The Vice Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mark Ferguson will be the “key note speaker” at the annual conference for the Jewish Welfare Board in April:
The theme of training will be Jewish Chaplains and Lay Leaders: Spiritual Resilience in Times of Transition. These courses will include distinct training tracks for chaplains and lay Read more
Dover Air Force Base, most famously known for its service as the military’s “port mortuary,” dedicated a new chapel facility at the end of February:
A meditation pavilion is among its amenities, said Chaplain Lt. Col. Dennis Saucier. Those families can also make use of the new chapel, which has 20 pews stocked with hymnals and the Holy Bible, an altar, a wood-paneled reredos and tall, stained glass windows featuring four white doves in flight.
The chapel center also has an “all faiths” room, a neutral Read more
An official US Marine Corps article notes “religion” can be a “helping hand in a hard place:”
“Anytime we’re faced with life and death – what we do is inherently dangerous – we face the ultimate questions. Religion helps answer that,” said [Chaplain] Lt. Cmdr. Troy Todd…
Religion has always played a quiet and undemanding role Read more
The US military held National Prayer events at bases around the world, demonstrating the value it places on troops’ practice of faith and encouraging their free exercise:
At an “undisclosed location:”
More than 200 service members deployed to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing came together for a barbecue and fellowship sponsored by the chapel community in observance of the National Prayer Breakfast…
In Georgia:
Hundreds of Fort Stewart soldiers and Family Members gathered…for the annual National Day of Prayer Breakfast…
The word servant comes from the Greek word Diakonos Read more
An official Army article documents the unique stories of Chaplain (Maj) James Freitag and Chaplain (1Lt) Cecil Edwards — two men who rose to high enlisted ranks before being commissioned as chaplains:
With a combined total of 60 years of service, two former reserve component sergeants major are currently serving as chaplains and both are deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Of the soldiers who enlist in the Army, very few reach the rank of sergeant major. In the history of the Army only two sergeants major have become chaplains.
It has long been said that, in general, former enlisted troops can Read more
It took about 16 months, but a WhiteHouse.gov petition by MRFF activist Dustin Chalker finally crossed 20,000 signatures.
As discussed previously, the petition — “End the Military’s Discrimination against Non-Religious Service Members” — claims the US military forces troops to participate in “religious rituals.” As you may recall, Chalker is the same person who made the ridiculous assertion that being present — just respectfully standing silent — while others pray is the same thing as participating in that prayer.
Under current rules, a survey has to Read more
According to former Congressman Todd Tiahrt of Kansas, Chaplain (Capt) Emil Kapaun — who died among his fellow POWs during Korean War — will posthumously receive the US military’s highest award: the Medal of Honor.
Former Kansas Congressman Todd Tiahrt…sent a note he had received from an officer in the Pentagon about preparations for a White House ceremony April 11. Tiahrt later posted the letter on his Facebook page, which said that Kapaun also will be honored April 12 at the Pentagon.
President Obama will reportedly present the Medal to his family in early April. The family will be joined by other distinguished guests: Read more
Religion News Service — the non-profit media group that famously took a grant from atheists aimed at providing favorable news coverage — provided a balanced look at the US Army’s research into the previously-discussed virtual chaplain training, otherwise known as “spiritual triage.”
Trailing the [computer animated] combat medics, the uniformed military chaplain kneels and performs “spiritual triage,” assessing who is dead, who is soon to die, and who is likely to survive.
For the dead, there is silent prayer; for the gravely wounded and those in pain, there are words of comfort…At each point in the action, a prompt asks users what they think is the appropriate Read more