Posted on Aug 24, 2017
Why are cadets at military academies (Army, Navy, Air Force) allowed to take a two-year hiatus to conduct religious trips?
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Because the military values religious service, it is also an deferment for the draft, and you can actually get a sabbatical from active duty to take time off for a number of reasons one of which is religious service.
I'll certainly argue that spending two years serving others will make you a better officer, especially if that service is on an overseas religious trip. You'll gain far better understanding of just how and what makes our country great after spending some time in other countries. Certainly helps realize what a great document our constitution is.
I'll certainly argue that spending two years serving others will make you a better officer, especially if that service is on an overseas religious trip. You'll gain far better understanding of just how and what makes our country great after spending some time in other countries. Certainly helps realize what a great document our constitution is.
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MAJ (Join to see)
SFC (Join to see) - Long standing tradition, certainly applicable to the Chaplains Corps, My experience it certainly helped my character development, but that was before I enlisted. Two years in the Amazon jungle helping people sort their lives out, awesome experience, highly recommended.
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SFC (Join to see)
MAJ (Join to see) - Well the chaplain corps makes sense, since half their job is to just do religious things.
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I took a year off from the USAFA just to grow up. I had resigned at the end of my 2nd year (mostly due to my inability to cope with what I saw as stupid rules). On my way out the door, they stopped me and made me an offer. The program was called "Stop-out": it allowed cadets in good standing, with high GPAs, to administrative leave (no pay, but retain the green AD ID card) for one year. The program had congressional support because about 50% of those who they would have lost, returned and graduated. They save the investment and get another officer, by allowing a "no cost" year. I was one of those.
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From what I could find, it is not just Cadets and Midshipmen. It also includes Officers, who can take up to three year sabbaticals for a variety of reasons. I don't like the idea one bit that based on timing of the sabbatical and billet rotation , I may get close air support from a pilot whose been out of the cockpit for 5-6 years. I think it is part of the continued process of "wussification" of the US Military.
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Maj John Bell
MAJ (Join to see) - "Your opinion that religious service is mutual exclusive to military service is the delusion I was referring to." As I stated it is NOT my opinion "...that religious service is mutual exclusive to military service." deluded or otherwise. It is my opinion that it is personal reasons used as justification to not honor an obligation.
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LCpl Darrell J. Farley Jr.
In the Marines we had a saying, God, Country, Corps, lets go to War!!! When I checked into my Battalion my CO, a Colone, would spend about an hour talking to the new Marines to get to know us. One of his topics was religion. When he saw I am LDS ( Mormon) he said he expects more from me than the others in my Battalion. Because I was older he expected maturity, and leadership. Serving a foreign mission prepares many service members with a good understanding of how to deal with people of different nationalities. Unfortunately a gunshot wound ended my military career. But back to the topic, a religious leave , I feel makes the service member more mature and I stills the qualities of leadership. Something that younger service member both enlisted and officers need, just because a young person graduates college (ROTC or service Academies) doesn't mean they are mature or a leader.
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Maj John Bell
LCpl Darrell J. Farley Jr. - Is there a reason that people who feel a religious calling for mission work cannot complete the religious mission prior to entering service? Can you present a compelling argument that a religious sabbatical matures a service member more than military service? If a 1-3 year sabbatical for foreign mission work, creates a "good understanding of how to deal with people of different nationalities." Why not make some foreign community service religious or secular in nature a requirement for all officers candidates. If more maturity is the goal why not raise the minimum age of commissioning? The problem is that we are creating a climate where the individual is served and accommodated by the military, completely antithetical a calling where one has no right to refuse legal orders that may foreseeably have a most likely outcome of death or permanent disability.
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