Bonnie Erbe

General Petraeus's Spiritual Literary Endorsement—More Controversy We Don't Need

August 21, 2008 RSS Feed Print

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Check out Military.com's piece on a book endorsement by Gen. David Petraeus. The endorsement has generated the commander of the Multi-National Force-Iraq more trouble than MoveOn.org generated for itself by calling him "General Betray-Us" in a full-page ad in the New York Times.

Petraeus is leaving Iraq next month to become overall commander of American forces in the Middle East and Afghanistan. By all accounts, he has received positive reviews, including this statement from a Times reporter:

Violence has plummeted from its apocalyptic peaks, Iraqi leaders are asserting themselves, and streets that once seemed dead are flourishing with life. The worst, for now, has been averted.

But the reviews of his book endorsement are not so favorable:

The book is "Under Orders: A Spiritual Handbook for Military Personnel," by Army Chaplain (Lt. Col.) William McCoy, and according to Petraeus' published endorsement of the work, "it should be in every rucksack for those times when soldiers need spiritual energy."

Is the Army a chapel? Or is the Army the Army? Have yourself a rollicking good time and read the comments pro and con posted by military personnel and interested onlookers. As if we didn't already have enough things to fight over.

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Gen Petraeus has just as much right to recommend a book as you do to not read it! For pete sake, grow up AMERICA!
As long as our Chaplain's are watched, as they are, to ensure they follow military practice and to encourage and exort our soldiers, you have nothing to worry about.
If a Wicca book had been recommended, would you have felt better?
85% of America professes some form of Christian belief.

Deb of LA 4:30PM June 30, 2009

I think there is a great deal of confusion on this topic and certainly political motives by many, especially Weinstein.
As a non-Christian soldier, I don’t recall anyone appointing Weinstein as my spokesman or the protector of my religious rights in the Army.
If you look at the words on the cover, it clearly states "it should be in every rucksack for those times when soldiers need spiritual energy." Let’s look at the words very carefully.
It should be…doesn’t say will or must. Not an order.
Be in every rucksack…last I looked, not every soldier carries a rucksack around with them all the time.
For those times when soldiers need spiritual energy maybe they will look at this book. If I am not looking for any spiritual energy, why would I even bother reading it? I most certainly won’t go into the book store and walk down the aisle that displays these books unless I am in market for one.
Last time I looked in my rucksack, it wasn’t there.
Last time I checked, they weren’t passing them out when you receive your equipment.
Didn’t get issued to me when I deployed to Iraq, twice.
Isn’t being paid for by the Army to give me one.
Now, if I were of the Christian faith and perhaps if I were interested or looking for another book besides for the New Testament edition of my choice, maybe I would be interested in this book, but again, maybe not.
Free choice still exists within the military on what I buy and read and what I determine is right for me as to faith.
Oh by the way, last time I checked, each soldier packs his or her own rucksack and determines what goes in it besides what the Army provided me to meet my mission.
So, since the book isn’t Army equipment, doubt that it will be included in the rucksacks anytime soon, unless of course someone chooses to do so.
Weinstein needs to get a grip on reality and climb down off his high horse. Maybe he (Weinstein) is setting himself up to go into politics or maybe he needs to check himself into rehab.

nonchristiansoldier of FL 7:29AM August 23, 2008

Bonnie Erbe must be suffering writer's block to publish something like this. It's much ado about nothing. The military provides a support base for soldiers who seek out spritual guidance but it is never mandatory and the majority of soldiers keep their religious beliefs private. Chaplains are the most unobtrusive members of the military but they are always available to assist soldiers when asked and they do a fine job of it. The military goes to great lengths to provide this kind of support to a variety of religious beliefs. During the days of the draft, we had just about everything one could imagine and to contradict the writer from California, the Army found Kosher food and Jewish Chaplains for the Orthodox, professed Sikhs were allowed to wear traditional headdress with the Army uniform, Catholic Chaplains assisted Mormons in religious services, and so on. It is even better nowadays. If any "preferential" extra effort is mounted, it is to the non-Christian members. I watched the Chaplains walk the corridors in hospital in Vietnam going from bed to bed asking if the wounded needed anything - call home, etc, but there were no Bible thumpers. It is absurd that General Petreaus' comment would cause this much criticism and politically oriented hatred to percolate up. The country has more important problems to solve.

Heinrich of SC 1:42PM August 22, 2008

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General Petraeus's Spiritual Literary Endorsement—More Controversy We Don't Need

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