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WASHINGTON (BP)--The attorney for 56 evangelical chaplains who claim the U.S. Navy discriminates against them is asking a federal judge to order the military branch to stop retaining Catholic chaplains well past standard retirement age. Attorney Art Schulcz filed a motion in U.S. District Court on June 5 listing 23 Naval Reserve chaplains over the age of 60 -- retirement age for most reservists -- who are being allowed to remain on duty. All 23 are Catholic, the motion stated. "The apparent purpose of this preference is to allow the chaplains of the preferred denomination to remain illegally on duty...

Pastor gives invocation in House, alludes to abortion, homosexuality© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com A pastor who offered the opening prayer at a recent session of the U.S. House of Representatives is under fire for what some believe were veiled references to abortion and homosexuality, reports The Hill newspaper. The Rev. George Dillard III of Peachtree City Christian Church near Atlanta served as guest chaplain of the House on May 14, having been invited by Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., according to the House chaplain's office. Kingston, however, told the paper he did not invite Dillard. According to the report, Dillard asked God for...

A pastor who offered the opening prayer at a recent session of the U.S. House of Representatives is under fire for what some believe were veiled references to abortion and homosexuality, reports The Hill newspaper. The Rev. George Dillard III of Peachtree City Christian Church near Atlanta served as guest chaplain of the House on May 14, having been invited by Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., according to the House chaplain's office. Kingston, however, told the paper he did not invite Dillard. According to the report, Dillard asked God for "leaders who will seek your truth … who accept that a...

U.S. Military: Juvenile Terror Suspects Better off in Guantanamo Than Fighting in Afghan Conflict SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - In the mornings they learn to read and write in their native languages, clean their rooms and rake the lawn. Recreation includes soccer and watching movies like "Cast Away," one of their favorites. Afternoons, psychologists work to heal the scars of physical and emotional abuse. U.S officials are holding three terror suspects between the ages of 13 and 15 at the remote Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba - a revelation that has enraged human rights advocates and sent U.S....

Road trip to Babylon boosts troops' morale By DENNIS O'BRIEN, The Virginian-Pilot © April 23, 2003 Last updated: 3:30 AM Near the reconstructed arch of Ishtar, Navy chaplains and their escorts begin exploring ancient Babylon to gain perspective for their sermons. Photo by Dennis O'Brien / The Virginian-Pilot. More dispatches from Dennis O'Brien in Iraq BABYLON -- It wasn't the order Charlie Company had hoped for -- which would be ``You're going home'' -- but it beat spending another day camped outside Kut. The Marines were sent on a one-day road trip Tuesday, and what better place to visit...

<p>BAGHDAD, Iraq — When the battles are over, officers regularly tell their soldiers they can turn to the chaplain for counseling to deal with what they have seen on the battlefield or what they have done.</p> <p>But what happens when it's the chaplain who says he can't deal with the horrors of war and quits the battlefield? Word of the chaplain's abrupt departure hit the Army's 2-70th Battalion hard this week. Plans for a Easter Sunday service have been canceled.</p>

It was a short and simple service but one that managed to capture the enormity of British forces' involvement in the war against Iraq. On Easter Sunday in the rubble of one of Basra's many derelict schools, Padre Jonathan Ball began his sermon to the soldiers of A Squadron, Queen's Dragoon Guards with the proviso: "Of course I realise that some of you may not be Christians. I'll close my eyes and won't be hurt if any of you leave." But no one did. Trooper Gareth Carr from Cardiff said: "Sometimes it's necessary to sit quietly for a minute and...

COMFORT, Texas. (BP)--Army Spc. James Kiehl did not know death was around the corner. No one did. No one ever does. But on that day in the Kuwaiti desert, with his unit preparing for battle, Kiehl responded to God's call and accepted Christ into his heart. He was saved. His baptism was captured by a television crew, providing joy for friends and family members back home. Kiehl's walk as a Christian, though, lasted not years, but mere days. In late March, in the heart of Iraq, he was killed, leaving behind a wife who was expecting their first child. Fittingly,...

                                          Welcome to The USO Canteen FReeper Style                                                                                                                 Today we take a Spiritual Journey to:U.S Army Garrison Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield...

Baghdad, Iraq The 500 soldiers in the Army's 2-70th Battalion have broken through Iraqi strongholds a dozen times with their tanks and other armored assault vehicles. It's not a unit for the faint of heart. When the battles are over, officers regularly tell their soldiers they can turn to the battalion's chaplain for counseling to deal with what they have seen on the battlefield or what they have done.But what happens when it's the chaplain who says he can't deal with the horrors of war and quits the battlefield? Word of the chaplain's abrupt departure this week hit the battalion...

