Wife fills in for Indiana state senator serving in Afghanistan
Fox News.com
Published December 10, 2014
Talk about a power couple.
Indiana state Sen. Jim Banks has found the perfect match to fill in for him in the state legislature while he serves in Afghanistan as part of his Navy Reserves unit – his wife.
In what is reportedly an Indiana first, Banks’ wife Amanda will serve as an interim senator in his place while he completes his Afghanistan tour.
Banks, speaking with Fox News in a joint interview with his wife on Wednesday, said he’s “very proud.”
“I know she will represent the district well,” Banks said, speaking from Afghanistan.
The Republican senator found out he wouldn’t be around for election day during the campaign. But he won reelection, unopposed, and was sworn in via Skype, from Afghanistan.
read more here
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
"Holy Crap" Christian Chaplain Told He Can't Share Faith?
In 2012, The Chicago Tribune did a study on "non-believers" in the military.
The article focused on a concert "Rock Beyond Belief" at Fort Bragg for non-believers.
Over at Fort Benning a Chaplain dared to share his story of struggles and his faith. Chaplain Lawhorn wanted to talk about what he did to help with his depression.
I don't have access to read all the words he used. I didn't have a front row seat to see the soldier getting upset having to listen to someone share his heartbreak as well as what helped him. I don't need to. What I do have is a loss of hope that the best way to help soldiers heal PTSD has to address the spiritual aspect as well as their body and the rest of their mind.
On Mother Jones there is still an article up from 2011 about atheist chaplains. Jason Torpy, an Iraq vet and president of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, participated in an interview.
What exactly is free thinking when it seems as if a Chaplain isn't free to share his thoughts? If atheists are so convinced people of faith are so full of nonsense, then what are they afraid of? After all, I am a Christian and a Chaplain, albeit not a member of the military, but my faith is so strong that I don't have to get the approval of atheists. Why do they want the approval of people they disregard as being so stupid they believe in something there is no proof of?
I get the fact they don't seem to be able to grasp the concept of belief not requiring proof above and beyond what it took to get them to decided to believe as much as what it lacked for atheists to choose not to. What I don't get is, how does all of this work in their own minds?
Again, why are they free to think and believe what they want yet others are not? Why do they think they are entitled to shut up a Chaplain, a Christian Chaplain from sharing his faith with those willing to listen?
It is a Chaplains job to share his/her faith and that is why they are in the positions they are in. So what are atheists afraid of? That it will rub off on them? Give me a break! I am not afraid an atheist will take away my belief but I talk to them. I'll listen to what they are going through and talk to them like a person. Whenever I do need to share what I believe in, I tell them that they can think of it the same way they always do. That when I mention God or Christ, it is just a nice story. Sooner or later they get the point that we're not all trying to get them to convert half as much as we're trying to help them with their spiritual warfare.
Atheists struggle with good and evil just as much as anyone else but they are harder to reach when they don't really believe they have a soul but have some type of disconnected emotional part of their brain searching for reason. They can still feel better when they walk away once they are able to at least think of things differently.
I had an argument a long time ago with a veteran hell bent on pointing out how evil I was to support God. He kept telling me that it was impossible to believe in God because of all that is wrong with the world and the hell of suffering going on. This lasted quite a while until I asked him where he thought good came from.
He didn't understand at first. So I asked him if he ever saw anything good in Vietnam. Once he got over being angry, he paused for a bit, then said he never saw anything good. I could tell there was something he was hiding. I asked him what made him cry there. He told me about a young child. Then went off on a rant about kids suffering all over the world.
I asked him, "Where do you think the good inside of you came from that lasted all these years?"
He walked away. I wasn't about to argue with him considering he had a lot to drink. Later at the event he kept looking at me and the expression on his face softened. I talked to more people and kept catching him looking over at me. As I was leaving, he came over, gave me a hug and walked away. I guess I struck a nerve and got him to remember that things are not as bad as we think they are most of the time, because most of the time, we don't notice what is good.
I have no problem with atheists having their own groups but I do have a problem with them wanting to stop believers having the same rights they want for themselves. I have no problem with them not wanting to go to Christian events but I do have a problem with them wanting to take away the rights of others do go to them.
I also have a huge problem with them being so bent out of shape over a symbol of a cross they don't believe in. If they don't believe in it then how can it be so offensive to them they can't stand the thought of it giving comfort to someone else?
There are limits to everything and they shouldn't have to put up with being forced to do anything regarding faith or the lack of it so they should be able to have their own groups but they can't get what they want by taking away the same ability from others.
Atheists believe in nothing but on this point, what they seem to believe in is non-sense. Telling a Chaplain he can't share what he believes in defeats the reason he is there in the first place.
