A recent report out of southern California indicates it will still be “weeks or months” before the US Marines make a decision on the now-controversial Camp Pendleton cross.
“We are thoroughly and deliberately evaluating the issues raised by the existence of the informal memorial in order to assess the impact on the installation,” said the spokeswoman, Capt. Kendra Motz.
The atheist whose complaint started the controversy, Jason Torpy, reiterated his assertion the crosses are illegal.
Three military men are vying for the National Fatherhood Award, sponsored by the National Fatherhood Initiative. The award, which includes undisclosed prize packages, will be presented near Father’s Day. Until May 25th, you can vote for your pick at the Initiative’s Facebook page, where you can watch videos produced by the three finalists. The contenders include two officers and a young enlisted troop; all three have impressive stories: Read more…
As proclaimed by their Commander in Chief, Marines at Camp Lejeune, NC, commemorated the National Day of Prayer on May 3rd.
“When we all come together we can accomplish so many more things than we can separately,” said Chaplain Nashaunna Sanders…“On (the National Day of Prayer) we are all in accord Read more…
Some have likely read the story of Hyman Strachman, the 92-year-old World War II veteran who has shipped thousands of bootleg copies of movies to the combat AOR:
Hyman Strachman [is] a 92-year-old, 5-foot-5 World War II veteran trying to stay busy after the death of his wife. And he has sent every one of his copied DVDs, almost 4,000 boxes of them to date, free to American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Even Strachman admits the “error” of his ways: Read more…
Update: The committee passed the religious freedom legislation as amendments to the NDAA. The legislation has the support of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
The House Armed Services Committee is going to debate the Military Religious Freedom Act, which the Air Force Times says US Rep Todd Akin (R-Mo) will let troops and chaplains “openly oppose gays.”
Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., is specifically aiming to protect religious freedom by allowing service members and chaplains to openly oppose gay and lesbian lifestyles and the presence of gay Read more…
The Air Force announced two F-22 pilots who spoke in uniform and without permission to 60 Minutes, Maj. Jeremy Gordon and Capt. Josh Wilson, will be granted protection under the Military Whistleblower Protection Act.
Lt. Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger…said the service considers the two pilots who have refused to fly the Raptor to be whistle-blowers and protected under the federal whistle-blower act.
The act protects members of the military who make a protected communication to a member of Congress, one of whom was present with them on the set.
While the widow of Capt Jeff Haney sues the Air Force, two other pilots appeared on the CBS show 60 Minutes with a Congressman, seeking military whistleblower status to publicize their complaints against the F-22.
Maj. Jeremy Gordon and Capt. Joshua Wilson have chosen to stop flying the F-22 because they say during some flights they and other pilots have experienced oxygen deprivation, disorientation, and worse…
They are so concerned they have taken the extraordinary step of risking their careers by appearing on 60 Minutes in uniform — and without permission — to blow the whistle on a plane they love to fly…
The pilots could face further disciplinary action for speaking to us which is why this man was seated just off to the side throughout the interview. He’s Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, an Air Force pilot himself, who Josh and Jeremy went to with their concerns in order to gain protection under the Military Whistleblowers Act.
The Air Force had only recently acknowledged that a “small number” of pilots Read more…
The Air Force reported that an F-15E Strike Eagle crashed “in Southwest Asia” on a local training mission. Both crew members were reported safe. This is the second F-15E crash in the AOR since the March crash that killed pilot Capt Francis Imlay.
In Utah, the Air Force said an F-16 crashed, with the pilot successfully ejecting.
As is the norm, the crashes will be investigated by a board, and the results released some months from now.
Jason Torpy, the one-man Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, is an atheist and former Army officer. While his MAAF is ostensibly a “community support network,” he recently revealed the true motivation behind his ideology.
In a recent display of internet frustration, Torpy took fellow atheists to task for not banding together and being “anti-” enough. The context was a comment that people don’t join groups for things they don’t believe in, spoken by Neil deGrasse Tyson, a self-described agnostic (who says he is “often claimed by atheists”):
Do non-golf players gather and strategize? Do non-skiers…come together and talk about the fact that they don’t ski? I can’t do that. I can’t gather around and talk about how much everybody in the room doesn’t believe in God.
This is the same point raised by many people Read more…
Michael Weinstein, the sole paid officer of the “charity” he founded and runs, revels in having people perceive him as a martyr for his cause. He recently said this about what his fight against religious freedom has cost him:
Someone asked my wife how much do you owe? What did you have to give up, probably a lot huh? She was crying when she made the statement, “No, we didn’t have to give up a lot, we had to give up everything.” There is no retirement fund. There is no retirement home. There is no sense of security…
There are two possibilities. First, that Weinstein is grossly Read more…
Some may have assumed that with a Democratic President (and the stereotype that the US military leans Republican/conservative), most of those testing the limits of permissible political activities or commentary would be “right wing” or conservatives.
They would be wrong.
The blog for the Rock Beyond Belief event organized by Justin Griffith at Fort Bragg recently posted an article about North Carolina’s Amendment 1, which would modify the NC State Constitution to say the only domestic legal union in the state is Read more…
A DoD article highlights country music star Toby Keith’s USO performance given to an Army base in Kuwait.
Keith performed such hits as “American Ride,” “Let’s Get Drunk and Be Somebody,” and “Red Solo Cup” to a crowd starved of Americana.
The USO said it was Toby Keith’s 189th USO show: Read more…
US Marine SGT Evan Mendes was recognized at the San Diego Petco Park as an NCO of the quarter. How did he do it?
Mendes, outshined his peers by following what he believes will bring him closer to God.
“As a Christian I try to glorify God,” said Mendes, whose life revolves around his faith. “When I do a good job or not, I’ve done it for God.”
Working as if for God should motivate Christians in every walk of life. Mendes Read more…
A group of West Point cadets recently bunked at a mosque and attended Islamic prayers as part of an ongoing course called “Winning the Peace.” The 23 cadets traveled to Jersey City, where they attended religious events associated with Islam, Coptic Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism.
During the visit to Jersey City, the 23 cadets in the class stay overnight at a mosque and attend Islamic prayers. They also Read more…
A local paper covers the new “professional adversaries” for Langley Air Force based F-22 Raptors.
[Lt. Col. Derek] Wyler and several other pilots at Langley Air Force Base fly the T-38 Talon. First used in the 1960s as a trainer, the Talon has been given new life at Langley and two other Air Force bases. It plays the role of enemy aircraft in training exercises with the F-22 Raptor, now the top-line fighter in the fleet.
While there are some challenging characteristics of the T-38s which make them desirable adversaries, it probably comes down to money: it’s just cheaper.
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