Army Specialist Joe Kashnow (our featured Jew this month) and his wife Sarai have established the Jewish Soldier Foundation. The JSF's mission is to "provide support, services and advocacy for and on behalf of our Jewish bretheren who have committed themselves to defending freedom, democracy, and other G-dly values."

There has been a great deal of press coverage about SPC Kashnow's injury he received in Iraq, but there hasn't been much written about the Jewish Soldier Foundation itself. Since the JSF and Jews in Green are both working towards improving life for Jews in the U.S. military, what better place to spotlight his new organization than here? Click on "Full Story" to read more.

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For our inaugural "Question of the Month" in the forums, I've chosen a somewhat controversial question:

What religion is stamped on your dog tags?

vote here (you must log in to vote)

While this would seem to be a simple question for Jews, many people have concerns (justified or not) about consequences that may befall a service member in Iraq or any country hostile towards Jews.

The JTA just posted a story about the gruesome execution of Nicholas Berg in Iraq and the possible connection to him being Jewish. Although the JTA seems to lean towards there being a relation to that fact, they do offer two sides to the issue from none other than Rabbi Ackerson and SPC Joe Kashnow.

Evidently, the Army doesn't agree with that statement. A group of World War II paratroopers planned to parachute into Normandy to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Allied invasion there. Unfortunately their plans were cut short when the Army said that the men were too old to make the jump.

Howard Greenberg, a Jewish soldier from the 11th Airborne who served in the Pacific, said that he planned to jump to honor two of his Jewish friends killed in the war. Greenberg did the same jump in 1994 for the 50th anniversary at the ripe age of 69.

While I can't completely fault the Army for not wanting to take a risk with men of this age, I have to give these guys credit. I mean this is the definition of chutzpah!

If anyone has any stories or photos from the jump in 1994, please email them to me or post them as a comment.

A few weeks ago LTC Mitchell Ackerson, the Army's top Jewish Chaplain in Iraq, returned home to his family in Baltimore.

Rabbi Ackerson left some awfully big shoes to fill in Iraq. The Baltimore Jewish Times recently wrote an incredibly in-depth article about his adventures in Iraq and his heartwarming return to the States. This is kind of the Everything You Wanted to Know About Jewish Soldiers in Iraq article. I would even dare to say it's a must read.

One of Rabbi Ackerson's most notable (among hundreds of) incredible accomplishments was the Passover Seder in Sadaam's Palace.

God bless, and Yesher Koach Rabbi Ackerson!

About Judaism has an article about Judaism's views on war. The main focus is the attempt to balance the value of maintaining human life with the necessity of fighting a war.

There's nothing groundbreaking here, but it certainly seems to be a relevant topic considering current events. In fact, we could all do a little good by reading and emulating some of the fundamental principles in the article.

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The Army News Service is reporting that Soldiers who have been involuntarily extended past their 12 month tour in Iraq or Kuwait are eligible for an extra $1000 per month.

The extra pay is actually made up of additional hardship pay and incentive pay. To be eligible for the bonus, soldiers must serve 12 consecutive months or 365 days out of a 15-month period in theater.

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The month of May has been designated by Congress as National Military Appreciation Month. This is the sixth year the country has specifically celebrated our military this way. The month encompasses a number of specific holidays including: VE Day, Military Spouse Day, Loyalty Day, Armed Forces Day, and Memorial Day.

There are numerous events planned around the country ranging from airshows to special sales for active and retired military at local businesses. For more information on the month and a full list of events in your area go to nmam.org

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The National Museum of American Jewish Military History has a program that allows you to memorialize a fallen Jewish service member via the Yahrzeit Remembrance Program. They charge a fee of $100 to list your loved one on the site. Each yahrzeit includes a photo and a brief description of his or her service. The listing is shown on both the Jewish and standard calendar dates of his or her death.

I actually came across this while looking into creating something like this on JewsInGreen.

I wouldn't be able to offer something as polished as the NMAJMH (with automatic listings and such), but we could create a list of names and dates of yahrzeits. If there is a significant interest in such a service I would like to do it, so leave a comment if you think this is a good (or bad) idea.

The Department of Defense has announced a new program that allows people to purchase phone cards for a specific military member or made available to "any service member".

The cards can be used at call centers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, aboard ships, and just about anywhere else we may deploy. For more information, check out the official DOD announcement.

Rabbi Carlos Huerta (MAJ, USA) will be speaking on May 2nd at 8 p.m. at Temple Beth El in Cedarhurst, NY (located at Broadway and Locust Avenue).

He will tell about his experiences serving with the 101st Airborne Division in Operation Iraqi Freedom from March to December 2003. For more information see this story in the community newspaper or you can contact Temple Beth El at 516-569-2700.