MRFF's Inbox

January 24, 2009

To: Mikey Weinstein and MRFF:

My name is [name withheld]. My rank is [rank withheld] and I am a member of the United States Army Reserve. I am currently serving in Iraq with [unit designation withheld] company. This is my second deployment to Iraq. The first time I deployed, I was an infantryman and my job was to conduct combat operations. The company I am a part of now goes out regularly, almost daily, conducting support operations by transporting vehicles, water, and other supplies in support of the overall mission here.

Prior to each mission we have a briefing. This briefing is focused on providing intelligence updates, route information, and other mission critical information. Do you know how this briefing starts off? With a mini-sermon/message from the unit chaplain, followed by a prayer. This "chaplain's brief" is mandatory (no one has ever said that it is a voluntary event) and is conducted at the start of the briefings nine times out of ten.

This, the sermon and prayer, is not mission critical. However, I do understand that there are soldiers within the ranks that do have a religious faith and enjoy this bit of spiritual guidance. So, in that sense, it may provide some value to those folks. I don't agree with how the chaplain's briefing is implemented, because I am nonreligious, but I'm not asking to remove the chaplain's brief entirely. What I have proposed, and asked for through my chain of command, is a mutually beneficial fix. My proposal consisted of the following: "Move the chaplain's briefing to the end of the convoy briefing and ensure that all of the troops know that it is voluntary."

Too easy right? Apparently not. I have made my case in a few different venues, and have even spoken with my battalion's command sergeant major about the subject. I first made my case more than a month ago, and nothing has changed. Still, to this day, at nine out of ten convoy briefings, the chaplain's briefing is at the beginning of our convoy briefings, and no one ever says that it is voluntary.

I no longer go on convoys. I have a desk job which keeps me on our base.

I have thought about requesting to go on one last convoy, so I might attend one more convoy briefing, just so that I can request to be excused from the chaplain's brief. I know that there are other soldiers with the ranks who think the same way that I do, but they have been intimidated by their chain of command and choose not to speak out. I hope that I don't have to be the one to stand up and take action here, however, it may come to that.

Sincerely,
[name and rank withheld]