Opinion

A giant who walks the Earth

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Back in the dark ages when I attended the new Air Force Academy Chapel attendance was mandatory for all cadets. There was a Catholic Priest and a Protestant Chaplain but no Mormon minister, Rabbi or Imam. We had no cadets of Muslim belief and students of Jewish faith attended protestant services along with the rest of us. Such was the practice at West Point and Annapolis and probably had so been since each school was stood up. Religious faith was the practice and bedrock principles of those wise men that founded this United States of America. Evidently those in charge thought it good and proper that we cadets training for an officer's commission to lead our armed forces should be men of faith.

Somewhere along the line since that ancient 1950s times chapel attendance became no longer required. A couple years ago Grannie Annie and I visited the Academy and attended a Cadet Chapel service we found only a handful of cadets present. Very few of the permanent party personnel attended either a vivid contrast to my own experience some fifty years prior.

In the 1970s a cadet named Mikey Weinstein graduated from the Air Force Academy. Mikey became what I would call an avid atheist. Mikey served the required time on active duty after graduation then separated from the service to attend law school. He became an activist lawyer and now loudly objects to any reference to Christianity in the military. "Recently on Huffington Post, for example, Weinstein apocalyptically called for the suppression of all religious speech that might remotely be characterized as proselytizing because 'today, we face incredibly well-funded gangs of fundamentalist Christian monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans by forcing their weaponized and twisted version of Christianity upon their helpless subordinates in our nation's armed forces.'" (Google) How is that for a prince of peace? He has brought more than several lawsuits to prohibit demonstrations of faith by officers or enlisted troops.

Our own experiences with Chaplains in the Military over the years have been more positive than the agitations of Mikey Weinstein. Being of protestant persuasion most of our memories are of protestant chaplains. They represented many faith communities, Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, Mennonite, come to mind. Being exposed to different creeds, I was raised Methodist, I found stimulating. I tickled at one Baptist chaplain (Baptists of course don't drink) who found it necessary to belly up to the bar at happy hour every Friday night just to be with his troops. A few of the pastor's wives could be described as "salty" and their children were typical PK's (preacher's kids). Good people just like one finds in our own neighborhoods.

It can be a tough life in today's politically-correct- run-amok military. Chaplains find themselves under increasing restrictions and especially now with the added burden of "gays" in the military. Christians know how to deal with such: "Love the sinner but hate the sin!" Commanders, too are saddled with all manner of restrictions to keep them from sharing their faith. In my experience such nonsense is cyclical in nature and hopefully politically correctness has reached its apogee and is headed for its nadir and obscurity.

Four years ago this Southwestern Nebraska community through the efforts of Grannie Annie and the Adopt-A-Chaplain organization sent several hundred packages to a Chaplain stationed at Forward Operating Base Orgu-E in Afghanistan. Grannie his kept touch with that Chaplain (Captain) Jared Vineyard and he will be coming to preach and express his thanks this coming Sunday, the 9th of June. He will be speaking at the 8:15 and 10:30 a.m. services at the Methodist church on Norris Avenue. The public, Catholics, E. Free, Lutherans, Assembly of God, Christians, even Baptists whatever your flavor of faith all are welcome. Then on the Saturday the 8th Grannie is hosting an open house from 3 to 5 p.m., for the good chaplain his wife and three young children at our home at 201 West M Street. It will be held in our garage where indeed the ladies packed the boxes that went to Chaplain Vineyard in Afghanistan.

A bit about the man. He graduated from West Point and as a Lieutenant trained in artillery. On assignment to Iraq his squad was traveling in convoy and was hit with an IED (improvised explosive device). It was powerful and eight of the nine soldiers involved, his entire squad died. Only one survivor Lt. Vineyard. Recovering from his wounds he finished out his time of obligated service as an artillery officer. Then on his own he attended seminary, became ordained and returned to the Army as a Chaplain. Who better can know how to support troops in combat? This then is the kind of men we have ministering to our troops. Good men. Giants in the faith.

That is how I saw it.

Dick Trail

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  • A reading of the history of the military academies would show you that enforcing chapel attendance (something you appear to endorse) had the effect of driving people away from religion. Further, the decision to create such policy was not directed by any of our country's founders, rather by Col Sylvanus Thayer, much to the chagrin of the cadets and faculty and 10 years after USMA was established.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-rodda/religion-in-the-military-_b_2868007.ht...

    You seem quite happy to proclaim that there was no diversity at USAFA when you attended, and that anyone who didn't profess Christianity was forced into participation anyway. Under the tyranny of the majority, the minority is often silent. I guarantee you there were non-Christians in your ranks who played along to avoid harassment, bullying, negative reviews and all other manner of "Christian love."

    -- Posted by Blake Page on Tue, Jun 4, 2013, at 7:45 PM
  • Mikey Weinstein is a Jew. He and his two sons (also Jewish) are graduates of the Air Force Academy. His father graduated from the US Naval Academy. The so-called Founding Fathers were predominately Deist and/or Protestant with a strong theistic rationalistic point of view.

    Facts matter.

    -- Posted by Virginia B Trail on Wed, Jun 5, 2013, at 9:32 AM
  • Well said, Dick. IMO, what we see today is as Prophesied, will be/is, in these last of days.

    Keep the Watch, keep the witness, in the air,

    That those astray hear what you have to share.

    Maranatha Lord Jesus.

    AMEN

    -- Posted by Navyblue on Wed, Jun 5, 2013, at 11:55 AM
  • Something else spoken by founding father Thomas Paine : He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.

    Welcome to the era of bipartisan greed.

    -- Posted by shallal on Thu, Jun 6, 2013, at 2:01 PM
  • The story of Tarzan enthralls people. You have a naive person from some ancient, primitive and foreign culture being transported into modern times. The story lines are endless. "What will he thing of trains?" you ask. " How will he react to those big cities?" We wait for the writer to lead our imaginations while at the same time we let our own ideas provide their entertainment as well. Here in McCook Nebraska about once a week we get our own form of this. Dick Trail walks from the 1800's into the 21st century and gives us his impression of this new world. " Look at this" ,he says. "Look at that". "Oh how different it is!"

    -- Posted by bob s on Tue, Jun 11, 2013, at 10:12 PM
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