Christianity also dominates the religious makeup of the military. Only about 8,000 out of 1.4 million active duty members in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force identify themselves as atheists, and another 1,800 say they are agnostic, according to the Defense Department.
The article focused on a concert "Rock Beyond Belief" at Fort Bragg for non-believers.
Fort Bragg's garrison commander said allowing the atheist event to be held on base was just the latest manifestation of the Army's efforts to make sure nonbelievers in its ranks were treated like everyone else.
"We don't treat soldiers who are atheists as atheists," said Col. Stephen Sicinski. "We treat them as soldiers."
After rain gave way to sunshine on Saturday, a smaller-than-expected crowd streamed onto the same large field where Christians gathered in 2010. There was again face painting and jumping inflatables for children, but a performer on stage rapped that "creationism is dead wrong" and a T-shirt for sale featured a Bible along with the slogan "Holy Crap."
Over at Fort Benning a Chaplain dared to share his story of struggles and his faith. Chaplain Lawhorn wanted to talk about what he did to help with his depression.
FORT BENNING, Ga., Dec. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Liberty Institute, on behalf of U.S. Army Chaplain (Captain) Joe Lawhorn, responded to the Army's punishment against him on December 8, 2014.One soldier complained.
On November 20, 2014, Chaplain Lawhorn conducted suicide prevention training as required by Army regulations. During the training, he discussed his own personal struggles and how he used the Bible to successfully combat his depression. One of the soldiers in attendance complained to an atheist group about Chaplain Lawhorn's presentation. In response, Army Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade Commander, Colonel David G. Fivecoat, issued Chaplain Lawhorn a Letter of Concern alleging that Chaplain Lawhorn "advocated for . . . Christianity and used Christian scripture and solutions" and therefore violated Army regulations.
I don't have access to read all the words he used. I didn't have a front row seat to see the soldier getting upset having to listen to someone share his heartbreak as well as what helped him. I don't need to. What I do have is a loss of hope that the best way to help soldiers heal PTSD has to address the spiritual aspect as well as their body and the rest of their mind.
On Mother Jones there is still an article up from 2011 about atheist chaplains. Jason Torpy, an Iraq vet and president of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, participated in an interview.
"We've got a considered opinion that chaplains are appropriate, given the modern chaplaincy. The military has heaped upon the chaplains responsibilities for ethical advisement, for well-rounding the person, to provide support to a military that is less than 70 percent Christian and less than 50 percent Protestant, to provide support to a unit and still be relevant. Chaplains are given responsibility for deployment counseling, for family counseling, financial counseling, and now this new resiliency training."
What exactly is free thinking when it seems as if a Chaplain isn't free to share his thoughts? If atheists are so convinced people of faith are so full of nonsense, then what are they afraid of? After all, I am a Christian and a Chaplain, albeit not a member of the military, but my faith is so strong that I don't have to get the approval of atheists. Why do they want the approval of people they disregard as being so stupid they believe in something there is no proof of?
I get the fact they don't seem to be able to grasp the concept of belief not requiring proof above and beyond what it took to get them to decided to believe as much as what it lacked for atheists to choose not to. What I don't get is, how does all of this work in their own minds?
Again, why are they free to think and believe what they want yet others are not? Why do they think they are entitled to shut up a Chaplain, a Christian Chaplain from sharing his faith with those willing to listen?
It is a Chaplains job to share his/her faith and that is why they are in the positions they are in. So what are atheists afraid of? That it will rub off on them? Give me a break! I am not afraid an atheist will take away my belief but I talk to them. I'll listen to what they are going through and talk to them like a person. Whenever I do need to share what I believe in, I tell them that they can think of it the same way they always do. That when I mention God or Christ, it is just a nice story. Sooner or later they get the point that we're not all trying to get them to convert half as much as we're trying to help them with their spiritual warfare.
Atheists struggle with good and evil just as much as anyone else but they are harder to reach when they don't really believe they have a soul but have some type of disconnected emotional part of their brain searching for reason. They can still feel better when they walk away once they are able to at least think of things differently.
I had an argument a long time ago with a veteran hell bent on pointing out how evil I was to support God. He kept telling me that it was impossible to believe in God because of all that is wrong with the world and the hell of suffering going on. This lasted quite a while until I asked him where he thought good came from.
He didn't understand at first. So I asked him if he ever saw anything good in Vietnam. Once he got over being angry, he paused for a bit, then said he never saw anything good. I could tell there was something he was hiding. I asked him what made him cry there. He told me about a young child. Then went off on a rant about kids suffering all over the world.
I asked him, "Where do you think the good inside of you came from that lasted all these years?"
