This past week we were at Fort Rucker, Alabama, the home of Army Aviation. I got to visit the “dunker” (Helicopter Overwater Survival Training), but didn’t get in the water. We were busy with an ATX (Aviation Training Exercise), in the simulation center. SSG Swisher and I visited the aviation museum, and met some of…
Our final church service at North Fort Hood Chapel is complete. My assistant, SSG Benjamin Swisher, did a great job pulling a band together, and now we can hand that over to a core group of folks from the 48th CSH who wowed us today. Afterwards, a dozen more volunteers gathered around CPT Brown, who…
Preached at the North Fort Hood Chapel, March 17, 2013. Matthew 5:38ff “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him…
President Obama recently announced that he will bestow the Medal of Honor on Chaplain Emil Kapaun, who died as a Prisoner of War in the Korean Conflict. This is the citation: haplain Emil J. Kapaun, while assigned to Headquarters Company, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism, patriotism, and selfless service…
The focus of the past week was our culminating CPX (Command Post Exercise). We moved into a large TOC (Tactical Operations Center), where we all had computers in front of a large central screen and smaller side screens (a budget version of NASA’s Mission Control). Over the course of several days, we were given different…
RESPECT. It’s one of the army values. I spoke about sexual assault last time—that’s a major violation of this Army value. I’d like to talk about another kind of respect today. That’s the respect we must show on this mission to our partners. We’ll be working in Muslim nations. We will be their guests. They…
Integrity. The Army defines it as “Do what’s right, legally and morally. Integrity is a quality you develop by adhering to moral principles. It requires that you do and say nothing that deceives others. “ It was exemplified by the life of the man born this date in 1732: George Washington. We’ve heard the story…
On March 6, 1836, the Alamo fell to Santa Anna’s army after a 13 day siege. Delegates from throughout Texas were meeting in Washington-on-the-Brazos. On March 2 they had signed the Declaration of Independence. Those delegates made Sam Houston commander-in-chief, and he immediately began to prepare the Texas Army for battle even as Travis held…
On March 8, 1946, the Bell 47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use. Adapted by the Army that same year, it became the H-13 Sioux. Thus began the tradition of naming helicopters after Indian tribes. The Sioux was tiny by comparison to today’s aircraft. Last month, I marveled at one on display at…
It’s time I gave you an update of what I’ve been doing. I’ve been on full-time orders with the Army since early January. We started off with a couple of weeks of premobilization training at Camp Swift, near Bastrop, TX, then I did the Combat Medical Ministry course at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio,…
Pax et bonum 
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