Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is now the chair for the Senate Armed Services Committee, the panel that handles military personnel and administrative matters. Gillibrand’s reputation is one of advocacy for homosexuals: Read more
An Air Force article documents the story of Chaplain (Maj) Robert Borger, deputy wing chaplain at Osan Air Base, Korea, as he “played” in a wartime exercise:
Chaplains play a huge role in the hospital during times of war. They give hope and comfort in the last minutes of the lives of those expected to die.
“During wartime, we provide care and ministry to the critically injured,” said [Chaplain] Robert Borger…”We spend their last moments with them, providing care, to give them a view to that window of hope.”
Chaplains need to train to their duties just as other troops do. In the photo above, Chaplain Borger sports his chemical protection suit (and obligatory reflective belt…).
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In a terribly awkward PR maneuver, religious liberty critic Michael Weinstein — rebuffed by the US Air Force Chief of Staff — has now retreated to attacking the Air Force Academy directly over its link to a website that explains a Jewish holiday:
“MRFF is now making a specific demand to [Lt. Gen.] Mike Gould, the superintendent, to take down the link,” Weinstein says…
But Weinstein already complained to Gen Gould’s boss — and his boss cc’d Gen Gould on the reply to Weinstein. And guess what? Nothing has changed. So why does Weinstein think this latest screed changes anything?
Regardless, Weinstein raised the stakes to show he meant business:
Weinstein says if his demands are not met by 5:30 p.m. Thursday, his organization will take action.
The CSIndy reporter almost seemed to be stifling a laugh Read more
Michael Weinstein, who runs his self-styled Military Religious Freedom Foundation “charity,” recently endorsed a “horrendously homophobic” website — at least, according to his own standards.
Last week, Weinstein complained that the US Air Force Academy had linked to a website called JewFAQ. The page it linked to was benign, and did exactly what the USAFA page intended, explaining the religious holiday in question. On other pages, however, the website had the gall to describe teachings from the Talmud. Though this might have shocked Weinstein — a self-described “Jewish agnostic” — most normal readers were not likely surprised to read Jewish beliefs on a Jewish website.
Weinstein and his acolytes took particular umbrage with one reference, however. Quoth Weinstein: Read more
Marine Corps Base Hawaii recently named its chapel for US Navy Chaplain (CAPT) Joseph Estabrook, a Catholic chaplain who had championed the creation of a chapel to house the “roving congregation” on the base: Read more
In October of last year, an atheist Army Soldier, SSgt Victoria Gettman, lodged complaints after a mandatory suicide prevention briefing ended with a military chaplain taking the stage and offering a candlelit prayer.
The incident seems fairly benign, and merited little attention at the time. Now, though, it seems Michael Weinstein is weighing in with (yet another empty) promise to file a lawsuit:
Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, doesn’t consider Gettman’s case closed, and he and his litigation team intend to pursue an “aggressive” federal lawsuit if the Army fails to rectify Gettman’s complaints.
The article contains an important quote from Gettman [emphasis added]: Read more
Michael Weinstein, frequent critic of religious freedom in the US military, has “threatened” so many lawsuits that he’s long become the boy who cries wolf. (Besides, the “wolf,” in the case, has yet to survive the first Motion to Dismiss — four times.)
The US Army has once again raised Weinstein’s ire by — shockingly enough — researching the ability to train chaplains the same way it trains other soldiers.
Weinstein finally got around to commenting on a subject noted here a month ago: The US Army is researching the ability to use simulations to train chaplains for battlefield scenarios, much like it does for medical personnel. As noted at the time:
Chaplains [already] go through training on how to survive the bullets and explosions…This simulator…will give chaplains multiple opportunities to experience real-life scenarios and practice their ministry in a controlled environment.
Weinstein would have none of it:
“We are gong [sic] to put the pedal to the metal on something like this. If necessary, we will consider intervening in federal court,” said Mikey Weinstein…
Laughably, even the otherwise-friendly article noted Weinstein’s vendetta Read more
Update: A Navy Chaplain spoke at a Virginia church service noting
“These chaplains were united in their belief that with God all things are possible,” and they served as an enduring witness to “the power of God to transcend chaos and calamity and produce in us the strength to do all things.”
The story of the four chaplains inspired three Colorado Springs-area military chaplains.
February 3rd marked the 70th anniversary of the sinking of the US Army Transport Dorchester — a tragedy made famous as much by the act of four chaplains as the fact 627 of the 900 men aboard died.
The four chaplains were Protestants George Fox and Clark Poling; Catholic priest John Washington; and a Jewish rabbi, Alexander Goode. The chaplains famously gave up their own life vests and sank with the ship, arm in arm without regard to any person’s particular religious faith.
The Rev Robert Phillips of Peoria, IL, remembered the chaplains at the end of his service and remarked on the impact the chaplains had on the military as a whole: Read more