Chaplains push for uniform religious badges

WASHINGTON (RNS) With a cross on his lapel, it's easy to spot a military
chaplain in uniform. But the same might not be true if the chaplain's
badge displays a prayer wheel, a crescent moon or tiny Torah scrolls.

And when the sole, newly commissioned Hindu chaplain starts wearing
her symbol -- which is still in the design stage -- how many will
recognize it as the sign of a chaplain?

Not many, said Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff, a retired military chaplain
who served as command chaplain for the U.S. European Command.
"Military personnel will not identify symbols for chaplains if so
few people wear them," he said. "We need a universal insignia that
automatically symbolizes the presence of a chaplain."