Set your VCR’s and Tivo’s for Wednesday at 10pm.  The Hallmark Channel will be airing a documentary called The Four Chaplains : Sacrifice at Sea.

The true story of four World War II U.S. Army chaplains who sacrificed their lives to save their comrades comes to life in “The Four Chaplains: Sacrifice at Sea,” a prime-time television special that airs nationally on Wednesday, November 10, (10 p.m. ET/PT) on Hallmark Channel. The one-hour documentary recounts through dramatic military film footage, recreations, and personal interviews with survivors and family members how a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi, and two Protestant ministers removed their life jackets for others, and spent their last moments praying, arm-in-arm, as the U.S.A.T.  Dorchester went down.

In 1960, the U.S. Congress created a special Medal of Valor honoring the Four Chaplains, and their memory is preserved in a stained glass rendering in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.  You can find out more background information at the films official website.  You can also view a trailer for the movie there.

Texas A&M’s Corps of Cadets is looking to recruit minority students, and that includes bringing Jewish cadets into the fold.

Recent statistics show that the Corps’ recruiting techniques are working to attract minority students, but they plan to do a lot more in the near future.  The Corps Commandant, Gen. Van Alstyne, said that although the majority of the Corps is Christian, the need for religious diversity is being addressed.

“I made it clear (to the chaplains) that their first priority is to ensure there is religious accommodations for everyone in the outfit and their job is to direct them to others who can guide them, like a pastor or a counselor,” Van Alstyne said.  The Corps of Cadets currently has a Jewish chaplain and a Muslim chaplain.

Read more at The Battalion, the school’s newspaper.

While I try to avoid politics on this site, I have to give a quick plug for David Ashe for Congress.  He is running in the 2nd Congressional District, which includes the Norfolk-Hampton Roads area.

What brings my attention to Mr. Ashe is that he is a Jewish Marine who served in Iraq.  There’s actually a lot more to it than that.

Mr. Ashe was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1996.  He served for five years as a JAG lawyer before leaving active duty as a Captain in September of 2001.  Weeks after September 11th, Captain Ashe was called back to active duty where he served in several high echelon positions and included being deployed to Kuwait as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

In 2003 Capt Ashe was deployed to Iraq, where he was attached to an infantry battalion assigned to the Al Muthanna region of Iraq.  He was the sole coalition legal representative assigned to restore the judicial system in an area which covered approximately 1/9 of Iraq.  Since every Marine officer is a provisional rifle platoon commander (even lawyers), Capt Ashe was part of numerous foot patrols through the region.

Something I find ridiculous is that after all this, Ashe’s opponent in the election has the nerve to say he is weak on terrorism!

The purpose of this article isn’t to get you to vote for David Ashe (he’s not even in my district), but rather to point out the achievements of this amazing man.  His desire and commitment to serve his country, in and out of the military, is what Jews in Green is all about. 

The politics seems to be a popular arena for Jewish service members as of late.  Our Featured Jew for October is a city councilman currently serving in Iraq.

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has helped out and offered support for our Chanukah Care Package Program.

We have had a number of people donate items and money (to purchase gifts) to be sent to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Several readers have also volunteered themsleves and thier community to collect gifts and send packages themselves.

We will be making our final purchases this weekend and mailing out the care packages on Monday morning.

I’ll keep everyone posted on the status of the packages and hopefully have some letters and pictures of the troops enjoying them soon!

I have always felt that voting is an incredibly important thing, especially for those of us in uniform.  It kills me to see people not exercising the very freedoms they put their lives on the line for.  So go out there and VOTE!  The DoD has made it easier than ever to do so.

The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) has made available an official On-line Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (OFWAB).  The OFWAB like the paper version has been prescribed by FVAP to serve as an emergency ballot for those overseas citizens covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) who do not receive their requested state absentee ballot.

Generally, a citizen can only use the FWAB under three, very specific conditions.  To be eligible for this ballot, the U.S.citizen must:

• Be located outside the United States (including APO/FPO addresses);
• Have applied for a regular ballot early enough so that the request is received by the appropriate local election official at least 30 days before the election; and
• Not have received the requested regular absentee ballot from the state.

