Free Republic

        CHOICES An elderly carpenter was about to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was very sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship...

  Hi Tracy, I received this email from a friend earlier, and wrote to the chaplain. he has already responded to my email thanking me for my prayers, thought I'd share it would you all, if you'd like to write to him! :) His name is Vernon.... (Received by Ros42) (Some information has been removed to keep the location private) Subject: Urgent prayer request from Army Chaplin in Iraq The following is an urgent prayer request from an Army Baptist Chaplin in Iraq. I'm sure you will be moved by this request even if you do not personally know anyone...

<p>A chaplain at Rikers Island has been banned from counseling inmates because of his ties to a Brooklyn mosque linked to al Qaeda fund-raising.</p> <p>Amin Awad, who was named president of the board of trustees at Al-Farooq mosque earlier this month, cannot have contact with inmates and has been reassigned to administrative duties, Tom Antenen, a spokesman for the city Department of Correction, said yesterday.</p>

< By Kent Harris, Stars and StripesEuropean edition, Sunday, January 9, 2005 A look at what's available ... U.S. Army Europe doesn’t have an overall program that specifically targets marriages during deployment.But an array of new measures initialized while many of the Europe-based soldiers served in Iraq contain elements that could help couples in need.Counseling is available during the command’s mandatory reintegration program. And block leave is designed to give families time to readjust.Chaplains are available in each community and a dozen marriage and family therapists are spread out among the largest Army communities in Germany and Belgium.Area support groups...

        Chaplain's Corner Each year, most people like to celebrate New Years Day. We are happy we made it through this one and look forward to what the new-year will bring! Making a New Year's Resolution is a noble effort to try to improve some area of our life. It is a good time for personal reflection. A good question to ask is 'Am I making the most of what God has given me?' Or, 'am I living well and making a difference to God and other people?' Let's take a look at Stephen, a person...

SEATTLE (AP) - A Muslim chaplain imprisoned for 76 days as part of an espionage investigation by the government has received an honorable discharge from the Army. Although Capt. James Yee has been cleared in the investigation, he resigned in August, saying officials never apologized to him. His discharge was effective at midnight Friday, said his civilian defense attorney, Eugene R. Fidell. "As a West Point graduate, he leaves the Army with great sadness," Fidell said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "The fact that he was imprisoned for a prolonged period for no valid reason remains indefensible." After...

        Chaplain Links U.S. Army Office of the Chief of Chaplains  Army Chaplain Center and School Army Chaplain Recruiting Pentagon Chaplain Fort Belvoir Chapels Fort Myer Memorial Chapel U.S. Air Force Air Force Chaplain Service Air Force Chaplain Service Recruiting Chaplain Assistance Apprentice Course Air Force Pastoral Care Links U.S. Marine Corps The Chaplain of The U.S. Marine Corps CREDO Main Page Marine Corps Family Team Building U.S. Coast Guard Coast Guard Headquarters Chaplain Coast Guard Prayers and Hymns Coast Guard Yard Chaplain's Home Page U.S. Navy Navy Chaplain Corps Navy Chaplain Recruiting Chaplain Care Naval...

        "AND LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS" Matthew 28:20 One morning I stood on the bluffs overlooking the coast at Camp Pendleton. I spied an amphibious naval vessel just off shore. As I stood watching, it came into full view, then disappeared as the early morning fog came and went. The ship was always there, but it was only visible part of the time. It spoke to me of the reality of God's presence. The truth is God is always there, but our changing moods affect our ability to see. It's good days and bad...

US soldiers in Iraq celebrated the birth of Jesus while eating Christmas dinner in full body armour, with many explaining how the nativity story continues to motivate their mission in the war-torn country. Here, soldiers enjoying their traditional Christmas meal put on full head and body armour to eat, a requirement since this week's devastating bombing of another US base in Iraq. The suicide bombing at a US mess hall in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Tuesday killed 22, including 14 US military personnel. That triggered a re-assessment of base security throughout the country and added further tension...

Nearly seven months after suffering a devastating head wound from a roadside bomb in Iraq, a former Fort Lewis Army chaplain is spending the Christmas season in a continuing fight for life. Maj. Henry Timothy Vakoc, 45, a Roman Catholic priest and the first chaplain wounded in Iraq, has been in and out of a coma since he was wounded in May. In early October, Vakoc, who was retired from the Army late last summer, was transferred from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., to a long-term care unit at a veterans hospital in Minneapolis, near his family....

