Recently, reports seemed to say the US government had made its decision regarding the light attack aircraft it would provide Afghanistan. A more recent article, however, indicates a “battle” may yet be brewing over the procurement plan.
The feud between Hawker Beechcraft and Sierra Nevada Corporation over the Light Air Support contract has escalated from Read more…
Update: The Army defended its actions, with FoxNews saying it was a “cautionary move to preserve “military order and discipline,”" not censorship.
In a surprisingly underreported story, the US Army reportedly censored — and then admitted the wrong of censoring — US military Catholic chaplains during their performance of their Catholic Mass. Catholic priests were apparently given letters to read to their parishes explaining the Catholic opposition to the Department of Health and Human Services mandate requiring insurance coverage for things that violate Catholic beliefs.
On Thursday, January 26, Archbishop Broglio emailed a pastoral letter to Catholic military chaplains with instructions that it be read from the pulpit at Sunday Masses the following weekend in all military chapels. The letter calls on Catholics to resist the policy initiative, recently affirmed by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, for federally mandated health insurance covering sterilization, abortifacients and contraception, because it represents a violation of the freedom of religion recognized by the U.S. Constitution.
The US Army’s Chaplaincy office responded: Read more…
The Associated Press reported MajGen James McConville — “a Massachusetts native” — has declared Monday a day off for his soldiers so they can celebrate the Super Bowl.
In a video message posted on Facebook, Maj. Gen. James McConville of Quincy, Mass., said Monday would be a day of no scheduled activities in “recognition of your outstanding performance during multiple combat deployments.”
In the same vein, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey posted an official video telling troops to enjoy the game — and declaring himself a Giants fan.
It is not unusual for members of the military overseas — where the Super Bowl may occur in the middle of the night or on Monday due to the time zones — to likewise get the day off.
As noted previously, religion isn’t the only “ideology” the military accommodates. Turns out football is accommodated, too.
The US Army has determined that PFC Bradley Manning, accused of distributing thousands of classified documents outside cleared channels, will be court-martialed.
Military District of Washington commander Maj. Gen. Michael Linnington referred all charges against Pfc. Bradley Manning to a general court-martial, Read more…
According to articles on the event, the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC, was unique this year:
In a town where just about everything is scripted, the sight of the President, Vice-President and members of Congress singing “Amazing Grace,” during the 60th Annual National Prayer breakfast was one of several off script moments that was almost refreshing today.
According to another source, the talk of the town was the speech delivered at the breakfast — but not President Obama’s speech: Read more…
The 2012 National Character and Leadership Symposium at the US Air Force Academy will be held from 22 to 24 February. Ross Perot will be the keynote speaker.
Other speakers will come from a variety of backgrounds and careers, including a Medal of Honor recipient and
- Retired Brigadier General Dick Abel, former President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and former Executive Director of the Military Ministry of Read more…
Many want to be fighter pilots. Those who can’t sometimes dress up like fighter pilots. (Usher, anyone?) Those who can’t do that will still try to talk like fighter pilots, who sometimes seem to have a lingo all their own. The fighter pilot “language” is a tradition probably dating back to the Wright brothers, but it never gets old. For example:
A shoe clerk is a Read more…
The controversy over the “glam goth” band Aiden being invited to play to a military audience at the atheist Rock Beyond Belief at Fort Bragg has seen comments on a wide variety of websites. In the tradition of “crowd-sourcing” solutions, one commenter came up with a unique idea to ameliorate the scandal: Richard Dawkins should ask that Aiden be removed from the lineup.
Much of the discussion seems to be centered on whether Aiden Read more…
Reports are already starting to emerge on how a reduced Department of Defense budget will affect each of the services. The Air Force seems prepared to mothball multiple A-10 squadrons (though its not the first time this has been proposed): Read more…
Tracey Cooper-Harris, a US Army veteran, has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Though the precise cause of MS is unknown, the VA determined her disease was service connected, qualifying her for disability benefits. However, her request for spousal benefits was denied because she is in a homosexual relationship not recognized by federal law. She has now filed a lawsuit as a result.
The couple’s lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in Los Angeles, argues that a federal law and military policy that resulted in the denial of benefits are discriminatory and unconstitutional.
If the couple were straight they would receive Read more…
Courageous, a movie about five men and the challenges of faith, family, and fatherhood, was the number one new movie in America when it hit theatres last fall. This past week it came out on DVD, where it again hit the top of the charts. The church-made film reportedly had a budget of around $2 million, a number that belies its nearly Hollywood-worthy production quality. Box office numbers were in the $34M range.
Four of the men are Albany police Read more…
While some will doubt the degree to which Christianity and the Bible permeate American culture, it is often interesting to see people cite quotations from the Bible, often unknowingly. (It’s often more entertaining to see them claim something is in the Bible that isn’t, though.)
A recent article from Army.mil talked of an Army unit helping give Afghans a way to live their lives without having to fight for the Taliban to support themselves. The Army is trying Read more…
Fox News and Commentary indicated retired LtGen William Jerry Boykin withdrew from the February 8th National Prayer Breakfast at West Point — after West Point asked him to withdraw.
The U.S. Military Academy pressured a retired U.S. lieutenant general to withdraw from speaking at a West Point prayer breakfast after Muslims and atheists complained, Fox News & Commentary has learned…
“[Boykin] asked them to rescind the invitation, but they were reluctant to do that so he said he would take them off the hook.”
The article also noted Michael Weinstein jumping the shark Read more…
If you’re in the US military, you can do your own taxes with a professional program — for free.
You should already know about your local Tax Assistance Office, likely through your base paper, where you can get one-on-one assistance with your tax preparation, all for free.
In case you don’t know about it, you can also file through H&R Block’s online version of its At Home® Tax Software – with free Read more…
The Associated Press reported a West Point press release indicating General Jerry Boykin had withdrawn from the upcoming West Point National Prayer Breakfast:
Late Monday afternoon, West Point issued a brief statement saying Boykin had decided to withdraw speaking at the Feb. 8 event and that another speaker would be lined up in his place.
The choice of Boykin to speak at the event was criticized by several groups because of his prior statements about Islam:
CAIR also asked West Point officials to retract Boykin’s invitation
“It gives Islamophobes a platform Read more…
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