A DoD article highlights US Army Chaplain (LtCol) Avi Weiss, a chaplain who “FOB hops” around Afghanistan as the only Jewish religious leader in the theater.
“Attempting to keep traditional Jewish laws is difficult in this environment,” said Weiss, explaining the shortage of rabbis in the military. “It’s a credit to the military that it Read more
Navy Chaplain (Lt) Eric Hammen has been FOB-hopping from outpost to outpost in Afghanistan, as many chaplains have — serving US servicemembers even in their very foxholes.
To have the opportunity to go out and minister, that’s really special to me.
Updated with message from Army Chief of Chaplains.
As previously noted, US Army Chaplain (Capt) Dale Goetz was killed in Afghanistan earlier this week. He evidently died fufilling his pastoral duties as a Chaplain, “fob-hopping” to support his “congregation” of military Soldiers:
Goetz was in a convoy traveling from one forward operating base to another, where he counseled soldiers.
MSNBC reports that he was the first Chaplain killed in combat since Vietnam, not unlike the story of Sgt Chris Stout, the Chaplain assistant killed in Afghanistan in July. Notably, however, US Army Chaplain Tim Vakoc died in 2009, five years after being wounded in a similar set of circumstances: a roadside bomb on a return trip from ministering to troops.
The Army Chief of Chaplains released the following message: Read more