Tuesday, December 21, 2004 MASCAL By the time I got back to our compound it was all over the news. It seemed like the thing had just happened when in reality I had been neck deep in it for several hours. And there it was on TV. Frankly, it's kind of a blur. The day began early as I didn't sleep very well last night. Once I was awake I decided not to just lay there and stare at the darkness so I got up, got dressed, shaved and headed into the TOC, the heart of what goes on. In...

WHITTIER -- Armed only with his Bible and his faith, George Barber survived the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944. Fifty-six years later, as the only surviving chaplain from that horrendous battle, he delivered the opening prayer at the dedication ceremony for the D-Day Museum in New Orleans in 2000, joining celebrities Tom Hanks, Tom Brokaw, Steven Spielberg and others. On Friday, Barber, 90, died at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in Whittier. Born Aug. 26, 1914, he was 27 in October 1941 when he joined the 11th Horse Calvary the youngest chaplain on active duty in all the branches of the...

“The day began early as I didn't sleep very well last night. Once I was awake I decided not to just lay there and do stare at the darkness so I got up, got dressed, shaved and headed into the TOC, the heart of what goes on. In the TOC (Tactical Operations Center) they monitor several different radio nets to keep abreast of what is happing in the area. It's the place to be if you want up to the minute information. When I arrived it was fairly calm. I made small talk with the guys there and sipped that...

Remembering Father Mychal Judge, NYC Fire Chaplain "Lord, take me where you want me to go; Let me meet who you want me to meet; Tell me what you want me to say And keep me out of your way." It was about 8:50 a.m. on September 11th when word reached West 31st Street about the tragedy in lower Manhattan. The thick, black smoke was already billowing skyward. At Engine Co. 1/Ladder Co. 24, the firefighters climbed into their gear and headed downtown. Across the street at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, Mychal Judge did the same. Father...

By the time I got back to our compound it was all over the news. It seemed like the thing had just happened when in reality I had been neck deep in it for several hours. And there it was on TV. Frankly, it's kind of a blur. The day began early as I didn't sleep very well last night. Once I was awake I decided not to just lay there and stare at the darkness so I got up, got dressed, shaved and headed into the TOC, the heart of what goes on. In the TOC (Tactical Operations Center)...

Just in time for Christmas, Regions Hospital has removed the cross from its chapel and placed it in the chaplain's office adjacent to the chapel so nobody will see it. Actually, Christmas gets mentioned here only seasonally. The decision to remove the cross had nothing to do with any particular religious feast. Let's try this again. The hospital decided to remove the cross from the chapel. Chapel. There was a fear, apparently acted on by hospital administrators that the cross could be offensive to those who use the chapel but are put off their game by a crucifix. "Regions doesn't...

        WEEKLY DEVOTION Merry Christmas! Are you ready for the Christmas season and holiday rush? In the midst of the busyness, hopefully you are experiencing the joy that can come with the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Unfortunately, we all have days when we are not doing well and things occur that are disappointing. Are you joyful and happy? Do you enjoy being with your family and friends? Do you like your work? If you are not joyful this season, you are probably experiencing anger, stress, and sadness or maybe you are numb from emotional...

        WEEKLY DEVOTION For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” Luke 2:11 Those marvelous words first rang out from the angels and warmed the hearts of those who heard them. They still warm hearts around the world. How precious those words are and how important they are to each of us! Most of us have heard them since we were little children and most have preached and taught them as adults. We acknowledge that they are indeed, some of the sweetest words ever heard...

Theological Student Delivers Eucharist By Jackie Spinner Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, December 8, 2004; Page A16 HASWAH, Iraq -- His flak jacket was covered in dried blood, his blood. Look at the stains, Marine Lance Cpl. June N. Ramos said, pointing. There were dark red smears all over the front of his camouflage vest. Ramos reached into the pocket of the flak jacket and pulled out a small silver tin wrapped in a plastic bag. He opened the container, which held a half-dozen Communion wafers. "Instead of putting a grenade in here," Ramos said, fastening the pocket of his...

        The Times We Remember "This date will live in infamy," said President Franklin Roosevelt as he addressed Congress after the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Sixty years later many Americans remember where they were when they first heard the news, and how they felt when they heard or read the President's words. Books and movies have told the story over and over again so that none will forget. There are splendid monuments, annual memorial celebrations, and many wreath-layings. We recall with sadness the death of the victims, and with inspiration, the accounts...