On October 22nd Pope Benedict XVI addressed military chaplains in Rome for a conference.
“The military life of a Christian must, in fact, be seen in the light of the first and greatest of the Commandments, that of love for God and for neighbor, because Christians in the military are called to create a fusion Read more
Senior Airman John Harris is a Messianic Jew who was deployed to the Middle East, but he still wanted to celebrate Sukkot. With the help of the deployed chaplains, including a Rabbi at a completely different base, he was able to get the support he needed.
“I spoke with the Chapel staff here and they put me in contact with a rabbi at (Joint Base Balad),” said Harris…
“It has been an unexpected joy for me to be able to Read more
US Army Chaplain (1stLt) Thomas McNeill Bulla was serving in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France in October 1918. He was struck by enemy fire while helping tend to wounded Soldiers, evacuated to a field hospital, and died two days later. The State of Virginia is awarding him the state’s highest honor:
Bulla never received any recognition by the Army Read more
The National Catholic Register ran a piece on military chaplains entitled “Profiles in Courage: Military Chaplains,” documenting the roles and experiences of Catholic chaplains in the US military. While it noted the typical shortage, it also highlighted a surge of new volunteers:
The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA reported a sharp jump this year in the number of seminarians interested in serving as military chaplains. As the 2011-2012 academic year begins, there are 31 military-affiliated seminarians nationwide, up from three just three years ago.
The article also profiled four military chaplains Read more
Members of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade paid a visit to the Gentle Hands Orphanage during a Marine exercise in the Philippines.
Gentle Hands, a Christian child and youth welfare agency, provides shelter and care to children ranging in ages from birth to high school.
The orphanage is currently home to 50 people.
The Marines helped with heavy lifting, moving Read more
The US Air Force Academy explains in a lengthy article discussions from earlier this month on the effects of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, on Academy policies.
On the panel were Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Adis Vila, Academy Chaplain (Col.) Robert Bruno, judge advocate officer Lt. Col. Karen Rhone and Col. Gary Packard, who led the team that drafted the Defense Department’s plan to implement the repeal of DADT.
The discussion lasted for more than an hour and covered a wide swath of topics, ranging from who could be married at the Cadet Chapel and who could conduct the ceremony to the courses of action available to those who had a deep-seated moral objection to serving alongside gays or lesbians.
The summary hits on several topics, including marriage in military chapels. As predicted, Col Packard highlights the ability of homosexuals to be “married” Read more
As predictable as the sun rising in the East, the US Air Force Academy sent out an announcement that had a topic related to religion, and Michael Weinstein complained.
In fact, he’s “livid.”
The situation: Apparently, Air Force Academy Chaplain (Col) Robert Bruno distributed a mass email about an upcoming ‘marriage and family seminar.’ The email was approved by the Vice Superintendent, and represented the “regularly” advertised chaplaincy programs occurring daily at USAFA. Michael Weinstein said:
It could not possibly be clearer that the academy deserves its terrible reputation for fundamentalist Christian bias.
To be clear, even the publicized article notes the USAFA email explicitly followed (and even referenced) the Air Force Chief of Staff’s Read more
As noted last week, Arlington National Cemetery’s Jewish Chaplains’ Memorial was added to Chaplains’ Hill and dedicated yesterday. Despite the claims of some military atheists, speakers at the event noted there are chaplains on the front lines of America’s battles, serving the troops who serve their country:
“The 14 men we honor today were rabbis in uniform,” said Maj. Gen. Cecil Richardson, the Air Force chief of chaplains. “These men did much more than preach sermons. … They walked where warriors walked, and that is what made them military chaplains. Read more