Susan Ford Bales, daughter of President Gerald R. Ford, christens the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).
Last week the US Navy christened its newest carrier the USS Gerald R. Ford.
“I christen thee United States Ship Gerald R. Ford,” said [Susan Ford] Bales, breaking the bottle across the bow. “May God bless this ship and all those who sail her.”
President Ford served as a LtCmdr in the Navy. (He was also Read more
In a fascinating case, the Conservative Baptist Association of America has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs, essentially alleging that a VA chaplaincy training program is intentionally preventing them from sending chaplains to VA and military medical centers:
The actions of the Secretary within the San Diego VA-DOD CPE Center establishing a secular, humanist and holistic religion which excludes mainstream Judeo-Christian beliefs discriminates against CBAmerica Chaplains, prevents them from practicing their religious beliefs, have forced them out of the program and will, if not corrected, prevent future CBAMERICA Chaplains from completing the program and practicing their faith in the health care facilities serviced by the program.
The VA-DOD CPE Center is responsible for preparing chaplains to serve in military and VA medical facilites around San Diego.
The lawsuit (PDF) relies on the experiences of two CBAmerica chaplains, Read more
An interesting letter to the Colorado Springs Gazette, the paper local to the US Air Force Academy:
I believe the vast majority of the Air Force Academy community, and the rest of us, have had a belly full of Mikey Weinstein’s whinings and rantings…
Weinstein is nothing more than a self-loathing bully who Read more
Captain Tim Riemann recently attended Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare School, a basic officer course for communications and leadership skills — somewhat like a 9-month version of Air Force Squadron Officer School. He wrote an article while there entitled “Replace the Clergy” that was published in the unofficial Marine Corps Gazette:
It [is] clear that the Chaplain Corps is expensive and provides a redundant religious capability, and its members are routinely employed beyond their capabilities. Therefore, the Department of the Navy (DoN) should begin phasing out active duty chaplains, replace them with licensed professional counselors (LPCs), and utilize the Reserve Chaplain Corps for duty exclusively in combat-designated areas.
While an interesting topic, the article was clearly an academic exercise and reads like little more than a school project. At about 1,600 words, Riemann has little time to articulate his argument on a substantial topic and fails to Read more
If you’ve never heard President Ronald Reagan’s address to the Baptist Fundamentalism conference in April of 1984, it’s worth 20 minutes of your time. Reagan reads Jewish Navy Chaplain Arnold Resnicoff’s report from the Beirut barracks bombing the year prior. Reagan’s reactions, as well as his handling of hecklers as he reads, is fascinating.
It’s a real pleasure to be with so many who firmly believe that the answers to the world’s problems can be found in the Word of God.
– President Ronald Reagan
Think a US President would address a 20,000 strong Baptist audience today and say that on TV?
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Retired Navy Petty Officer First Class Generald Wilson sings “God Bless America” in the World Series stretch. He says he considers it a “prayer:”
Well done.
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The Thomas More Law Center filed a lawsuit on Monday on behalf of Catholic military Chaplain Ray Leonard, who was prohibited from ministering as a chaplain because he was deemed “non-essential” to military morale and readiness.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Department of Justice reversed the DoD’s ruling and informed TMLC that Father Leonard could resume his duties:
In response to the lawsuit, three attorneys from the Department of Justice contacted TMLC attorney Erin Mersino by phone and Read more
Catholic priest Father Ray Leonard has filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Defense and the Navy for prohibiting him from ministering to the military community at the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Georgia. Leonard is a civilian contractor who had been hired to begin his service on 1 October 2013.
The priest was one of thousands of civilian military employees and contractors furloughed because of the failure of Congress to reach a deal on funding the federal government. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has since recalled some Defense Department workers, but civilian military chaplains were excluded.