Tag Archives: army

Comprehensive Soldier Fitness, from General Marshall

Chaplain (Maj) Bill Scritchfield, currently serving in Afghanistan, has an interesting perspective on the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, reaching all the way back to General Marshall:

Scritchfield…believes Gen. George Marshall explained the significance of Soldier spirituality best, “The Soldier’s heart, the Soldier’s spirit, the Soldier’s soul are everything. Unless the Soldier’s soul sustains him, he cannot be relied on and will fail himself and his country in the end.”

The context of the article is US Army SPC Turquoise Dawson, who volunteers as an usher at Bagram’s chapel services.  Her conscious decision to usher with a happy heart

illustrate[s] some of the behaviors and strategies that help one adapt and cope with challenges – behaviors and strategies Army officials hope to pass on to other soldiers.

Critics continue to imply an impending lawsuit over some portions of the Army’s CSF program.

Buddhist Chaplain Celebrates Vesak

As noted previously, Chaplain (Capt) Somya Malasri recently celebrated the Buddhist Vesak at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.  Chaplain Malasri is reportedly the only active duty Buddhist Chaplain in the US Army.  (Buddhist Chaplain (Lt) Thomas Dyer is in the Army National Guard.)

Like Chaplains of other faiths, Malasri’s presence provides a unique support for members in the military of his faith:

Part of [Chaplain’s Malasri’s] service to others includes providing weekly Buddhist services on base. Spc. Lawrence Ross…attends regularly.
 
“(It gives me) a sense of belonging, where a group can connect without any animosity of judging,” he said.
 
Ross, who became a Buddhist in 2008, says that it has helped him become a better Soldier and that having a Buddhist presence on base helps people see another side of the Army.
 
“It’s not all about kicking down doors and killing people,” he said. “It’s all about helping people. Bottom line.”

Malasri has an interesting take on the apparent contradiction of a Buddhist Chaplain/Soldier — a religion stereotypically “peaceful.”  Read more

Military Atheist Festival at Fort Bragg Gets Funded

“Rock Beyond Belief,” the atheist counter-event to the Billy Graham Evangelical Association’s “Rock the Fort,” has apparently managed to obtain sufficient funding to proceed.  Prior statements seemed to indicate RBB would not back down from its “demand” that Fort Bragg give it money (even as the manufactured controversy “increased [their] funding“).  This continued even after Fort Bragg pointed out “Rock the Fort” was funded from the Christian collection plate, not by the US military. 

Apparently unable to solicit enough general interest from like-minded atheists,  Read more

General Mixon Retires, Reiterates Stance on DADT

US Army LtGen Benjamin Mixon, who was publicly dressed down by the Secretary of Defense when he encouraged members of the military to voice their concerns over the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” has retired.  Now he says the Obama administration is in a “rush to repeal” DADT that may actually be damaging to the military.

Perhaps more enlightening is his candor over the public statement he made, and the very public response by the Defense Secretary:  Read more

Georgian Military, US Marines Blessed before Afghan Deployment

The Republic of Georgia recently prepared to deploy a Light Infantry Battalion to Afghanistan in support of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

The fairly standard article on the deployment ceremony was accompanied by two interesting photos:

A chaplain from the Republic of Georgia’s 33rd Light Infantry Battalion anointed more than 800 Georgian soldiers at the conclusion Read more

Chaplain Ministers to Soldiers, Locals in Uganda

Chaplain (Capt) Andy Shepherd and his assistant, Sgt Desmond Manning, deployed to Uganda with the Georgia National Guard in support of ATLAS DROP 11.  While their primary purpose was to serve the spiritual and morale needs of the Soldiers in their unit,

Their job didn’t end at the edge of the Drop Zone, both Shepherd and Manning reached out to the surrounding communities.

The locals seemed to be keen on the American forces, and even more so on the Chaplain:

“The locals were really glad to see us, and that really just touched my heart,” said Shepherd. “That really just put a drive in me to go visit more people out in the community to let them know we’re here and that we care and as a chaplain — as a Christian — just to show the love of God and that I do care, that I am concerned.”

As a result, the Chaplain team’s ministry expanded:  Read more

US Army’s Gray Eagle Gets Hellfire

The US Army proudly announced its MQ-1C Gray Eagle had successfully employed a Hellfire missile in Iraq.

Of course, the Army’s Gray Eagle is essentially the same aircraft as the Air Force’s Predator, which has been armed for some time.

The article notes some of the differences between Air Force and Army operations:

The Air Force’s Predator drones are flown by officers who are usually located back in the USA and connected to the airframes by satellite link. But flying the Army’s Gray Eagle is an enlisted soldier’s affair, done in theater and close to the ground troops that the airframe serves.

US Army Teaches Evangelical Yoga

The Army Times notes the US Army’s “Soldier 360°” program aimed at “dealing with trauma and rebuilding relationships.”  The article clearly connects the program with Eastern “spirituality”:

An Army program has adopted some old Eastern practices to help allay modern post-combat stress…using holistic tactics, including yoga, acupuncture and meditation.

The program ushers noncommissioned officers and spouses through a six-phase, behavior-modifying process called “learn, do, practice, model, teach, and change,”

Interestingly, the program based on Eastern religions, taught by the Army, also has an ‘evangelical’ aspect, as the program Read more

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