There is a movement inside the US Military establishment to enhance the Spiritual Dimention of the troops. Most, if not all, posts have a church, chapel or temple, most having more than one. Most are Christian (C or P) and a few are Jewish. When I went through Basic Training I asked if there was a Islamic service -- there wasn't, nor was there a Buddhist. I failed to ask about Paganism. Does anyone know if any branch of the US or UK or any English-speaking service has regular Islamic, Buddhist, or Pagan Parsons? Are there chapels for these services?
I know that when I went through basic (about 1970) there were Islamic chaplins, and I assume there were Buddhist. I do not know about pagans (except perhaps the bikers).
Tom -- Which service and where did you matriculate Basic Training? I did my Boot at Fort Jackson, S. Carolina. All the chapels seemed of the same WWII vintage, all of a basic Christian design which marked them as churches, whatever denomination they represented. As I have written someplace, as a part of the inprocessing briefings, religious serves were covered, but only "standard" (Rome, several Protestant, Jewish, all Sunday). I did ask regarding Islam, and got a "I look into it". Several weeks later there was a generic announcement of the beginning of Muslim services. One Sunday I took the circular shuttle-bus to this service, only to be underwhealmed. It was not an Islamic religious service but a lecture regarding not Islam but the tennets of "Black Muslims", not the same thing. I politely listened. And when I greeted this 'imam' in Arabic I got a startled look from the man. He obviously did not even know that according to Islamic Lore Islam is the language spoken in Heaven. I suspect I knew more about real Islam than this 'imam'. Some years later I met a young lady who informed me that she was once invited to become the first Wicca chaplin in the DOD. Memory serves to make me think it was around the turn of century.
I was in the Army (Although I did serve a short time in the Air-Force reserves) and did basic in Fort Polk (I also did two extra weeks in Ft.Jackson due to reserve status). I did basic late 1970, early 1971.
