Tag Archives: Chaplain

Air Force Academy Chapel Marks 50 Years

Last month the US Air Force Academy marked the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the iconic USAFA Cadet Chapel:

“The celebration…highlight[ed] not only the legacy of those responsible for building this facility, but…also highlight[ed] the religious plurality of America’s demography and the Air Force Academy’s demography today,” said Academy Chaplain Col. Robert Bruno…

Chaplain Bruno also said the attendance by the Air Force Chief of Chaplains, Chaplain (MajGen) Howard Stendahl, demonstrated the  Read more

Congress Acts After DoD Furloughs Chaplains

A variety of news sources noted that the decision to furlough government civilians in the Department of Defense has meant some chaplains couldn’t go to work either — and thus US military chapel services will not be held:

With the government shutdown, [“General Schedule”] and contract priests who are furloughed are not allowed to work, not even to volunteer, according to John Schlageter, general counsel for the Archdiocese for the Military Services. “During the shutdown, it is illegal for them to minister on base, and they risk being arrested if they attempt to do so,” he said.

This is generally true for all people in equivalent government positions, not just chaplains.  Interestingly, a Catholic spokesman noted that there are actually more civilian/contract Catholic chaplains in the US military than active duty ones:  Read more

Group Sues US Military for Weinstein Records

Update: Also at OneNewsNow, where Judicial Watch claims Michael Weinstein has had an “adverse affect on religious freedom in the military,” and LifeSiteNews.

Judicial Watch announced it has filed a FOIA lawsuit against the Department of Defense seeking information about its relationship with Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, following his now-infamous meeting with Pentagon officials in April:

Judicial Watch…filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit…against the Department of Defense seeking “all records and communications” between the Pentagon and Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) founder Mikey Weinstein, a controversial activist who has compared evangelicals with the Taliban and al-Qaeda and has called for the court martial of Christian chaplains (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Defense (No. 1:13-cv-01372 )).

Judicial Watch said they  Read more

Army Prayer Breakfast Recalls World Trade Center Cross

On 11 September 2013, more than 400 Soldiers attended a Memorial Prayer Breakfast hosted at the Spirit of Fort Hood chapel.  The guest speaker was retired US Navy Chaplain Ron Swafford, who was one of the few to visit Ground Zero after the attacks:

“I just happened to be there the day that they found those crossed I-Beams that came out of the rubble forming a cross,” he recalled. “It was quite impressive because all the workers just stopped and gathered Read more

White House Answers Two Year Old Military Atheist Petition

In 2011 Dustin Chalker, a former Army Sergeant and now-discarded plaintiff of Michael Weinstein’s MRFF, created a petition on WhiteHouse.gov calling for an “End [to] the Military’s Discrimination against Non-Religious Service Members.”

The petition was two years old and was the second oldest unanswered petition on the site.  The White House responded last Friday:

Thank you for your petition regarding the importance of ensuring non-religious members of our armed forces are not discriminated against…

The Obama Administration strongly supports every American’s right to religious freedom. This support extends equally both to the many members of our armed forces who hold religious beliefs and to those members of the military who do not hold such beliefs.

The response then addresses the Army’s Global Assessment Tool, which changed last year.  In essence, the response to the petition says it is moot.

The White House response ignored Read more

Air Force to Review Commanders’ Decisions on Religious Liberty

A coalition of Christian leaders met with Air Force leadership and received assurances that they would investigate issues of religious liberty which do not “reflect Air Force policy:”

We appreciate [the Pentagon’s] offer to review decisions that do not reflect Air Force policy made by commanders at various bases.  At their request, we will report future events and concerns directly to Air Force leadership.

Retired LtGen Jerry Boykin, retired Chaplain (Col) Ron Crews, Kellie Fiedorek of the ADF, and talk radio host Sandy Rios met with LtGen Richard Harding, Read more

Chaplain Promoted to LtCmdr. Twice.

Chaplain (LtCmdr) William Dorwart has a fascinating story.  He enlisted in the Navy in 1967, then left and obtained a Masters in Dividnity at Notre Dame. He then rejoined the Navy as a Chaplain in 1985 and left again in 1991 to serve a civilian ministry role.

To help meet the shortage of Catholic chaplains, he returned to the Navy in 2008, 41 years after he originally enlisted.  He started again as a Lieutenant, and was finally promoted, for the second time, back to LtCmdr.

It’s an odd career path, but even now Chaplain Dorwart hopes to continue to serve in military ministry, if an age waiver is granted.

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Chaplain with PTSD Serves as Counselor, Model

US Army Chaplain (Maj) David Trogdon is serving his fourth combat tour — this time, officially diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Now he helps minister to those who may be struggling as well:

He knows from experience the corrosive effect of repressing anger and anxiety. His return to war this year after three tours is motivated, in part, by a desire to show fellow troops that mental trauma can be tamed.   “Sometimes I get asked, ‘Does it bother you that people know you have PTSD?’ Read more

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