Gone Fishin!

On October 8th I’ll be running in the annual Army 10-miler http://www.armytenmiler.com/ It’s a great race that I hope merely to finish. 10 miles is a long way to run, especially on my old knees. Who knows, this may be the beginning of my marathon career, NOT! Anyhow I’m running with some of my friends from FT Jackson and I had the idea of running for something other than me. As many of you know our friend Sam Thomas and his father M.A. have been caring for orphans for the last 40 years or so. They rely on donations to supply the basic needs of these kids. At one of their orphanages they have over 1500 children there. It costs about 23 dollars a month to keep a child clothed and fed. That’s not a whole lot. So we are going to run this race for the kids. I’m asking for sponsors either by the mile or one time donations. Now its too easy to give. Hopegivers has a web-site http://www.hopegivers.com/ If you go there you can donate online or you can mail them your check. All the information i...

For those of you that prayed thanks! Today is a good day. Dr. Sam granted bail in Rajasthan! By Robby Brumberg COLUMBUS, GA (May 1, 2006) – Hopegivers President Dr. Samuel Thomas received bail today from the Jaipur High Court and will be released tomorrow after spending 47 days in Kota Central Jail in Rajasthan. Dr. Sam, as he is known to millions around the world, has been held on charges that he “created communal disharmony.” Hopegivers Founder Bishop M.A. Thomas was also granted bail on the same charge from India’s Supreme Court on April 20. The news of Dr. Thomas’ release is being applauded by supporters of the humanitarian mission worldwide. “We praise the Lord for this decision. The Lord has heard our cries and those of his children around the world! Now it is time to get back to focusing on what we do best, caring for abandoned and orphaned children,” said Hopegivers Program Director Shelley Thomas, also the wife of Dr. Sam. Hopegivers is still waiti...

I’ve been an American all my life. I’ve been to 15 countries outside our borders. I’ve seen our land from Mainie to California. I’ve always been glad to be an American. I’ve realized it’s a gift a precious gift to be able to live here. I say I’ve always been glad to be an American, but until last Friday I was just glad, now I’m proud. I mean “swoll” up proud to see my flag, to wear this uniform, to serve with some fine men and women to be an American citizen/soldier. The reason for this is a kind of epiphany moment I had standing on the steps of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I was standing there in my dress blue uniform hugging my daughter watching the changing of the guard. The reason for the “blues” is that we had just buried our friend, 1SG Bob Kuehne, in section 64 of Arlington National Cemetery. Bob was killed in a motorcycle wreck a month ago and his family asked me if I’d officiate the service. Its not something you’d ever say no to. We had a great turnout. People from SC dro...

I’ve been told that I needed to update my blog. So I wanted to take this opportunity to do some personality profiles of people I work with. This is not a place to exalt the egos of people I know, Army leaders rarely need that, its simply just a place to get some information out to my friends outside the Army about who I get to spend most of my days with. Today I am beginning with a really good friend. His name is Pete, he’s a Company Commander in a Basic Combat Training unit. He’s probably close to 30 now. He’s an infantry officer. He can tell you all the specs on a Bradley Fighting Vehicle with enthusiasm. He knows everything about small arms. He takes his job seriously, but always remembers to laugh. When times are hard he thinks of other people. I noticed this when we lost our friend Bob a few weeks ago. At the hospital all he did was offer ways of helping other soldiers who had to think about other things. He brought me breakfast when I needed to remain in place. He is hard on his...

It is with profound sadness that I report the death of 1SG Bob Kuehne. He was killed in a motorcycle accident this week. Its hard to put into words that typify him. I would say he was rough, tough, gentle, kind, abrasive, honest, hilarious, deep, simple, real and just a good friend. Chaplains have strained relationships with 1SG’s sometimes, but not me and Top. He would always ask me, “Chaplain, have you prayed for me today?” I’d always say, “Top, you need prayer!” He laughed out loud and long. He loved his daughter more than anything. She is blessing too. I had the privilege of meeting her at this tragic time. His brother, Chuck, is a retired Army LTC and looking at him you can’t miss the family resemblance. We spent all day today praying and crying and remembering Bob. It is a remarkable honor to be with people at this time in their lives. To be with a family at such a devastating time, to try to bring some healing, some comfort, is a task that I dearly love and hate at the same time...

Philippians 1:21 states, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain”. Essentially its like this, if I live on here I get to tell people about the life giving message of Jesus. If I die, I get to be with him, I’m a winner either way. My friend Sam Thomas honestly lives out that piece of Scripture. Right now he is in a jail in India, without charge and with a $25,000 bounty on his head. You might like to know what his crime is. The list is as follows. He and his father M.A. take care of over 10,000 orphans (it may be more than that now). They provide food, clothing, and education for all of these. They build schools to educate thousands of other Indian children. They provide care for lepers. They hold medical clinics for the lowest of all of India’s castes; the Dalits and they plant churches and preach the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ. These are his crimes. And right now his life is in danger. He is sleeping in a jail for the cause of the Gospel. What an unbelievably incredibl...

I'm asking all who read this blog to please pray for this young lady. Her dad is one of my Drill SGTs. He's a good man and loves his daughter. As you can see below she's been missing since January. If you've seen her please use the contact numbers below. Endangered Runaway LAUREN KASPER DOB: Jan 12, 1989Missing: Jan 29, 2006Height: 5'6" (168 cm)Eyes: Blue Race: White Age Now: 17Sex: FemaleWeight: 125 lbs (57 kg)Hair: Blonde Missing From:ORLANDOFLUnited States Lauren has a scar on her abdomen and her ears are double pierced. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACTNational Center for Missing & Exploited Children1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST) Orange County Sheriff's Office (Florida) 1-407-836-4357