Tag Archives: Chaplain

Air Force Chaplains Take to the Air

Chaplains from Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, are participating in a unique program that allows them to become qualified on the wing’s aircraft, thus enabling them to minister at 30,000 feet.  In an official Air Force article entitled “Spirit in the sky:”

“If we can get to where our people work, we can connect them with the support they need,” said Chaplain (Maj.) Michael Farar…

Chaplain (Col.) Bruce Glover, a 25th Air Force chaplain [said] “A chaplain being on flying orders and Read more

Chaplain: We Must Stand for Religious Liberty

Discussing his recent exoneration after originally facing discharge from the Navy, Chaplain (LtCmdr) Wes Modder highlighted that the fight for religious liberty is a national issue:

[Modder] suggested as more and more Christians face similar battles over their beliefs, they have to fight because the cause is crucial.

“I think it’s paramount,” he said. “I think the best thing for the Church is persecution. And I know that sounds counterintuitive, but we need to stand for religious liberty.”

“It’s not really about bakers. It’s not really about florists. It’s about Read more

Lawsuit Reveals Details of Air Force Punishment for Religious Expression

The recent dismissal of the lawsuit filed by US Air Force TSgt Layne Wilson against the Air Force revealed some interesting details about how and why he was disciplined for expressing opposition to same-sex marriage.

As noted previously, the ruling (PDF) indicated the controversy started with an email:

On December 2, 2012, Plaintiff Layne Wilson…sent an email, using his military email account, to an official at the United States Military Academy at West Point objecting to a same-sex wedding held at the military academy’s chapel…

As quoted in the ruling, the email said:  Read more

Airman Loses Lawsuit Over Religion, Same Sex Marriage

US Air Force TSgt Layne Wilson, a Mormon member of the Utah Air National Guard, sued the US Air Force after he was disciplined for expressing opposition to same-sex marriage two years ago. The lawsuit was dismissed earlier this month at the DC District Court.

The ruling (PDF) is an interesting read that at times seems obvious, at others contradictory, and in the end rather confusing. This much appears to be undisputed:

On December 2, 2012, Plaintiff Layne Wilson…sent an email, using his military email account, to an official at the United States Military Academy at West Point objecting to a same-sex wedding held at the military academy’s chapel…

As a result:  Read more

US Navy Defends Treatment of Chaplain Wes Modder

While most of the story regarding US Navy Chaplain (LtCmdr) Wes Modder faded into the background with the news of his victory a few weeks ago, one media story included a quote from the Navy that seemed to indicate a bit of self-righteousness [emphasis added]:

A spokesperson for the Navy said the system in Modder’s case worked as it is supposed to, with an investigation following complaints lodged against Modder.

The Navy takes issues like this very seriously, said Lt. Jessica Anderson, public affairs officer and writer for the Chief of Naval Personnel in Arlington, Va.

“When there are allegations of misconduct like this, we investigate — as we did in this case,” Anderson said.

Part of Lt Anderson’s statement is actually fair: With some Read more

Blog: Military Commanders Misusing Punishments to Avoid Appeals

Tony Carr, blogging at John Q. Public, recently highlighted an incident at Laughlin AFB in which four officers were offered Articles 15 for drug-related offenses. The first officer “publicly argue[d] his case with the convening authority” — and won. His Article 15 was thrown out.

Carr continues with what (he says) the base did next [emphasis added]:

The remaining three officers accused of factually identical conduct based on the same body of evidence likely assumed their charges would be similarly dissolved…

Calculating that the evidence against the remaining three was too weak to survive a genuine challenge, the Laughlin chain of command…opted to achieve the functional equivalent of an Article 15 by formally reprimanding the remaining officers…

Unlike an Article 15 or court-martial, an administrative Letter of Reprimand (LOR) can be issued on the basis of information solely and subjectively evaluated by Read more

Atheist: Christians Playing Victim, Atheists are Real Victims

Jason Torpy, a former US Army Captain and current atheist, recently claimed that Christians in the US military are “play[ing] the victim” while atheists are the real victims:

“We are not alone in suffering from what has been a largely successful tactic for a subset of Christians to play the victim,” said Jason Torpy.

Journalist Leo Shane of the Military Times made the regrettable decision to drop any qualifiers, presenting Torpy’s assertions as fact [emphasis added]:

Torpy and his group are hoping…the [IG] will go beyond the unsubstantiated problems posed by Congress and include some of the actual discrimination faced by humanists and atheists that he detailed in conversations with the office.

“We need to redirect to real problems,” [he said].

Some of the issues raised by Congress have Read more

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