National Guard lieutenant follows a new calling
Richard Howes, a newly commissioned second lieutenant, feels strongly about his new calling. As a member of the Nevada Army National Guard, the 1996 Churchill County High School graduate is undergoing chaplain training through The King’s Seminary while serving the military in a ministerial role. “I work for the (state’s) chaplain,” Howes explained. “I recruit [...]
Projects worth $1 billion planned at Fort Jackson
About $1 billion worth of construction projects are under way or planned at Midlands military bases. The biggest chunk, some $800 million, is for a dozen projects at Columbia’s Fort Jackson, the Army’s largest training center. The military spending should boost the local economy, said Ike McLeese, president of the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce. [...]
Beginnings are difficult, especially in Iraq
Beginnings can be challenging. My beginning at Joint Base Balad Iraq this month brought its share of challenges. First of all, getting off a military aircraft at 3 a.m. dressed in full body armor had its challenges for a 50-something chaplain. My back ached, and sleep in the droning C-130 aircraft had been scarce. Overhead, [...]
Combat vets’ needs seen as escalating
A national suicide-prevention conference focusing on war stress wrapped up Wednesday, a day after the Marine Corps released its highest suicide figures since 2003. In closing remarks, Dr. Ira Katz, chief of mental health with the Department of Veterans Affairs, told hundreds of military, VA and civilian mental health professionals to keep forming collaborations and [...]
Chaplain, Assistant Aim to Help Soldiers Become Better Spiritually
BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers who serve with the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team “Dagger,” 1st Infantry Division, trained for the better part of 2008 in order to prepare for their deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Soldiers focused on what their mission would be for their specific job field, worked [...]
Four Chaplains
John Washington first saw the light of day on July 18, 1908 in Newark, New Jersey. One of seven kids in a poor immigrant family, John as a boy had a newspaper route to help bring in money for the family. Singing in the choir at mass, John decided by the seventh grade that his [...]
Supporting our troops
Local organizations reach out to servicemembers BY KRISTINA HACKER Debbie Katsounakis has been sending care packages to local servicemen and women since 2003. That was the year her son, Nick, was sent to Iraq as part of the Army Reserve’s 341st Military Police Company. And even though her son has been back home for two [...]
