When my husband went to Navy boot camp, the recruits were required to attend the services of their designated religion. But that was 46 years ago. Maybe now they, too, are highly encouraging the recruits to attend.
I went to Mass. We split up into Protestant and Catholic and marched over at the designated time. Mormons went off-post and were gone half the day. Most went, even those who hadn’t been to church in years or had never been church-goers. It was, as your son says, highly encouraged. When a DI “highly encourages” something, you do it.
Very true!
I never missed Mass in Navy boot camp, except when I had duty and that is a valid reason. I don’t know if it is still around, but there was a Navy regulation that prevented those in authority from letting you attend religious services on Sunday. I loved quoting it to jerks who thought they could stop me from going!
Pretty sure this is still the case at Lackland…it was as recently as 2014.
According to my husband, when he was in Boot Camp in 1969, he was “required” to attended Church services. My husband would have gone to Mass anyway without the requirement. But that is how it was when he was in Boot camp. It was mandatory. I’m just saying maybe today instead of requiring them to go, , they may have changed to “highly recommending” like it is for the OP’s son.
Hello,
There is NO truth to the rumors that boot camp homilies begin with “Listen up maggots …”
Interesting. what if you have no religion?
There are no atheists in foxholes.
Mostly, those with no religion went just to get away for an hour or two, with nobody yelling at them. I suppose they could have stayed back and cleaned something or done some push-ups.
I am named after a priest who, according to what I was told, was killed while saying Mass, in World War 2. My dad was very fond of the priest chaplain, and the chaplain was transferred to another unit. My dad had requested transfer and was denied, and said to me that he would have been killed, had the transfer gone through.There is NO truth to the rumors that boot camp homilies begin with “Listen up maggots …”
(Though the unfortunate phrase may … possibly … be used elsewhere outside of mass … per unofficial boot camp “tradition”).
“Semper Fi(deles)” … might be used in a homily by contrast … and perhaps even a bit more Latin depending upon the age and disposition of the priest.
:tiphat:
PS: IOW I don’t really know. My Dad who was in the Army reported that in the midst of COMBAT brief masses were sometimes reverently said on the hoods of available Jeeps!
As it was in the 1940s, these were “Latin Masses”. And though it possibly exposed some GIs to possible dangers at the time … it might have been the best way “to go.”
Dad’s report did not include any casualties, much less fatalities at those masses, however.
I think it was one of Fr. Petraeus (sp?) books that mentioned that “Wisdom! Be attentive” in the eastern Divine Liturgy might be more literally translated as “Shut up and listen!” or some such
transport altar stones by jeep during WWII