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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – On this Easter Sunday, CWO2 Steve Dancer told his Marines to surrender. “Surrender yourself to Him,” he said to the roughly 40 Marines from 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines who attended the Easter morning service to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. “Surrender is a hard thing for Marines to understand, I know.” Special days, holidays or times such as the birthday of a loved one back home, are harder on deployed troops, said Navy Chaplain (Lt.) Lee Brown. “It’s harder to be away for those significant events in the life of a family. Many times, days like...

FORT RILEY, Kan. - Easter came twice for Maj. Jim Paulson this year. On a January morning in Baghdad, as he fought his own anger while preparing the message he would deliver for a fallen soldier's memorial service, the Army chaplain found the right words in the biblical story of rebirth and resurrection. "Iraq peeled me back," said Paulson, who served a support battalion of 1,300 soldiers in Baghdad from August 2003 until returning to Fort Riley in February. "We never knew when mortars were going to fall out of the sky, so the question became, 'How are you going...

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq - (KRT) - Navy Capt. Bradley Sickler, the deputy chaplain for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, sums up pretty easily the sentiments of hundreds of Marines and sailors based here after a week of some of the deadliest fighting since U.S. troops entered Iraq."It doesn't feel like Easter at home," he said.When Marines and sailors gather at sunrise Sunday for a traditional Easter service, they'll be wearing helmets and protective vests in case of attack.In Fallujah, where Marines have dug in as officials of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council attempt to negotiate a cease-fire, chaplains will venture...

<p>Music by The United States Marine Band, "The President's Own"</p> <p>The event is unticketed, first-come, first-seated, and signed for the deaf. No offertory is taken.</p> <p>Shuttle service will begin at 5:30 a.m.</p> <p>As I go through some "troubles" in my own life, I've worked out this "formula" to help me be a useful and happy person. See if it doesn't work for you!</p>

Angels Watching Over Us: A Military Chaplain's Account of Miracles in Iraq April 8, 2004 CBN.com – As coalition forces charged into enemy territory on their mission to liberate Iraq a year ago, a different liberation was taking place in the hearts of many of the soldiers. Lieutenant Carey Cash, chaplain to the First Battalion, 5th Marine regiment, part of the first ground force to enter Iraq, says there is no doubt that God was with them. In his new book, "A Table in the Presence," Cash gives his first-hand account of how God was not only moving in the...

A Table In The Presence: The Dramatic Account of How a U.S. Marine Battalion Experienced God's Presence Amidst the Chaos of the War in IraqClicking on the link will take you to the interview Pat Robertson has with Lt. Carey H Cash. The interview starts at 17:18 of stream feed. Lt. Cash recounts how the angels protected this Marine Battalion. I found the interview quite amazing. Clicking on the link will take you to the interview Pat Robertson has with Lt. Cash. The interview starts at 17:18 on stream feed. On April 10th, 2003, the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment,...

  Engineers build place in Iraq for U.S. Soldiers to worship By Spc. Bryan KinKade Missouri National Guardsmen build a chapel in Iraq to give U.S. Soldiers a place to worship. BAGHDAD, Iraq (Army News Service, April 7, 2004) – From the ground up, a 200-seat chapel in Iraq is being built to give U.S. Soldiers a place to worship. Engineers from the Missouri National Guard, put their carpentry and masonry skills to the test. “These Soldiers are hungry for services,” said Lt. Col. David Moran, a chaplain from 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. “When I got here a...

<p>More than 1,500 Passover Solo Seder Kits have been shipped overseas so that Jewish military personnel can conduct their own seder despite the daily challenges they face. Kits have also been shipped throughout the United States. The seder is the traditional Passover meal marking the Jews’ passage from slavery in Egypt.</p>

Recent news from Iraq doesn't sound too good. The killing of allied soldiers and civilians goes on. Random attacks on American civilians have become the norm, frustrating the rebuilding of a war-torn country. Plans for the freedom of Iraq and its neighbors are being set back. Allied goals for leaving the Iraqi people with the choice of democracy and free elections have become a nightmare. What will become of this region? Over 597 U.S. troops have died since the war began in March 2003. Do we have the power to truly liberate the region? Here in the U.S. we are...

<p>I have been reading Genesis 27:41-28:22. It is the story of Jacob's flight from his brother Esau who was threatening to murder him. It details the vision Jacob had when he finally collapsed from exhaustion. The Standard Lesson Commentary for that passage says, "Jacob's worshipping relationship with God went from Ritual to Real." It moved from an act of worship perhaps more superstitious in nature to a dynamic interaction with the holy, living God.</p>

LAW OF THE LANDNewdow loses chaplains case Judge dismisses suit brought by atheist seeking to muzzle congressional clergy Posted: March 25, 20045:00 p.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com Just a day after arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court that the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional, nationally known atheist Michael Newdow has failed in his attempt to stop congressional chaplains from offering prayers on Capitol Hill. U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy dismissed the lawsuit brought by Newdow, who has filed a number of cases claiming violations his constitutional rights, Reuters reported. While the action is dated yesterday, it was...

