The last “combat” units of American Soldiers have left Iraq, though more than 50,000 troops remain under a new role that will be formalized September 1st as Operation Iraqi Freedom is replaced by Operation New Dawn.
More than 4400 American lives have been lost to “restore” Iraq to what it is today. May their sacrifice not have been in vain.
The recent controversy surrounding the proposed mosque in New York City, including the taxpayer funded trip of the mosque’s imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, has continued to highlight official government support for Islam around the world. A recent article at the Baptist Press notes the use of “taxpayer money” to advance the cause of Islam, even in Afghanistan and Iraq:
“Americans also may be surprised to learn that the United States has been an active participant in mosque construction projects overseas,” The [Washington] Times said.
The US military’s assistance in mosque rebuilding and refurbishment has been discussed here before.
Despite running a self-founded “religious freedom” organization, Michael Weinstein is apparently calling for the US military to restrict religious free exercise within its ranks. His reason? The Constitutionally-protected liberty offends al Qaeda.
Unlike most mainstream organizations, Weinstein’s Military Religious Freedom Foundation still revels in publicizing his organization’s communications, wearing both the hate mail and the kudos as badges of honor. (They even republish comments from their website, because apparently being posted once isn’t good enough…) Recently, MRFF board member Richard Baker responded to a contact with a lengthy message in which he included many standard MRFF talking points, like this one: Read more
An Air Force Senior Airman, Emerald Ralston, writes a moving commentary that begins with her deployment to Afghanistan.
After a couple of weeks, I was preparing to convoy to an even more remote area for the next five months.
Before we left, I made the usual call home. I’d ask my parents to pray for me before I went on convoys so they knew what I was up to and, God forbid, in case anything happened, they would be prepared.
This particular time, I didn’t get the “Okay, Honey, be safe,” I was used to.
She learns that her brother, US Army Sgt Ian Ralston, had been wounded in Iraq.
Her story is worth the read.
Army PFC Bradley Manning has been highlighted by a variety of papers from around the world and even his hometown. Manning is the alleged “leaker” of the “collateral murder” video, and has apparently been implicated in the latest “WikiLeaks” releases as well.
Interestingly, news reports continue to focus on his personality as non-religious, withdrawn, and needy:
Those who went to school with him say he was often frustrated that others didn’t listen to his views on politics or religion; those views often differed from those of his peers…
In a series of online conversations with a stranger, a fellow computer enthusiast, Manning wrote about feelings of isolation.
He said the feelings stem from growing up without religious views in a very church-based town. Read more
The US military notes its continuing efforts to use money and cultural support for Afghans to normalize their lives and their country. As noted previously, the US military has direct access to government funds to “meet emergency needs of civilians in support of humanitarian operations.”
The article notes that one intentional recipient of such US government funds has been mosques, both in Afghanistan and Iraq. As noted by a unit Chaplain, Chaplain (Capt) Abraham Sarmiento:
The next project brought buckets of paint, brushes and rolls of carpet in an effort to refurbish two mosques that were still in disrepair from the Soviet occupation. Read more
The Baptist Press notes a concern that the controversy over the repeal of the policy commonly known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” may be completely avoided until after the November elections, in order to avoid potential backlash on members of Congress from conservative districts.
In a move that would potentially stoke that controversy, one Senator is preparing to offer amendments to the Defense Authorization Act that will address not only the DADT provision, but also that on abortion:
Sen. James Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he’s prepared to offer amendments striking the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and pro-abortion language from the bill.
The Senator also supported the growing current of comments indicating members of the military oppose the change but feel unable to express that concern (while those who support it are doing that very thing):
Inhofe said he recently returned from a trip to Iraq in which military personnel expressed to him concern that their voice isn’t being heard. He said personnel told him, “We want to be heard and now we find out that … they’ve already decided how it’s gonna turn out.”
US Army Chaplain (1LT) Thomas Dyer — the Baptist-Pastor-turned-Buddhist-Priest who became the US Army’s first Buddhist Chaplain — led 200 people in a celebration of the holiest day of the Buddhist calendar while deployed to Iraq in May.
US military members from across Iraq were invited to the celebration and were allowed to travel to the base specifically for the observance.
The official effort the US military puts into allowing — even encouraging — its members to participate in the religious services of their choosing is significant. Military members can take comfort in knowing that their leadership has their spiritual resiliency in mind and will, to the extent the mission allows, protect their free exercise.
Still, all is not without controversy. Read more