Religious symbolism in the United States military

[4] Authorized in General Order Number 10, and remaining in force for the period February 13, 1880 – May 5, 1888, it was described as "embroidered frosted silver bullion in center of black velvet shoulder straps, and was considered appropriate for both the frock coat or undress uniform.

[31] The November 26, 2008 decision from Vice Admiral Mark E. Ferguson, president of the Navy Uniform Board and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Manpower, Personnel, Training, and Education, was that Hiles would be required to wear the cross linked to his Christian (and non-Jewish) faith beliefs.

The original Army description did not specifically reference a star per se, but instead read "a double Tablet bearing numerals from I to X, surmounted by two equilateral Triangles interlaced.

[37][38] The first insignia ever developed for Hindu military chaplains, it shows a clay lamp representing the human body into which "the oil of devotion to God" must be introduced, symbolizing "the perennial quest of all Hindus: Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya" – "O Lord, lead us from darkness to Light.

"[45] According to "A History of the Chaplain Assistant," "The badge symbolizes the career field mission of supporting the religious needs of the Air Force community in peace, war, national emergencies, and military contingencies.

"[62] According to Professor Penny Jolly, who has studied "social trends in appearance," beards "were eliminated in the US military in WWI due to the need to wear gas masks.

Those demeaning or abrasive regulations generally referred to in the fleet as "Mickey Mouse" or "Chicken" regs have, in my judgment, done almost as much to cause dissatisfaction among our personnel as have extended family separation and low pay scales.

"[79] However, as of noon September 7, 2010 (based on an order issued the previous day) beards for Special Forces troops in Afghanistan were "deauthorized" due to "a vastly changed operational environment.

"[87] One example of visible religious apparel cited in the instructions as authorized, provided it passes the "neat and conservative" test, is the kippah (skullcap) worn by some Jewish personnel, referred to in some military directives by the Yiddish word, "yarmulke.

[46] Resnicoff's report of the bombing, written at the request of the White House, and read in April 1984 as a keynote speech by President Ronald Reagan, explained the symbolism of Pucciarelli's actions and this kippah: Somehow he wanted those Marines to know not just that we were chaplains, but that he was a Christian and that I was Jewish.

[98] While Rattan and Kalsi are both officers, in 2011, Army Specialist Simranpreet Lamba became the first enlisted man to be granted a waiver for his beard and turban as Sikh "articles of faith" in 26 years.

When the Army cleared the Sikhs to serve, it seemed the service was acknowledging the new multicultural age emerging in this country, in which diverse religious practices and cultural customs are being more widely assimilated into the workplace.

[67] They base their beliefs on the ruling of rabbis such as the "Tzemach Tzedek", a past leader of the Chabad movement, who wrote that "any means of removing hair from a man's face is forbidden.

[123] By the time of the Vietnam War, IDs spelled out the broad religious choices such as PROTESTANT and CATHOLIC, rather than using initials, and also began to show individual denominations such as "METHODIST" or "BAPTIST.

For example, there was some controversy in 2008 when the army announced plans to remove three wooden crosses outside the chapel serving military personnel in Kosovo's "Camp Bondsteel," replacing them with a monument displaying the Chaplain Corps seal.

[158] In an interview with Fox News Channel, Lieutenant Colonel William D. Jenkins of the 35th Infantry Division's Kosovo Force 9 said that the Base Camp Planning Board approved the removal of the crosses in accordance with army regulations, which require the exterior to be free of any specific faith group symbols.

[159] Similarly, a cross was removed from a military chapel in Afghanistan in November 2011, at the "remote post" of Marmal, based on the army regulations prohibiting permanent symbols of any religion or faith group.

"[171] Academy officials took actions to send a clear message that the "Cadet Chapel Falcon Circle," the area set aside for Earth-centered worship, "is to be treated with respect and dignity, just as any other religious structure or location.

"[174] Much later, following World War I, a board of officers approved the white marble headstone, slightly rounded at the top—and for the first time, two specific religious markings (the Latin Cross for Christians, and the Star of David for Jews) were authorized for use.

[175] Americans United for Separation of Church and State represented the plaintiffs, saying that "we uncovered evidence that the reason the pentagram hadn't been approved was straightforward religious bias.

[181] Before the actual installation and dedication at Arlington Cemetery, creators and backers of the monument first arranged for it to "go on tour to different communities, giving people a chance to see it and learn more about the role of Jewish chaplains.

[186] The exact origin of the tradition or the words that accompany it is uncertain, although it is believed that it most likely began during World War I "when patriotism was high and the United States Flag was universally embraced as a national symbol".

"[191] In the Fall of 2007, when complaints were made that dipping the flag toward a religious altar was inappropriate, then-academy Superintendent Vice Admiral Jeffrey Fowler directed that the practice be discontinued.

"[202] Some initial military reactions seemed to dismiss the news as if it were of little importance, with one spokesperson comparing the verses to the presence of the phrase "In God we Trust" on United States currency.

[210] (According to Bible scholar John D. Laing, it is possible that the reason that only Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish holy books were printed was that those were the three faith groups represented by chaplains at that time.

[217] Barry Lind, representing Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said that the Bibles could give the impression that the military is "promoting a particular evangelical religious viewpoint.

"[216] Therefore, although this edition of the Bible includes a welcome letter from the three military Chiefs of Chaplains at the time it was published—Major General Gaylord T. Gunhus, United States Army, Rear Admiral Barry C. Black, United States Navy, and Lorraine K. Potter, United States Air Force—that letter notes that "Department of Defense chaplains represent the American landscape of faith groups and religious communities," and that because the Bible is both "the most influential book in all human history" and "for many a constant companion to aid in directing one's life": The Chiefs of Chaplains in the Army, Navy, and Air Force are proud to welcome you to this special military edition of God's Word and encourage you to keep it as a light to shine on your future path, wherever it may lead.

