Tag Archives: Chaplain

Chaplains Support Troops Around the World

The Baptist Press notes that US military Chaplains aren’t just in Afghanistan and Iraq:

In the mountainous heart of Honduras, for example, where the four military branches work together in drug interdiction, Chaplain (Maj.) Dan Thompson and Chaplain (Capt.) Paul Cartmill serve some 500 soldiers who are part of Joint Task Force-Bravo located at Soto Cano Air Base near Comayagua.

Chaplains Thomas and Cartmill are still serving deployed servicemembers, though the “pace” for those troops might be a bit different than they’re used to in their combat Read more

Rock Beyond Belief Praises the Military Chaplaincy

Advocates for “Rock Beyond Belief,” the atheist counter-event to the Christian Rock the Fort, have previously taken advantage of opportunities to belittle Christianity and the Army — even when the Army was going out of its way to do exactly what they wanted.

However, a recent post at the Rock Beyond Belief blog may mark a significant change in tone.  Eschewing the normal martyrdom complex (save a hint in a sentence or two) and mockery of religion, the article instead praises US military Chaplains Read more

Military Chaplains Give Comfort, but Need it, Too

The New York Times carries an article on Chaplain (Maj) David Bowlus, a former armor officer and current Chaplain with the US Army.  Like many of the Soldiers he serves, Chaplain Bowlus has deployed eight times in the past 9 nears.

In those years, he has held syringes and gauze for a medic while praying the 23rd Psalm with a soldier shot during a raid in Mosul, Iraq. He has administered first aid and God’s word to the fighting men raked by rocket-propelled grenades when the Taliban ambushed their convoy. He has soothed grieving parents and overseen the loading of coffins for the long flight home.

Just like every other Soldier, though, the Chaplain experienced the cumulative effects of the weight of war.  Read more

Army Chaplains Minister to Thousands in Basic Training

An Army article notes the importance of the military Chaplaincy to basic trainees at Fort Jackson:

Each Friday night, the 187th Ordnance Battalion classroom is filled with coffee, cookies, Bibles and smiling Soldiers. This weekly Fortress Coffeehouse service is one of the many ways that chaplains appeal to the needs of Soldiers-in-training at Fort Jackson.

The efforts by the Chaplains certainly seem appreciated by the Soldiers in training:

Pvt. Joshua Soiffer, Company A, 187th Ordnance Battalion, said that coffeehouse time is a comforting way to end a hard week.

“This is my fourth week here and I come to get away from life in the barracks, to spend time with fellow Soldiers and folks who love Jesus.”

Like the religious support teams in many locations, Chaplain (Capt) Jerry Wagner and his team work with volunteers Read more

Marines Honor Fallen Jewish Heroes

Chaplain (COL) Jacob Goldstein and General Robert Magnus, USMC Retired, former Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, recently gathered with 50 Marines at the Jewish Center in Manhattan to honor fallen Jews in the US military service.

“In front of the Torah, we pay tribute to those who served our country,” said Rabbi Yosie Levine of the Jewish Center, in Manhattan, which hosted the May 30 Jewish Community Memorial Day Event, “An Appreciation of America’s Service Members.” With a U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard on the bimah, Levine told the guests: “Each Shabbat we pray and say todah [thank you]…May God bless America.”

General Magnus was a former helo pilot who carried the callsign “Heeb” for more than 30 years.

The Memorial Day event was steeped in Jewish ceremony Read more

Obama Appoints Homosexual Veteran to West Point Board

The Wall Street Journal noted President Barack Obama appointed openly homosexual Army veteran Brenda “Sue” Fulton to the US Military Academy (West Point) Advisory Board.

Fulton is USMA Class of 1980, the first West Point class to include women. She is also part of the Forum on the Military Chaplaincy, an activist organization toward DADT repeal.  Another member of the “forum,” retired Navy Chaplain (CAPT) John Gundlach, recently called military members’ religious opposition to repeal “bigotry.”

The WSJ notes her appointment puts  Read more

USS Enterprise Chaplain: “See God in Me”

Chaplain (LtCmdr) Fred Holcombe Jr is one of four Chaplains aboard the USS Enterprise, the US Navy’s oldest and most storied nuclear aircraft carrier.  An article at the Baptist Press notes the unique nature of ministry at sea:

“The old saying on a ship is that every day is Monday except Sunday,” Holcombe said. “On Sundays, we obviously have church. In fact, we have many, many different services go on each Sunday.”

The majority of Holcombe’s time is spent in his primary ministry — Read more

Senator Calls for Investigation into VA Censorship, Atheists Defend

Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has asked the Department of Veterans Affairs to investigate allegations that a VA cemetery in Texas has been censoring “God” and “Jesus” from ceremonies.  From the Senator’s letter to VA Secretary Erik Shineski:

I am…greatly concerned by the complaints my office has received from veterans and their families that the Houston National Cemetery Director has forbidden the name of God or Jesus to be used during funeral services at the cemetery, even if the family wishes to do so. Our veterans swore to uphold the Constitution with their lives, and they and their families’ religious freedom should be honored, not prohibited. [emphasis added]

I am requesting that you look into this situation to determine if there are indeed any religious prohibitions or restrictions on speech or religious expression at the Houston National Cemetery. I would also ask that you determine if this situation is unique to the Houston Cemetery or if there are policies in place that might lead to religious prohibitions or restricted speech at other veteran cemeteries.

The controversy started around Memorial Day, when it took a court injunction to allow a local preacher to say “Jesus” when he prayed.  Now the complaint has Read more

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