Guard chaplains contribute to Landstuhl’s spiritual team
LANDSTUHL, Germany (6/26/09) – The boxes arrive daily from the United States.
Some days, 15 boxes arrive. Some days, 20. Typically each week, between $8,000 and $12,000 in cash also pours in from U.S. citizens and groups.
The boxes and the money are meant for the wounded warriors who pass through [...]
Army chaplain reflects on tour in Afghanistan
Chanhassen resident and Faith Presbyterian Church pastor Chris Carlson sneezed for 10 months in Afghanistan, the “dustiest place” he’s ever been, but now the 54-year-old chaplain is back for a humid Minnesota summer.
His army reserve unit returned in March. The deployment was from May 1, 2008, to March 1, 2009. Carlson was back in the [...]
After work in Afghanistan, chaplain finds he has Lou Gehrig’s disease
STEVENS POINT — The Rev. Dan Farley has faced danger before; in fact, he’s survived it many times.
Farley, who ministers at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in the town of Buena Vista, has worked to stop gangs in Los Angeles and counseled soldiers in war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan.
Many of the areas where he worked in [...]
Army chaplain, doctor comfort survivors of Metro crash
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, June 26, 2009) — Several Walter Reed Army Medical Center staffers survived the deadliest accident in Washington Metrorail’s 33-year history Monday.
Maj. David Bottoms, a Walter Reed chaplain and Col. Thomas Baker, chief of pathology, said they were both riding in the first car of the train that slammed into another stopped [...]
Active, Reserve Chaplains Play Critical Role
WASHINGTON – Active and reserve Army chaplains are playing a critical and strategic role in Iraq, a chaplain serving with Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq said this week.
“Our troops are working tirelessly and selflessly to create a trusted and viable security force,” Army Maj. William Steen, chaplain, said during a “DoDLive” bloggers roundtable June [...]
Priest gravely wounded in Iraq in 2004 dies
Five years after being gravely wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq, the Rev. Tim Vakoc, a well-known and well-loved Roman Catholic priest from Minnesota, has died, his family said Sunday.
Vakoc, 49, who had been living at St. Therese Care Center in New Hope, died about 8 p.m. Saturday after being taken to North Memorial [...]
Rabbi gathering flock from troops, civilians
One of the U.S. Army’s newest chaplains in Europe is trying to build a congregation and a sense of community for a faith that has relatively few numbers compared to other religions.
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Avi Weiss said although his first priority as a Jewish chaplain based in Heidelberg, Germany, is as a [...]
Chaplains Train for Deployment
As the Army’s role in Iraq is changing, the importance of peaceful communication and liaison with the Iraqi people is paramount. But as long as there is conflict in Iraq, Soldiers must still train for combat. A special exercise at Fort Polk’s Joint Readiness Training Center is teaching Soldiers to strike that careful balance.
Soldiers with [...]
