Tag Archives: Chaplain

In First, Navy to Deploy Secular Chaplains

The US Navy will soon be deploying 21 “Deployed Resiliency Counselors” (DRCs):

The counseling and support services provided by the DRC are preventative in nature, aimed at addressing life challenges such as adjustment to deployments, separation from friends and family, relationship and family issues, and other challenges to military life. The DRCs are also fully trained to provide an extra layer of support to any victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, assuring that there are no gaps in support services.

In addition, the DRC will provide psycho-educational training on a variety of topics as suicide prevention, stress reduction and substance abuse prevention.

That is, of course, essentially the role of military chaplains — without the provider having an officially religious background. The press release notes Read more

Military Chaplains Support Marriages across Distance

Chaplains deployed to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, started a program that would enable real-time, live counseling to occur between deployed servicemembers and their families back home:

“We are using technology to reduce the many miles which divide service members from their loved ones,” [Chaplain (Maj) James Buckman] said. “Before this program, when a marriage was going through a hardship we would usually hear one side of the story. Now we can listen to both parties and help counsel both individuals. We are not only the service member’s chaplain, we are the chaplain of the family member as well.”

Read more

Army Officer Serves God, Country in Afghanistan

US Army LtCol Ronald Bonomo is the public affairs officer for the 401st Army Field Support Brigade in Bagram, Afghanistan. His faith is such a prominent part of his life that people have mistaken him for the chaplain:

“My first impression of Lt. Col Bonomo is his dedication to God’s will in his life,” said Staff Sgt. Veronica Johnson, a native of Flint Michigan and the 401st AFSB Chaplain Assistant.

“He knows what God has called him to do and when it comes to the word of God he is very passionate, obedient and always willing to help in the betterment of God’s people in any way possible. Bonomo has his hand to the plow and is definitely a true servant of the Lord.”

“Honestly I thought he was a chaplain, I kept looking at his uniform for a cross. I was like he is a Lt. Col. In the U.S. Army and Read more

Navy Chaplains Quietly Fix Uniform Rules

The US Navy recently revamped its uniform program — again — in a move that was largely unnoticed but by those who have been critiquing the US military’s hunt for a long-term uniform over the past few years. As the issue was largely ignored, missed also was the substantial impact to US Navy chaplains.

It seems the Navy’s current versions of camouflage uniforms didn’t authorize a Chaplain’s insignia — meaning it was impossible for average Sailors to easily identify their chaplains:

“The fact you couldn’t identify a chaplain by his or her religion immediately on site [sic] was something the Navy Chaplain Corps requested to fix…Allowing sailors to identify their chaplains and Read more

“Faith Has No Uniform”: Islamic Advisor Visits US Marines

Asim Hafiz, an Imam and religious advisor to the British Ministry of Defence, recently visited Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, and took the time to meet with Islamic US Marines.

While the entire event is very benign, the comments in the article actually highlighted a very basic concept behind the importance of faith in the military and the service of military chaplains:

“Anytime you meet another Muslim it’s exciting,” said Master Sgt. Anetra Cargile…“It’s like meeting someone from Read more

Klingenschmitt: Chaplain’s Statement Proves Need for Protections

Former US Navy Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt recently responded to testimony by the Rev James Magness, the Episcopal Church’s Armed Forces Bishop, given at the House Armed Services Committee (previously discussed here):

Klingenschmitt calls it arrogant for James Magness, the Washington National Cathedral’s bishop for the armed forces, to say that chaplains who pray in Jesus’ name risk offending non-Christian troops and harming unit cohesion.

“This quote by him demonstrates exactly the reason Read more

Paper Revives DADT Survey Debate

The Department of Defense “studied” the impact of repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” by performing a much-contested survey of US troops in 2010. While the effort was reportedly intended to gather data and draw conclusions based upon that data, there were accusations at the time its actual purpose was to justify repeal — not assess its impact.

The Washington Post recently revived the DADT debate when it wrote about one of the two co-chairs of the survey, then-DoD General Counsel Jeh Johnson, in an article entitled “Four straight black men who led on gay rights.” The article seemed to allude Read more

1 … 63 64 65 66 67 … 163