Buddhists make up a small percentage of the United States military, with a 2009 article stating that only 5,287 of 1.4 million military personnel identified themselves as Buddhists.Jeff Brady
''Military Buddhist Chapel Represents Tolerance''
National Public Radio, October 13, 2009 As

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

is a generally pacifistic religion, people have commented on the apparent discord between the religion and military service; a Buddhist program leader at the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...

stated in an interview: "The questions of Buddhism are the questions of life and death. So, where else would you want Buddhism than right there where those questions are most vivid?"

History

Among the earliest Buddhists to serve in number in the US military were the Nisei Japanese Americans. A 1944 service for 50 soldiers at

Fort Snelling Fort Snelling is a former military fortification and National Historic Landmark in the U.S. state of Minnesota on the bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The military site was initially named Fort Saint Anth ...

is believed to be the first Buddhist service ever delivered in an army installation in the United States. A majority of Nisei troops were Buddhist, one estimate states half the Nisei troops of the

442nd Infantry Regiment The 442nd Infantry Regiment ( ja, 第442歩兵連隊) was an infantry regiment of the United States Army. The regiment is best known as the most decorated in U.S. military history and as a fighting unit composed almost entirely of second-gene ...

and the Military Intelligence Service, and many Nisei linguists serving in the MIS had studied Japanese at Buddhist-run schools in the United States. However, Nisei units such as the 442nd were only permitted Christian chaplains; Assistant Secretary of Defense

John J. McCloy John Jay McCloy (March 31, 1895 – March 11, 1989) was an American lawyer, diplomat, banker, and a presidential advisor. He served as Assistant Secretary of War during World War II under Henry Stimson, helping deal with issues such as German sa ...

feared that negative American perceptions of Buddhists would compromise the reputation of the unit. Following World War II, the denotation "B" for Buddhist became an allowed option on American dog-tags.

Chaplains

In 1990, the American military first resolved to make plans for inclusion of Buddhists chaplains in the armed forces; in August of that year Institute of Heraldry produced a rank insignia, based on the dharmachakra emblem. The first Buddhist chaplain in the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...

was Lieutenant Junior Grade Jeanette Gracie Shin, commissioned in 2004. Shin, a former enlisted Marine, graduated with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in Buddhist Studies from the

Graduate Theological Union The Graduate Theological Union (GTU) is a consortium of eight private independent American theological schools and eleven centers and affiliates. Seven of the theological schools are located in Berkeley, California. The GTU was founded in 1962 ...

/ Institute of Buddhist Studies located in Berkeley, California.''U.S. Navy Commissions Military's First Buddhist Chaplain''
United States Navy story number NNS040723-10, Release Date: 7/23/2004 The first Buddhist chaplain in the United States Army was former Southern Baptist Thomas Dyer, appointed in 2008. Buddhist chaplains are endorsed by the Buddhist Churches of America.

Chapel

As of 2009, there was only one official dedicated Buddhist chapel in the United States military, located in the basement of the

United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel The United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, completed in 1962, is the distinguishing feature of the Cadet Area at the United States Air Force Academy north of Colorado Springs. It was designed by Walter Netsch of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill ...

, which also houses

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

, and

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

chapels. The Buddhist chapel was constructed in 2005, and a 2009 report stated that at the chapel's Wednesday services "about half of the 18 pillows on the floor are usually occupied."

References

External links

Buddhist Military Sangha
"An Online Resource for Buddhists Associated with the United States Armed Forces" {{USMILHIST Buddhism * Buddhism in the United States Military history of the United States History of Buddhism in the United States