Proposed changes allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the military could marginalize military chaplains from religions which consider homosexual acts sinful, a religious liberty group has warned.

Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot said that if the military is forced to promote homosexual behavior there will be “open conflict between the virtues taught by chaplains and the moral message delivered by the military.”

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Sgt. Crystal D. Starks won’t ever forget the two words spoken by the little Afghan girl.

Starks, a chaplain’s assistant with Fort Bragg’s 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), was handing out notebooks and pencils and crayons at the hospital on Bagram Air Field. The girl, probably 4 years old, approached her and said “thank you.” In English.

It was a quick moment, but with a larger impact.

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PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI – A lot people still have the conception that the United States military is still “this man’s Army” but female soldiers are just as much a part of today’s armed forces as their male counterparts.

In addition, I was pleasantly surprised to meet two married couples who met in the military and married and are now serving together and deployed together in Haiti.

Both couples are assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion in the Airborne Division from Fort Bragg as part of the relief mission in Port au Prince in Haiti.

The battalion was deployed after the earthquake and helps coordinate the deliver of supplies from the airport to other units and the Haitian people.

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When I am asked about my year with the 34th Infantry Division in Iraq, it will be an honor to say that I had the privilege of serving in somewhat austere conditions with a group of proud, hard-working, can-do, never-say-quit Citizen-Soldiers who brought their best skills to Iraq and made mission no matter what was asked of them.

I will never be able to explain the challenging conditions we found at Contingency Operating Base Basra, or the expanse of our operating environment, the extreme poverty we witnessed, the unbelievable humidity, the sandblasting dust storms or the difficulty of travel. I won’t be able to describe the gut-wrenching grief we felt at the loss of our soldiers or the incredible joy of cheering on our Vikings, the tears that come from receiving a care package from a stranger, or the lift that comes from a cup of joe at Holy Joes coffee shop on base. I won’t even try to share what it is like to hear the big voice boom “Incoming! Incoming! Incoming!” and know your life is on the line or the ecstasy of hearing “all clear” and know that you’ve been given the gift of another day.

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Camouflage-covered prayer books?

To a Jewish soldier stationed far from home, such items are scarce and valuable commodities, as welcome as discovering a like-minded soldier to share a Shabbat evening dinner. An entire weekend dedicated to their spiritual wellbeing can be even rarer.

According to organizers, those facts are what make this weekend’s annual Military Shabbaton and Training Conference at The Shul in Bal Harbour, Fla., so important. Hosted by the Aleph Institute, a Chabad-Lubavitch organization whose Enduring Traditions Chaplaincy Program helps Jewish men and women in the U.S. armed forces maintain their religious connection, the Feb. 11-14 event will bring together more than 300 service personnel, lay leaders and congregants for presentations by military leaders.

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