Posted on 03/12/2013 6:44:58 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
Air Force Chaplain Awarded Bronze Star for PowerPoint Teaching Proper Sensitivity for the Koran
An Air Force chaplain has been awarded a Bronze Star for his service in crafting an especially good PowerPoint about how to treat Islamic religious materials with sensitivity, according to Ohio’s Dayton Daily News. After U.S. troops in Afghanistan accidentally burned copies of the Koran, sparking riots that took over 30 lives, Lieutenant Colonel Jon Trainer came to the rescue:
After the accidental burning last year of Qurans by U.S. troops in Afghanistan sparked deadly rioting, an Air National Guard chaplain from Springfield stepped in and potentially saved countless American lives.
For his effort, Lt. Col. Jon Trainer received the prestigious Bronze Star — a medal given for heroic or meritorious achievement in connection with operations against an armed enemy.
And he did it with a PowerPoint presentation. . . .
Within 48 hours, Trainer developed a PowerPoint presentation on the proper handling and disposal of Islamic religious material that was seen by every American — military and civilian alike — in Afghanistan. The presentation then was distributed to the U.S. for use in all pre-deployment training.
The piece explains that Trainer also helped teach service members just how wide the breadth of their sensitivity had to be, covering what constitutes Islamic religious material in the first place. “When a Muslim writes down even a few verses from the Quran on a piece of paper,” he told the paper, “that immediately gets that same protected status.”
Trainer is a nondenominational Christian minister who has been in the Air Force for 17 years. He is also being recognized for his work running the Army’s suicide-prevention program, in which he’s trained more than 36,000 service members.
The Bronze Star is the U.S. military’s fifth most prestigious combat award, and can be awarded for acts of merit or valor in a combat zone (if the military deems it an act of heroism, the award is given with a “V” device).
It’s always bad manners to get the neck blood of non believers on the cover.
Is this semi news/semi satire?
Link to the original article ...
Local chaplain played vital role in war
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/local/local-chaplain-played-vital-role-in-war/nWhTm/
All men and women who serve are worthy. Thank you for your service Chaplin.
That said, this award seems to demean/deminish the service of others who earned a Bronze Star. Just sayin’.
I wish it were so.
Just like academia has grade inflation, now our miltary has hero inflation.
His name is Trainer too? LOL. This has to be a joke. Did the media fall for another fake site?
Makes this medal pretty much worthless.
... at least he didn’t get the “V” to put on his Bronze Star.
This makes me want to crap.
I’ll be needing some paper!
Thinking further, does the skid mark in my shorts spell Mohammed, in Arabic?
Trainer, who would like to volunteer to serve as chaplain in Antarctica next...
It’s only “hate” if you’re conservative.
I can see. My question was rhetorical.
I wonder when all service members will get the smiley face ribbon...
“Bronze Star — a medal given for heroic or meritorious achievement in connection with operations against an armed enemy.”
Actually, without the V device, it is for meritorius service in a combat zone.
I personally do not think what he did warrants a Bronze Star. He was merely doing his job. The ONLY way I can see it as remotely warranting such an award is IF the training directly saved the lives of Americans military personnel. That is probably what those that awarded this thought.
I doubt they were right, but I wasn’t there to know.
I am going to vomit, because this stupidity makes me want to drink to excess.
You'll get a Silver Star if you kiss Obama's fanny...and a Medal of Honor if you say something nice about Michelle's wide load.
And now they give them out for powerpoint presentations...Excuse while I throw up.
I am that chaplain; member of FR since 2000.
It would have been kind of Patrick Brennan to at least drop me or my commander a line before posting an article on The Corner is a manner that is demeaning of my service to this great nation.
Unless Mr. Brennan or someone else at The Corner (which I frequent almost daily) has read my Bronze Star citation in full, or has talked to my commander, or others with whom I have served, or even myself, it seems journalistic malpractice at the very best to just post-away.
And here is what I posted at NRO:
“This is an end of tour award. Standard fair for the rank, position, and responsibility I held during this tour—Training Chaplain for all the of the chaplains in Afghanistan and Garrison Chaplain at New Kabul Compound in Kabul. Events of serious consequence occurred while in theater; the article highlights those. The way the original article is written implies the BSM was given for writing a PPT presentation. This does not represent the facts nor the bullet points in the BSM write-up.”
This just highlights to me the dangers of our new media where a journo feels free to run with a blog post or posters feel free to demean someone’s character without making an ounce of effort to get the facts.
The guy who wrote the original story was an old fashioned journalist who came to my office at the request of my commander. He came with a pen and paper and took notes—just like the good old days.
Thanks!
Chap T
what... no V device???
ping
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