No Accident Dave Andrusko Today's News & Views March 23, 2004 The question, when you think about it, is not why Planned Parenthood has decided to create a post of "chaplain." It is, rather, why now? Or, put another way, why did they wait decades? After all, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) has been around since 1973. Its arguments may long since have grown threadbare, but the pro-abortion types have gotten a lot of mileage out of them. It is no exaggeration to say that since the very early days of the abortion "reform" movement, clergy have played...

ARLINGTON, Va. (Reuters) - A U.S. general on Monday found a Muslim Army chaplain who ministered to terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay guilty of committing adultery and storing pornographic images on a government computer.Army Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, at the end of an hour-long administrative hearing in Arlington, Virginia, issued a reprimand against Capt. James Yee, but the general's verdict did not represent a criminal conviction.In fact, the Army on Friday dropped all criminal charges against the 36-year-old West Point graduate, abandoning an espionage case that started with his arrest last September and at one time included accusations in court...

    Welcome to The FReeper Canteen   Today's Spiritual Journey takes us to Click on the graphic above to link to the original sermon. Editor's Note: The following article appeared in the Modesto Bee (CA) on January 27, 2004. Chuck Roots is a long-time Free Methodist pastor and chaplain.Military Chaplain Makes a DifferenceMichael Doyle, Bee Washington BureauWASHINGTON — Chaplain Chuck Roots brings light to some dark places. Places like a remote orphanage, where tough Marines hold tender babies.A Ripon resident and reserve Navy commander, Roots organized a unique orphanage program in far-off Djibouti. By all accounts, it's been...

<p>Capt. James Yee and prosecutors are near an agreement under which the Army would drop its most serious criminal charges against the Muslim chaplain and he would agree to undergo up to 30 days of counterintelligence interrogations and a polygraph test.</p>

    Welcome to The FReeper Canteen   Today's Spiritual Journey takes us to the 234th Signal Battalion Iowa National Guard Chaplain Padgett was assigned to the unit in the Kentucky National Guard that FReeper Old Sarge is.When the 234th Signal Battalion of the Iowa National Guard was sent to Iraq he was assigned to them because they had no Chaplain.He was due home this month but has been extended until Aug 2004.  Chaplain Padgett’s Comments for 12 March 2004 Last Saturday, March 6, I went with 40 Alpha and Charlie Company soldiers to a village about 30 minutes...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In an attempt to counter criticism that it's unyielding support of abortion runs counter to the Christian religious views of most Americans, Planned Parenthood has announced it has hired a national chaplain to advocate the "spiritual side" of abortion advocacy. The national abortion business appointed Rev. Ignacio Castuera, senior pastor of St. John's United Methodist Church in the Watts community of Los Angeles, as its chaplain. "His expertise in offering spiritual insight and guidance to the reproductive health movement is invaluable," Planned Parenthood president Gloria Feldt said. The appointment is also an attempt by the abortion...

    Welcome to The FReeper Canteen   Return to Military main page CHAPLAINS DIARY Ministry at SeaLT Tim Gault (CHC, USNR) Navy Chaplain Tim Gault shared with me via email what his first experience serving as a chaplain was like. The tone of his message captures his delight in God's blessing of his venture into this unique world of missionary ministry. [Ed. Ch, Lt. Col. Warren Dane, Director of Chaplaincy] An update on our ministry with U.S. Navy Destroyer Squadron 28: I got underway for the first time with our ships. It was a tremendous time for me...

    Welcome to The FReeper Canteen   Today's Spiritual Journey takes us to the Navy Chaplain Corps Click on graphic to link to the original sermon.  AN ODD WAY TO PRAY Over the years I have heard a multitude of spoken prayers. Some flowed poetically from the speaker's tongue, some had the overtones of a sermon, and others resembled conversation. I have also heard another type of prayer, though never in a church or chapel. Its usage is universal in the English language, even being used on occasion by atheists. The prayer is most often spoken during times...

Farewell to a soldier, a friend; Merila's service to his nation, others celebrated on MondaySusan Merila weeps Monday afternoon while retired Chaplin (Col.) Juan Loya gives his memorial message during a service for her son, Sgt. Michael M. Merila, at the Main Post Chapel on Fort Huachuca. (Mark Levy-Herald/Review)FORT HUACHUCA - A cold rain fell Monday, making the Main Post Chapel darker as more than 150 people waited for the arrival of the body of Sgt. Michael Matthew Merila. While music played, the sound of soldiers could be heard marching in the chapel's foyer, as members of the Fort Huachuca...