He walked away. I wasn't about to argue with him considering he had a lot to drink. Later at the event he kept looking at me and the expression on his face softened. I talked to more people and kept catching him looking over at me. As I was leaving, he came over, gave me a hug and walked away. I guess I struck a nerve and got him to remember that things are not as bad as we think they are most of the time, because most of the time, we don't notice what is good.
I have no problem with atheists having their own groups but I do have a problem with them wanting to stop believers having the same rights they want for themselves. I have no problem with them not wanting to go to Christian events but I do have a problem with them wanting to take away the rights of others do go to them.
I also have a huge problem with them being so bent out of shape over a symbol of a cross they don't believe in. If they don't believe in it then how can it be so offensive to them they can't stand the thought of it giving comfort to someone else?
There are limits to everything and they shouldn't have to put up with being forced to do anything regarding faith or the lack of it so they should be able to have their own groups but they can't get what they want by taking away the same ability from others.
Atheists believe in nothing but on this point, what they seem to believe in is non-sense. Telling a Chaplain he can't share what he believes in defeats the reason he is there in the first place.
Four Tour Iraq Veteran Killed By "Allegedly" Drunk Driver
Sister-in-law of veteran killed in wreck: 'He was a hero and his loss is deep'
KLTV New
By Francesca Washington
Posted: Dec 09, 2014
TYLER, TX
On Sunday night, 30-year old Jerry Howell was killed when his car was struck by a pickup truck on Highway 31, near Kilgore. His wife, Wendy was his passenger, and is still in a Tyler ICU.
"They were just dropping the kids off and heading home when it happened," said Mindy Benson, Jerry's sister-in-law.
Mindy Benson says her sister and brother-in-law, Wendy and Jerry Howell, spent Sunday afternoon among family, taking new family photos.
Later that night, their car was struck by Adam Hotaling, who was allegedly drunk behind the wheel. Hotaling, a Shreveport resident, is in the Smith County Jail, charged with intoxication manslaughter.
"If you're going to drink, stay where you are at, call a friend, call somebody. Don't get on the road. Because he walked away and they didn't, "Benson said. "I know that he never intended to have an accident when he set out. But that choice has impacted this family. It has taken away a father, a husband, a brother, an uncle, a son and a friend."
Benson says Jerry was in the U.S. Army for 17 years. He served four tours in Iraq and was awarded a Purple Heart in 2004.
read more here
KLTV New
By Francesca Washington
Posted: Dec 09, 2014
TYLER, TX
On Sunday night, 30-year old Jerry Howell was killed when his car was struck by a pickup truck on Highway 31, near Kilgore. His wife, Wendy was his passenger, and is still in a Tyler ICU.
"They were just dropping the kids off and heading home when it happened," said Mindy Benson, Jerry's sister-in-law.
Mindy Benson says her sister and brother-in-law, Wendy and Jerry Howell, spent Sunday afternoon among family, taking new family photos.
Later that night, their car was struck by Adam Hotaling, who was allegedly drunk behind the wheel. Hotaling, a Shreveport resident, is in the Smith County Jail, charged with intoxication manslaughter.
"If you're going to drink, stay where you are at, call a friend, call somebody. Don't get on the road. Because he walked away and they didn't, "Benson said. "I know that he never intended to have an accident when he set out. But that choice has impacted this family. It has taken away a father, a husband, a brother, an uncle, a son and a friend."
Benson says Jerry was in the U.S. Army for 17 years. He served four tours in Iraq and was awarded a Purple Heart in 2004.
read more here
'Real Forrest Gump' Sammy Davis brings his song to Fort Wayne
'Real Forrest Gump' brings his song, Vietnam tale here
The Journal Gazette
Jeff Wiehe
December 10, 2014
He carries the harmonica whenever he’s in uniform.
It’s been nearly 50 years since he first learned to play it, teaching himself the notes to “Shenandoah” solely to please a sergeant who would make the rounds of his artillery unit in Vietnam.
“It’s getting better,” the sergeant would tell him, noting that he needed to hold that note longer or another note shorter.
Sammy L. Davis brought out his harmonica Tuesday for the people gathered in an auditorium at Indiana Tech, and he told them this:
“I hope this finds a place in your heart and renews your soul.”
Those people, they were there to hear his story.
It’s a story about a 42-man artillery unit just west of Cai Lay, Vietnam, trying to hold off 1,500 swarming members of the North Vietnamese Army early one November morning in 1967.
It’s about how one of those young men manned a lone howitzer and fended off hundreds of enemies, and how, despite suffering horrendous injuries, he used an air mattress to cross a deep river to rescue three of his comrades.
