Officer won’t face court-martial in alleged assault of male soldier

By Nancy Montgomery, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Monday, April 7, 2008

HEIDELBERG, Germany — A V Corps chaplain accused of sex crimes and assault has been allowed to resign his commission rather than face a court-martial.

Capt. Anthony C. Mastromarino was allowed to “resign for the good of the service in lieu of court-martial,” officials said. “He is leaving the service,” said V Corps spokeswoman Hilde Patton.

Such resignations, which normally conclude with a less than honorable discharge, are a way for authorities to deal with cases that are deemed troublesome to prosecute, experts said, for a variety of reasons.

Mastromarino was charged in January with several crimes that prosecutors said he committed against a male soldier in Vilseck last June: forcible sodomy, indecent assault, indecent exposure and fraternization. He was also charged with twice threatening and assaulting a woman — in 2005 at Fort Campbell, Ky., and in January in Heidelberg. He also was charged with assaulting a military policeman called to the January incident.

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A General’s Spiritual Journey

70,000 copies of new book debut to American troops in the Middle East

DALLAS, Jan. 30 /Christian Newswire/ — Millions were inspired by the stirring, visceral account of Lt. General Hal Moore’s Vietnam war experience as told in the New York Times #1 bestseller We Were Soldiers Once…And Young. The major motion picture adaptation, We Were Soldiers, was hailed by many as “one of the best war movies ever made.” But there is so much more to the story.

In A General’s Spiritual Journey, observed and written by Hal Moore’s driver, General Moore opens his heart and soul about the role faith has played throughout his many life experiences. The evocative collection of memories and private thoughts are observed and written by his friend and “driver.” From his childhood in Kentucky, through West Point, to the bloody battlefields of Korea and Vietnam, in business and family, and into his current days of writing, speaking, and living without his beloved wife Julia, Hal Moore leaves little doubt as to what he has always valued most in his life–his God.

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Prayers and Guns in the House of God

Military.com  |  By Bryant Jordan  |  February 04, 2008

Soldiers may come to Chaplain (Maj.) David Langer’s services for a little bit of peace. They may come for God.But they come armed, nonetheless.

“Most of the guys just put their weapons under their chairs,” said Langer, a Congregational minister and Army chaplain assigned to the 5th Iraqi Army Division Military Transition Team, which travels throughout Diyala province.

There are no rules against taking the weapons into the service, he said.

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Military copes with shortage of chaplains

By Andrea Stone, USA TODAY

Army Maj. Paul Hurley journeyed four days by convoy, aircraft and helicopter to reach the remote outpost in Iraq near the Syrian border where 50 U.S. soldiers hunkered down in November 2006. He was the first Roman Catholic priest to visit in six months.

“It was a very profound experience (to) visit soldiers who are facing their mortality every day,” Hurley recalls. He celebrated Mass and heard confession from a dozen Catholic soldiers before leading Thanksgiving prayers for the base.

Hurley belongs to a dwindling flock of chaplains whose mission to support soldiers and their families has been strained by the demands of war and a shortage in their ranks. The Navy and Air Force usually recruit enough religious leaders, but the Army, which expects chaplains to be able to do everything soldiers do except carry a weapon and now relies heavily on reserve units, is hurting for spiritual aid.

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[I originally wrote this reflection in April 2007 while deployed to Baghdad, Iraq. I had ministered to the casualties of another unit earlier in the day.]

9 April 2007

It is times like these that cause me to examine my faithfulness to God’s call. Am I living up to the standard of godliness for the vocation of priestly ministry?

This afternoon, I stood beside the bed of a soldier as he fought for life. The medics and doctors worked their hardest to save him. He, and his buddy who lay on the next bed, were seriously injured in an explosion; their third comrade was killed instantly. The soldier for whom I prayed was breathing laboriously, moaning, and fighting with his hands to stop the pain as the doctors worked to stabilize him. That fight was his last.

For about fifteen minutes, the battle for life and death was fought. In the end, the soldier and his buddy both died.

Later, I went to the morgue to offer a commendatory prayer over the three bodies and to sprinkle them with holy water.
And, now I wait for the transportation that will take their bodies away in a few hours. I will join the fighting brothers from their platoon, the doctors and medics, and other soldiers in paying respect and rendering honors to these brave men. I will offer a prayer, salutes will be rendered, and the remains will be taken away.

A few days from now, their battalion will have a memorial and pay their final respects. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to participate. But I have done my work here today.

Soldiers need love—they need the love of God to be ministered to them in moments of crisis. Not only are there three bodies to respect and commend into the Lord’s hands, there are also a couple of dozen soldiers here right now who need to know God cares about them and sees their grief and the turmoil of their hearts. There are souls who need God’s love ministered to them.

If I ever forget that there are souls that need nurturing, or if I ever fail to nurture those souls, I will have forsaken my vocation.

Rest in God’s hands, H, S, and W.

Lord, strengthen me by thy grace to so minister to thy children that they may turn to thee for safety and surety.  Amen.