Read more...

If you’re a boxer or a female soccer player, the Army wants you!

Soldiers interested in competing for spots on the 2005 All-Army boxing and women’s soccer teams, should send their applications in soon.

Men and women have until Nov. 2 to apply for the All-Army boxing tryout camp scheduled Jan. 5 to Feb. 13 at Fort Huachuca, Ariz.
Feb. 14 is the Valentine’s Day deadline to apply for the All-Army women’s soccer tryout camp March 29 to April 16 at Fort Eustis, Va.

For more information, see the Army News Article HERE

Well, yet another service has jumped on the utility uniform fashion bandwagon.

The Navy has officially released its new “Working Uniform” proposals for all sailors from E-1 to O-10.  The fleetwide wear test scheduled to begin this winter, will be conducted at commands around the world, and across the spectrum of different platforms.

The Navy Working Uniform is being designed to take the place of utilities, wash khaki, coveralls, woodland green, aviation green, winter working blue and tropical working uniforms. The normal wear life is designed to last up to 18 months, compared to the current wear life of six months for the working uniform.

Thank goodness that someone at least admitted that they are not meant to camouflage!

The working uniform design is not intended to camouflage Sailors against the background of a ship. Instead, the multiple colors on the uniform - navy blue, deck gray, haze gray and black - are common in the maritime working environment, making them a more practical choice.

According to the Navy, the pattern actually helps disguise dirt, stains, and wrinkles.  (I’m not making this up).

The Navy is definitely due for an update to their working uniforms and a utility uniform seems like a pretty good idea.  These first iterations are just prototypes and will certainly be changed and tweaked to create something that is practical and useful to sailors.

For more details on the uniforms (including pictures) and the wear testing, check out the following stories:
Navy Tests a New Look
Task Force Uniform Test Uniforms Unveiled Aboard USS Iwo Jima

Very few things brighten the day of deployed troops like a phone call home.  If you have a loved one deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan, or are just looking for a great way to show your support of our troops, a phone card is a great gift idea.

While there are numerous international phone cards out there, AT&T has partnered with the military exchange to offer a discounted card that can be used at the call centers found at overseas locations.  Example rates are .21 cents from Kuwait and .28 cents from Afghanistan and Iraq.  In comparison, the average rate for other phone cards are around .40 cents per minute.

The special AT&T cards can only be purchased from military exchanges.  The good news is that you don’t have to have reugular exchange privaleges to purchase the cards for deployed troops.  In other words, civilians can buy the cards directly!

The Exchange has even set up several programs where you can send a card to those most in need, so even if you don’t know anyone personally who is deployed you can still show yor support.  Visit the official website for detailed information on the phone cards and various programs offered.

Make your vote count!  I’ve had my own personal issues with absentee voting in the past, and my advice is to be proactive about getting your ballot and making sure it gets mailed out in time.

via the Armed Forces Information Service

Oct. 11-15 has been designated Absentee Voting Week by the Federal Voting Assistance Program.

Overseas voters should vote and return their state absentee ballots or the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot during this week, according to federal voting officials. 

FVAP officials note it’s imperative to mark and mail ballots as soon as they are received. If a state absentee ballot has been requested but doesn’t arrive by voting week, a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot should be submitted. In the event the state ballot shows up after the FWAB is sent, it should be marked and returned as well.

For more information, visit the FVAP website.

Haaretz, one of the leading newspapers in Israel, has an interesting article about Jews serving in Iraq.  It’s a great read!

Some of the content is a little dramatic (and entertaining):

It was dark and he was tired, but he was determined to get from his base at Camp Victory to Saddam Hussein’s former Republican Palace in the capital. He put on his uniform, grabbed his M-16 and went looking for his two Jewish comrades-in-arms to join him on an urgent mission - to get to the palace, safely, before Rosh Hashanah services began that evening…

But he talks about some serious topics as well.

The author addresses the issue of having too few Jewish chaplains in Iraq and in the service as a whole as well as other difficulties Jewish service members are facing over there.  The picture painted is certainly not a rosy one, but I think it is often the struggles and hardships that we endure that make us stronger as a people.