If this sounds like a movie, well, there’s a reason people call Davis, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and a man who put a harmonica to his mouth to play “Shenandoah” before the rapt audience, the “real Forrest Gump.”
‘“Forrest Gump” based on me’
read more here
Sammy was at the Homes from Our Troops Fundraiser a couple of years ago and we had some time to sit down for a chat with his wife Dixie. In the first video, Sammy talks about playing Shenandoah.
The Journal Gazette
Jeff Wiehe
December 10, 2014
He carries the harmonica whenever he’s in uniform.
It’s been nearly 50 years since he first learned to play it, teaching himself the notes to “Shenandoah” solely to please a sergeant who would make the rounds of his artillery unit in Vietnam.
“It’s getting better,” the sergeant would tell him, noting that he needed to hold that note longer or another note shorter.
Sammy L. Davis brought out his harmonica Tuesday for the people gathered in an auditorium at Indiana Tech, and he told them this:
“I hope this finds a place in your heart and renews your soul.”
Those people, they were there to hear his story.
It’s a story about a 42-man artillery unit just west of Cai Lay, Vietnam, trying to hold off 1,500 swarming members of the North Vietnamese Army early one November morning in 1967.
It’s about how one of those young men manned a lone howitzer and fended off hundreds of enemies, and how, despite suffering horrendous injuries, he used an air mattress to cross a deep river to rescue three of his comrades.
If this sounds like a movie, well, there’s a reason people call Davis, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and a man who put a harmonica to his mouth to play “Shenandoah” before the rapt audience, the “real Forrest Gump.”
‘“Forrest Gump” based on me’
read more here
Sammy was at the Homes from Our Troops Fundraiser a couple of years ago and we had some time to sit down for a chat with his wife Dixie. In the first video, Sammy talks about playing Shenandoah.
May 15, 2012
During the Orlando Nam Knights Homes For Our Troops fundraiser, MOH Sammy Davis tells the story of how he became known for playing Shenandoah. This fundraiser will be called the Dannis Wolf Bish Memorial fundraiser from now on. Dannis was killed right after the bike week party and Homes For Our Troops was his passion.
May 7, 2012
At the Orlando Nam Knights fundraiser for Homes For Our Troops, Vietnam Veteran and Medal of Honor hero Sammy Davis talked to me about what it was like coming home after all he'd been through. It is a story few have heard before. As Sammy put it, it is one of the reasons no other veteran will ever come home treated like that again.
May 8, 2012
Vietnam Medal of Honor Sammy Davis has a message to all the troops coming home. Talk about it! Don't try to forget it but you can make peace with it. Dixie Davis has a message for the spouses too. Help them to talk about it with you or with someone else.
Rick Scott Honored Fort Hood Soldiers from Florida
News Release: Governor's Press Office
December 8, 2014
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott honored Private First Class Justin Johnson from Punta Gorda, Florida and Staff Sergeant Patrick Zeigler from Orange County, Florida, who are expected to be awarded Purple Heart Medals for their bravery during the 2009 Fort Hood shooting.
President Obama is expected to sign legislation authorizing Purple Heart Medals for acts of heroism during the 2009 Fort Hood Shooting after passage of the bill in the US House and US Senate.
Governor Scott said, “Florida stands proudly as two Floridians – Private First Class Justin Johnson and Staff Sergeant Patrick Zeigler – are expected to be awarded the Purple Heart for their bravery during the 2009 Fort Hood Shooting. Both men sustained injuries in the massacre. As a veteran myself, I join all Floridians to express sincere gratitude to Justin and Patrick and their families today for their sacrifice.
“We also remember Sergeant Danny Ferguson, from Mulberry, Florida, who lost his life during the 2014 Fort Hood Shooting. The horrific acts that happened at Ft. Hood will forever be remembered by all Americans and we will continue to honor those who were injured, or killed, and their families.”
December 8, 2014
President Obama is expected to sign legislation authorizing Purple Heart Medals for acts of heroism during the 2009 Fort Hood Shooting after passage of the bill in the US House and US Senate.
Governor Scott said, “Florida stands proudly as two Floridians – Private First Class Justin Johnson and Staff Sergeant Patrick Zeigler – are expected to be awarded the Purple Heart for their bravery during the 2009 Fort Hood Shooting. Both men sustained injuries in the massacre. As a veteran myself, I join all Floridians to express sincere gratitude to Justin and Patrick and their families today for their sacrifice.
“We also remember Sergeant Danny Ferguson, from Mulberry, Florida, who lost his life during the 2014 Fort Hood Shooting. The horrific acts that happened at Ft. Hood will forever be remembered by all Americans and we will continue to honor those who were injured, or killed, and their families.”
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