[225]General Tommy Franks, head of the United States Central Command, announced in 2002 that women would no longer be required to wear the abaya, although they would be "encouraged" to do so as a show of respect for local customs.

[224] News reports noted that McSally had been fighting for a change in the policy for seven years, and had filed the lawsuit after she had been threatened with a court martial if she did not comply and wear the abaya.

"[227] Eventually Congress "approved legislation that prohibited anyone in the military from requiring or encouraging servicewomen to put on abayas in Saudi Arabia or to use taxpayers' money to buy them.

Insignia for Christian, Muslim, and Jewish chaplains (left to right) are shown on the uniforms of three U.S. Navy chaplains, 1998. These were the only insignia in use at that time.
The "Shepherd's Crook," the original insignia authorized for U.S. Army chaplains, 1880–1888, and still included as part of the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps regimental insignia
Early army chaplain uniforms used the color black as a symbol of a ministerial presence, before corps insignia had been instituted
WWI Army uniform coat with Christian Chaplain insignia
WWI Army dress uniform coat with Christian Chaplain insignia
Navy uniform shoulder board with "shepherd's crook" insignia
Merchant Marine uniform Christian and Jewish chaplain insignia (c. 1943) showing "distinctive wreaths" of merchant marine officers. Jewish insignia shows Roman numerals, used in all Jewish chaplain insignia at that time.
Example of foreign military using different versions of the cross for different faith groups. Here, the Finnish chaplain insignias for most Christian chaplains (right), alongside the insignia for Eastern Orthodox Christian chaplains (left).
Jewish chaplain insignia, old and new, Army and Navy: left, Army (white metal), pre-1981 with Roman numerals ; right, Navy (gold metal), since 1981 with Hebrew numerals
United States Army Hindu faith branch insignia
USN Religious Program Specialist (RP) emblem, from Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Hospital website
US Army Chaplain Corps seal lapel pin for civilian clothing. Production was discontinued when it was determined that government funds were not authorized for this item
Navy Chaplain (Fr.) George Pucciarelli wears a stole over his Marine Corps camouflage uniform that he donned to deliver last rites after the 1983 truck bomb attack
Navy Chaplain Arnold Resnicoff wears a kippa /skullcap made from Catholic Chaplain George Pucciarelli's camouflage uniform after his was bloodied wiping a wounded Marine's face
Air Force Muslim Chaplain (Capt.) Shahrior Rahman during prayer, wearing a blue taqiyah/skullcap to blend with his USAF uniform
Muslim Navy Chaplain ( LTjg ) Asif Balbale, offering figs to attendees at an iftar /break-the-fast program at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, wearing a taqiyah/skullcap.
Army Captain Tejdeep Singh Rattan stands with classmates at Officer Training , wearing the turban and beard for which he was granted permission based on accommodation of religious practices, 2010.
Army Specialist Simranpreet Lamba, the first Sikh enlisted man to be granted permission to wear a beard and turban as "articles of faith," training at Fort Jackson , SC
Rabbi (Colonel) Jacob Goldstein, U.S. Army Reserve
Rabbi Zalman Lipskier, Chaplain in the Georgia State Defense Force .
WWII dog tags with "C" for Catholic , plus individual cross added to chain
World War II dog tag with Christian religious attachment, "Loyalty to Christ and Country."
"Lord's Prayer" miniature medallion, from dog tag chain
Military ID tag (serial number whited out) listing "ATHEIST" as religion/belief system designation
Designers of the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel , used structure, not specific religious symbols, to identify it as a place of worship. Named a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 2004
11' x 7' wall-hanging created in 1982 for " Commodore Levy Chapel ," the Navy's oldest land-based Jewish Chapel, Naval Station Norfolk . No denominational symbol is used, but it includes the biblical verse, "Sing God's praise anew from around the world, all who sail the sea"
Dedication of the "Cadet Chapel Falcon Circle" at the U.S. Air Force Academy for "Earth centered" worship
Two examples of more than forty religious and belief system symbols authorized by the Veterans Administration for use on headstones and markers in National Cemeteries. Left to right: Russian Orthodox cross and Wiccan pentacle ( "circumscribed" pentagram: pentagram within a circle )
The three memorials to chaplains who died on active duty, located at Chaplains Hill, Arlington National Cemetery. In May 2011 a fourth memorial, for the 14 Jewish chaplains who have died on active duty, was approved, and installed and dedicated on Oct. 24, 2011. Pictured, left to right: (1) Catholic chaplains killed in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam; (2) All chaplains killed in WWI; (3) Protestant chaplains killed in WWI and WWII.
Photo showing four chaplains memorials, as of October 2011
USAF personnel follow the traditional steps of folding the American flag during a ceremony at Ramstein Air Base , Germany
Trijicon rifle scope with reference to 1 John 1:7, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."
The Soldier's New Testament , part of a series of commercial Holman Bibles with U.S. military emblems
The American Bible Society's "Armed Forces Edition" of the Bible, with Chaplain Corps emblems and Chiefs of Chaplains messages
U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Pam Moody wears a hijab while she distributes pencils to Afghan women on International Women's Day .
U.S. Navy Petty Officer Second Class ( Culinary Specialist ) Francine Henry wears a hijab as she distributes cookies she baked to Afghan women.
Four Chaplains stamp, 1948
Four Chaplains stained glass window, Pentagon
President Ronald Reagan 's keynote speech to the Rev. Jerry Falwell 's "Baptist Fundamentalism '84" convention: the story of chaplains as "symbols of faith" in the wake of the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing .