A US Army article details the support of Army chaplains to families and Soldiers as they deploy and return home. Check out the name of the chaplain:
“We help strengthen family relationships,” said Maj. Billy Graham, 101st CAB chaplain. “We conduct the ‘Strong Bonds’ retreats for married soldiers and hold events for single Read more
Pastor Rick Warren gave an interview to ABCNews’ Jake Tapper in which he “defended the use of military force.” Apparently, this was newsworthy:
Military service…is a worthy and valid vocation. In fact, the greatest compliment that Jesus ever gave, he gave to a soldier in scripture. He said, “I’ve never seen such faith in all of Israel.” And the Bible said God has Read more
Bagram Air Base’s chaplains organized a Run for Jesus 5-Miler in which nearly 600 US servicemembers attended a sunrise Easter service followed by a run around the base. One group even carried an 8-foot cross.
The 82nd CAB Chaplain’s team hosted the first “Run for Jesus” on Bagram Apr. 8. Held on Easter Sunday, the 5-mile race began with a sunrise service hosted by three of the CAB Chaplains. More than 560 people completed the track around Bagram Airfield.
Nearly 700 photos of the event are available on the unit’s Facebook page (in Part I and Part II).
Other US servicemembers in Afghanistan were also able to take time Read more
This Easter, celebrate the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ, and take a moment to remember those who defend our freedoms while deployed around the world. They, too, will celebrate His resurrection — even in small outposts in Afghanistan, the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, and elsewhere. And then they’ll stand up, adjust their gear, and step out on their next mission, always at their Nation’s call.
The early morning sun drifts above the horizon during Easter sunrise services at Camp Liberty, Iraq. (Photo by Sgt. Mark Matthews)
The Air Force has withdrawn an essay that referenced chapel attendance in its correspondence course for junior officers.
The decision came after the Military Religious Freedom Foundation demanded in a March 27 letter to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz that the service stop using the document on the grounds that it violates the U.S. Constitution.
The Air Force responded to Weinstein’s complaint by saying the coursework would have been withdrawn in this summer’s scheduled curriculum review anyway, as it has already been removed from the in-residence course the correspondence version mimics.
Weinstein was quick to claim “victory” Read more
The Supreme Court has declined to review the case of teacher Brad Johnson’s “God Banners.” Johnson’s classroom was adorned with patriotic banners that noted the references to God in the Nation’s important documents.
The school district demanded Read more
Fort Bragg’s Rock Beyond Belief passed quietly last Saturday. While organizers had predicted a crowd of 5,000, Richard Dawkins, the main draw of the event whose “sell out” crowds were the justification for the attendance forecast, ultimately spoke to only “a couple hundred” spectators. Photos of the event show Aiden, the musical act originally billed as Dawkins’ lead-in, playing to only a few dozen who had stuck out the day. It also appeared the military base was hosting a largely civilian crowd.
Rain early in the day may have affected attendance, much as the heat affected the Christian Rock the Fort the atheist event was meant to protest. Rock the Fort reportedly drew 3,000 to 4,000 of the forecast 10,000 (and the atheists had been quick to mock the attendance numbers of the Billy Graham Evangelical Association event).
Interestingly, Col Sicinski was on site of the event and indicated the event wasn’t the controversy it may have been made out to be: Read more
Michael Weinstein is taking the US Air Force to task, again, for using the word “chapel” in a course from Squadron Officers’ School (SOS), a junior officer military education course.
The sentence at issue is important in context. Therefore, the surrounding text is included below. Weinstein’s lawyers have declared these words “unconstitutional,” saying the SOS course
mandates that regular chapel attendance is part of the “Spiritual and Ethical Responsibilities” of a commissioned Air Force officer…
That’s an extraordinarily tortured reading of the text. It’s also ignorant, since it is a commentary on leadership, not an Air Force policy document.
The manufactured offense over a single phrase is so stretched Weinstein likely views this as a test case. Will the Air Force knee-jerk and scrub the course for the offensive reference to a chapel? Or will it take a more measured response — or even acknowledge the virtue of the text he is attacking? The Air Force’s reply will be enlightening.
The “again” portion of this is notable. The perpetually offended Weinstein Read more