US Marines and Sailors at Camp Kinser, Japan, gathered for a prayer breakfast held by the local Chaplains.
The breakfast was held to encourage attendees to pause for a few moments in their day and reflect on what is important to them, improving their spiritual fitness, [Chaplain (Cmdr) Randal B. Craft] said.
Chief Petty Officer Beverly Harris, a religious program specialist, emphasized the inclusive nature of the breakfast as well as the universal need for spiritual Continue reading
The Commandant of Cadets at the US Air Force Academy, BrigGen Richard Clark, reportedly distributed a memorandum to all USAFA cadets on Wednesday. He included the memorandum from the Air Force Chief of Staff, General Norton Schwartz, as an attachment.
As predicted, Michael Weinstein claimed victory.
Of course, Weinstein is claiming “victory” about something over which he had neither control nor influence. In fact, his demands were completely ignored. To wit, Weinstein said:
MRFF has twice demanded that Gould so [sic] distribute this directive…to all Academy personnel, staff, cadets and government contractors…
For the record, an assessment: Continue reading
Rezwan Ferdaus was arrested Wednesday in Massachusetts after he acquired the weapons and means to conduct a terrorist attack against the Pentagon. The materials were purchased from/delivered by undercover US government agents.
A Massachusetts man was arrested Wednesday and accused of plotting to destroy the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol by attacking the buildings with large, remote-controlled aircraft armed with lethal amounts of explosives.
Interestingly, mainstream articles on Ferdaus fail to mention his religion — even though Ferdaus himself claimed to be motivated by it. In fact, one article even went so far as to publicize the DA’s warning that Continue reading
Capt. Chad Zielinski, a Catholic Chaplain at the US Air Force Academy, was presented the Air Force Association’s 2011 Chaplain Corps Award for outstanding performance by a member of the Air Force Chaplain Corps. Chaplain Zielinski was recognized for his work both at USAFA and Afghanistan.
Contrary some claims, Zielinski was one of many Chaplains on the front lines, serving the spiritual needs of US servicemembers: Continue reading
The Colorado Springs Gazette, local to the US Air Force Academy, noted that religious freedom critic Michael Weinstein apparently bought a billboard ad to publish Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz’s memorandum on religious neutrality, which Chris Rodda says USAFA is “withholding.”
Air Force Academy critic Mikey Weinstein, miffed that a four-star’s memo on religious respect wasn’t e-mailed to cadets at the Air Force Academy, published the 200-word memo himself Tuesday on a Colorado Springs billboard.
Weinstein is apparently relegated to billboards because USAFA won’t answer his voluminous emails or return his phone calls. Publicly, he claims he billboarded the memo because General Gould wouldn’t give in to his demands: Continue reading
According to various (and official) sources, the Iraqi government has begun the process of purchasing F-16s to stand up a new capability in its fledgling Air Force.
Iraq has signed an estimated $3 billion deal to buy 18 fighter jets from the United States, officials said Tuesday, in a measure aimed at protecting its air space alone after years of relying on help from American pilots.
Though the planes won’t arrive in country for some time, Iraqi pilots are reportedly already being trained in the US: Continue reading
Michael Weinstein and his associates in his self-founded “charity” have a history of being unable to defend an argument by relying on simple truth. Instead, their accusations have to be dramatized with hyperbolic language or, in some cases, the facts simply need to be misrepresented.
And Chris Rodda, Weinstein’s researcher, has done it again. And again, apparently.
Weinstein and Rodda have recently been trying to make hay out of General Norton Schwartz’s recent memorandum on “religious neutrality.” Naturally, they imply it was their eloquent arguments (and senior-leader influence) that convinced General Schwartz to issue the memo. That’s not enough glory, however.
The accusation that US Air Force Academy Superintendent Continue reading
An A-10C Warthog crashed in Georgia Monday afternoon. The pilot ejected and was being evaluated at Moody Air Force Base’s medical facilities.
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. — An Air Force A-10C pilot assigned to the 23rd Wing ejected from an aircraft during a routine mission at approximately 2:45 p.m. today in a non-residential area northeast of Berlin, Ga., in Cook County.
Update: The pilot was released with minor injuries. Public Affairs has posted pictures of the crash site.
The Mission Aviation Fellowship blog has an impressive blow-by-blow day in the life of an MAF pilot in the Amazon. With a 0635 show at the airport and an 1805 last landing (2 minutes prior to sunset), the day is filled not only with a variety of sorties, but also with challenges from the weather, diversion, passengers, and emergencies.
Though abbreviated, it makes for an extremely educational peek into the work of mission aviation.
On September 15th, former US Marine Sergeant Dakota Meyer was presented the Medal of Honor for his actions in a pitched battle in Afghanistan.
There has been a frequently mentioned, though just as frequently passed over, detail to Meyer’s story (emphasis added):
Former Marine Corps Cpl. Dakota Meyer was awarded the Medal of Honor…for disregarding orders in Afghanistan. [1]
President Obama…bestowed the nation’s highest military honor on Dakota Meyer, a young and humble Marine who defied orders… [2]
Defying orders, Meyer drove into a firestorm Continue reading
A recent Military.com article renews the prior discussion about the US Air Force Academy’s plan to reduce its cadet wing by about 10%, down to about 4,000 from its current strength of about 4,400.
Since USAFA was first authorized 40 cadet squadrons and a size of about 4400 cadets in the late 1960s, it has occasionally dipped and re-grown. For example, four squadrons (37-40) were deactivated in 1999 when the wing downsized; they were reactivated in 2006 when the wing was reauthorized the higher number.
A variety of previous articles have covered the celebration and recognition of Ramadan by the US military in Afghanistan. A recent article noted the same, with an interesting comment from one of the participating Afghans.
“I am very happy to have shared tonight with [American soldiers],” said Haji Tor Jan, local leader and organizer of villages surrounding [US Camp Nathan Smith.] “I know it is not your celebration but we are grateful to share it with you…”
“We have a bond together and if it’s your Christmas we will do the same celebration for you guys; we will bring you food, music and everything,” Tor Jan said.
Now that would be kind of interesting.
According to an international paper called, interestingly enough, The Hindu, Dawat-e-Islami has attracted the attention of the Pakistani military after a policeman apparently from that group was accused of assassinating a governor. As a result, the military has
decided to curtail the activities of a proselytising organisation in their ranks after intelligence reports warned that its growing influence in the armed forces would have serious implications.
Dawat-e-Islami, which literally means “invitation to Islam,” claims Continue reading
According to the New York Times, the Obama administration has decided against allowing Taiwan to purchase new F-16C/Ds, but it will allow them to purchase the material to upgrade their existing fleet of F-16A/Bs. Some have called this “buckling to pressure from China,” which generally criticizes military support for what it considers a breakaway state.
“If the reports are true,” Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, said in a written statement on Friday, “today’s capitulation to Communist Continue reading
General Edward Rice, commander of the Air Force Air Education and Training Command, has made (the foreseeable) statement that UAV pilots will someday outnumber all other pilots in the Air Force.
Of course, the birth of the nuclear age foretold the end of the fighter pilot era, and the demise of the dedicated close air support aircraft has been predicted (and proven false) repeatedly. The future is anything but entirely certain.