Rabbi Koppell promoted to colonelRabbi Bonnie Koppell, who acted as mistress of ceremonies at the Veteran's Day/Celebrate 350: Arizona event Nov. 11, has served as spiritual leader of Temple Beth Sholom in Chandler since 1987. A U.S. Army Reserve chaplain since 1978, she was promoted to colonel on May 3 of this year, making her the first female rabbi in the U.S. Army Reserves and in active duty to hold that rank.Koppell recently completed an assignment with the 37th Transom in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and was reassigned to the 5th United States Army Chaplain's office at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. She spent the summer in Wiesbaden, Germany, working with the 221st Base Support Battalion. In addition to many other awards, Koppell has received two National Defense Service Medals, for Operation Desert Storm and Operation Noble Eagle, and two Meritorious Service Medals. In 2003, she was named "Woman of the Year" by the City of Mesa. But of all her achievements, she is especially proud of her promotion to colonel. "I consider this promotion a huge honor," Koppell says. "I never thought I would attain such an exalted rank. This is a truly humbling experience." Excerpt from Koppell's Veteran's Day address: "From the time of the Revolution until the present war in Iraq, Jews have never hesitated to take up arms to defend our adopted homeland. The Commodore Levy Chapel at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Va., is named for Uriah Philips Levy, whose service extended from the War of 1812 to the early years of the Civil War. It was during the Civil War that the first Jewish military chaplains were commissioned. In 1896, 63 veterans of that war founded the Hebrew Union Veteran's Association, the forerunner of today's Jewish War Veterans, the oldest veterans' organization in the country. ... We stand in awe every day of the sacrifice of those who have gone before us, and especially for those who have given their very lives to ensure our democratic way of life, as well as those who even at this very moment are deployed in harm's way. We offer our prayers for them and our support for their beloved families." |
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