unfamiliar with the original story, Trijicon makes industry-leading sights for weapons and has sold them by the hundreds of thousands to the military. (They’ve reportedly increased marksmanship in the Army.) On the side of the scope, the identification number is followed by an abbreviation that refers to a Bible verse.
As is Trijicon tradition, every verse makes some reference to “light,” as their sights use a form of ‘light enhancing’ technology.
Michael Weinstein complained in 2010 Read more
US Army Chief of Chaplains MajGen Donald Rutherford recently noted that “relationship problems are a leading cause of suicides,” something previously noted here. As a result:
As part of a push to prevent suicides, Army chaplains want 50,000 Soldiers and additional family members to attend their “Strong Bonds” retreats over the next three months.
Strong Bonds has traditionally been understood to be a marriage enrichment retreat, but it has been altered to include another demographic: Read more
According to a press release, Army Sgt Justin Griffith received an “outstanding achievement award” at the Carolinas Secular Conference over the weekend for his work on Rock Beyond Belief, the Fort Bragg atheist festival that drew a few hundred people to the Army base in late March of this year:
Despite overwhelming odds, and many hurdles, Justin Griffith demonstrated that those of all faith, or none, have as true American right Read more
As part of Suicide Prevention month, the US Army’s 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, asked their troops ‘what they live for:’
What do you live for?