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Even as politicians and generals grapple with such wider considerations, on the ground there are other priorities.

When a mass casualty event occurs, soldiers in the unit affected often do not have time to pause and collect their thoughts, or mourn the passing of comrades. There are a host of tactical and administrative tasks needing resolution before a proper memorial or mourning period can be set aside.

The instant a soldier is wounded, a communication blackout is enforced. This “commo blackout” ensures that the deceased’s family is properly notified by Department of Defense officials, rather than through unofficial channels like another spouse or, worse, a posting on a social networking site.

After the battle has subsided, the personal effects and bodies of the wounded and deceased are evacuated to a larger base and turned into the mortuary affairs collection point. Equipment is properly inventoried to ensure that sensitive items have not been left on the battlefield for the enemy. The chaplain is dispatched to the unit that has suffered casualties, where he counsels friends and fellow soldiers. Meanwhile, the chaplain assistant and the personnel section begin generating memorial plans and dates.

READ MORE from The New York Times

A former military lawyer who served in the Reagan White House and worked for Ross Perot is suing a Dallas-based religious organization in a case that could test the limits of free speech and prayer.

Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said he wants Gordon Klingenschmitt, a former U.S. Navy chaplain, to “stop asking Jesus to plunder my fields … seize my assets, kill me and my family then wipe away our descendants for 10 generations.”

The suit also asks the court to stop the defendants – Klingenschmitt and Jim Ammerman, the founder of the Dallas-based Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches – from “encouraging, soliciting, directing, abetting or attempting to induce others to engage in similar conduct.”

READ MORE from The Dallas Morning News

“Even with my training, my preparation — I had to say another prayer,” said Aberdeen native Pat Opp, an Army chaplain scheduled to leave in November for his second deployment to the Middle East/Central Asia.

Opp knocked on such a door this summer at Fort Carson, Colo., where he is stationed.

The family saw him, accompanied by another soldier, approach the house, but did not readily answer the door, Opp said.

“Denial,” Opp said. “Nobody wants to see a chaplain and another soldier walking toward their home. It means something bad: a soldier missing or badly wounded or dead.”

READ MORE from KVII

Father Emil Kapaun, the U.S. Army chaplain who died in a prison camp after saving dozens of soldiers’ lives in the Korean War, is deserving of the Medal of Honor, the secretary of the Army has determined.

Kapaun, a native of Pilsen, in Marion County, and a former parish priest there, died of starvation and pneumonia in the prison camp at Pyoktong, North Korea, on May 23, 1951; he was 35. Soldiers who were with him have said that the communist Chinese camp guards murdered him because he rallied fellow starving soldiers to pray, to stay alive and to stay true to their country in the face of relentless brainwashing sessions.

Fellow prisoners of war have pleaded with the military for decades to give Kapaun the Medal of Honor. As a result, Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, as early as April 2001 asked Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to review Kapaun’s eligibility for the honor.

READ MORE from The Wichita Eagle

When Kansas National Guard soldiers are deployed to hot spots in Iraq and Afghanistan, they don’t walk alone into the hostile areas.

Military chaplains are assigned to units, ensuring the troops’ spiritual needs are met. Chaplains are available for religious services, Bible study and individual counseling. In some cases, they go to the front lines to conduct services.

Finding a sufficient number of chaplains has become increasingly difficult in recent years, as evidenced by the high vacancy in available slots. At present, the Kansas Army National Guard has only six of 15 chaplain slots filled, meaning there is a 60 percent vacancy rate. Kansas Army National Guard officials say the vacancy rate is representative of other Guard units across the country.

READ MORE from The Topeka Capital-Journal