Received this in an email today, folks. Thought many of you might appreciate it. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you have worn the uniform this one will get you!!! A little background - The German Army is at Gates of all military installations in Germany providing entry control on a 24 X 7 basis to relieve US Forces that are in middle east.. A different perspective on our German allies. Our governments may be at odds over Iraq Policy - but Military understands Military Here are our Allies! Sunday, 30 March 2003 As usual I was running late. So, you can imagine my...

<p>The Rev. Franklin Graham, successor to his ailing father, the Rev. Billy Graham, preached salvation at the Pentagon Good Friday service yesterday, saying Jesus Christ has risen and will return to the Earth soon.</p> <p>"Oh, it's Friday, it's Friday," said Mr. Graham, weighing his words with a cadence similar to his father's preaching style, "and it's a good one."</p>

Sunday, 30 March 2003 As usual I was running late. So, you can imagine my frustration level as I approached the main gate of Ramstein Air Base only to find traffic backed up! Nearing the checkpoint I realized that not only was there a long line of cars, but traffic had come to a complete stop as a result of all, entrance gates being closed. Over the past 18-months, there have been many opportunities to practice our patience as we have had to "hurry up and wait" as a result of heightened security. While we realize the necessity, it's still...

Ramstein Chaplain's Thought For The Day (Thursday 10 April 03) If you have worn the uniform this one will get you!!! A little background - The German Army is at Gates of all military installations in Germany providing entry control on a 24 X 7 basis to relieve US Forces that are in middle east.. A different perspective on our German allies. Our governments may be at odds over Iraq Policy - but Military understands Military Here are our Allies! Sunday, 30 March 2003 As usual I was running late. So, you can imagine my frustration level as I approached...

Christians in combat gear find peace in worship Bob Dart - Cox Washington Bureau Monday, April 14, 2003 Camp Udairi, Kuwait --- On Palm Sunday, the soldiers prayed at a makeshift altar at the hood of a Humvee. Just because the 4th Infantry troops from Fort Hood, Texas, are anxious to ''get in the fight in Iraq doesn't mean we're warmongers. We're soldiers,'' said Maj. Greg Walker, the 2nd Brigade chaplain. ''But I guarantee you this: God can give you peace,'' said Walker, an Assemblies of God minister from Arnold, Mo. With M-16 rifles slung over their backs and palm...

War is hell, observed the American Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman, and so who better to guide troops through such terrifying terrain than military chaplains? American forces involved with the war in Iraq have been accompanied by hundreds of such chaplains representing Christians, Jews, Muslims and even Wiccans. Australia's much smaller contribution is reflected in the number of chaplains dispatched to the Iraqi theatre: five in all, including one serving with SAS troops. Who they are, where they are, and what they are doing are questions that run up against the impenetrable wall of "operational security". But in a...

Split-second, no-choice decision haunts unit Fri Apr 11, 5:39 AM ET BAGHDAD I t wasn't supposed to be this way. They weren't supposed to kill one of their own. But each night, soldiers in the Headquarters Company, 4/64 Task Force, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, go to sleep thinking about Capt. Ed Korn -- a man they barely knew but now can never forget. They cannot shake the memory of April 4, when they mistook Korn, 31, for an Iraqi fighter and unwittingly killed him. ''We talk about it every day,'' said the 28-year-old commander of a tank-like Bradley Fighting...

Troops find body of missing soldier By MICHAEL SPRENGELMEYER April 12, 2003 Stone-faced soldiers bowed their heads as a chaplain recited prayer over the body an American soldier found dead Saturday in a shallow grave on the southern outskirts of Iraq. The soldier had been missing and feared dead since last week when his infantry unit was ambushed by Iraqi militia in the Baghdad suburb of Al Dora. His identity was being withheld pending notification of his family. Finding his remains had been a priority mission for the members of the 101st Airborne Division who swept into the southern part...

The last three times I have caught Geraldo since he returned to the 101st in Iraq, he has ended his show with the Chaplain saying a prayer. In fact this one had two prayers. Don't get me wrong, in no way am I against it, I just find it curious. Wasn't there something about him and religion not long ago? They say war is hell but in Geraldo's case it may have been the other way around.

Rev. Wiley Johnson is no stranger to combat. Should he be deployed to Iraq in his capacity as a chaplain in the U. S. Army, it would be the fourth such war zone.