For a more nuanced and Talmudic answer, consult Rav (Captain) Yitzchak Elson who recently retired as the Senior Chaplain of the Marine Corps after nearly 36 years of active duty. He held Shabbos services (albeit w/o Kiddush club) during operation Desert Storm and a full seder in newly liberated Baghdad…his email contacts are readily found via a google search….Rav Elson has semicha from YU and has published many meforshim, including perhaps one on the provenance of the term “Marines”
Menu