Tag Archives: divorce

Fort Campbell chaplains go far beyond ceremonies, services

Fort Campbell chaplains go far beyond ceremonies, services | The Leaf Chronicle Clarksville, Tenn., and Fort Campbell | theleafchronicle.comhttp://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20120115/NEWS08/201150333The Division Chaplain for the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne falls back on a story to explain what a chaplain is all about, and he uses it not only on curious visitors, but on other chaplains as well.

It is written on a plaque displayed prominently in his office. It is the story of “The Four Chaplains” and Chaplain Lt. Col. Paul Hurley knows it by heart. As he starts to tell it before a gathering of other chaplains, it sounds like the beginning of every “a minister, a priest and a rabbi” joke ever told, but the image is dispelled quickly as the message sinks in.

On Feb. 3, 1943, at 12:55 a.m. the U.S. Army Transport (U.S.A.T.) Dorchester was torpedoed by a German U-Boat off Newfoundland with 900 soldiers aboard. One torpedo in a spread of three blew a huge hole below the water line, dooming the ship instantly.

Military divorce rate at highest level since 1999

Military divorce rate reaches new high – USATODAY.comhttp://www.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2011-12-13/military-divorce-rate-increases/51888872/1The military divorce rate reached its highest level since 1999, as nearly 30,000 marriages ended in fiscal 2011, raising the prospect that troop withdrawals may lead to more divorce, according to interviews and Pentagon data released Tuesday.

Military praises ‘fantastic’ new post-traumatic stress therapy

Military praises ‘fantastic’ new post-traumatic stress therapyhttp://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=319737For the American soldier, it’s become the sneakiest of all sneak attacks to watch out for – the enemy’s final chance to wreak havoc by secretly following the soldier home and attacking him and his loved ones there.Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD – frequently characterized as “bringing the enemy home with you” – has become an epidemic in the U.S. military. But because of a dramatic breakthrough from the grassroots, there is new hope.

The problem is dire. Exacerbated by back-to-back tours of duty in a war environment where enemy combatants are often indistinguishable from civilians and every passing vehicle a potential car bomb, up to 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war vets are currently struggling with PTSD,according to the federal Department of Veterans Affairs.

A Triumph of Hope: Minister hits bottom to rise as an Army Chaplain

A Triumph of Hope: Minister hits bottom to rise as an Army Chaplainhttp://www.army.mil/-news/2011/05/04/55922-a-triumph-of-hope-minister-hits-bottom-to-rise-as-an-army-chaplain/BASRAH, Iraq – Life was good for Harold B. Bender. He had it all; a nice house, nice car, a wonderful wife and three kids, and what he considered his dream job – the youth, singles and recreation minister at a church in Colorado Springs, Colo.

An incident in high school had opened his eyes, and mind, to matters of eternal significance and set him on the path to what soon became apparent was not only his calling, but also his gift; ministry. So he pursued an undergraduate degree in church recreation at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo., and then went to seminary at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas, for his master’s degree in religious education with an emphasis on recreation.

“My two loves were the Bible and basketball,” said Bender, a native of Evansville, Ind. “I thought that church recreation was the perfect marriage of the two. I had often wondered why God would put an NBA heart in a churchly body, and I finally realized it was because he wanted me in the church league. So I viewed that as an opportunity, a perfect fit for me.”

Valentine’s Day dinner helps build romance, relationships

Valentine’s Day dinner helps build romance, relationships http://www.army.mil/-news/2011/02/17/52056-valentines-day-dinner-helps-build-romance-relationships/On Feb. 11, the U.S. Army Garrison Chaplain’s Office hosted a Valentine’s Day dinner at The Commons at Fort McPherson to help inspire and encourage romances and friendships.

The event, attended by 178 people, celebrated the importance of relationships and provided a forum for people to interact with one another and strengthen their bonds over the course of a meal provided by The Commons staff.

For Arthur and Alice Carey, the dinner was a chance to socialize with friends from their church, the Catholic congregation on Fort McPherson, and spend time with each other.

The couple, who are approaching 51 years of marriage, said times have significantly changed since they met.

A Life Worth Saving

A Life Worth Saving http://www.blackanthem.com/News/living/A-Life-Worth-Saving23243.shtmlBASRAH, Iraq – It was a clear, sunny February day. A breeze was blowing through the open window of her apartment; the closet had finally been cleaned earlier in the week and the small study Bible her best friend had given her when she was 12 was laying on the nightstand.

That was when Spc. Kelly L. Lee sat down on the floor next to her bed, placed the razor against her wrist and said, “God, if you’re there, you better let me know because I’m going to come meet you.”

“I was at such a point of self-loathing; that’s why I got out the razor blade,” the 27-year-old Dallas native said. “I had my own place, a good job and a wonderful fiancé at the time. All the pieces of the puzzle were there, but something was missing. That missing piece was the life I didn’t have.”

And life had not always been great for Lee, she said. A self-proclaimed Army brat, the fiery redhead grew up in an unstable home filled with drug and alcohol abuse. Her parents were divorced by the time she was 12 and her mother had been in and out of jail since Lee was 9 years old.

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