An article by Agence France-Presse, published at Military.com, notes the recent exceptions provided to three Sikh applicants to the US military. An anecdote tells of Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi’s experience in initial training:
On his first day of training at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, a first sergeant pulled [Kalsi] out of the crowd and Read more
Michael Weinstein, head of his own non-profit Military Religious Freedom Foundation, says ChristianFighterPilot.com is a “Christian supremacist” site containing “outright lies” and “falsehoods.”
This most recent attack finds its source in a letter written by Weinstein and addressed to the Secretary of Defense — and copied to everyone from the Joint Chiefs to President Obama. In it, Weinstein says a “catalyst” to a complaint from an Air Force Academy cadet was:
The inclusion by the Air Force Academy Public Affairs Office in the daily Academy-wide “Falcon Clips” email of a sectarian Christian-themed blog post…
The “Falcon Clips” are a compilation of public references to goings-on at the Air Force Academy. They are emailed out daily, and, according to these reports, included a reference to “Bat Signal Busted, Weinstein Declares War Back On.” It would appear Weinstein Read more
Missionary Aviation Fellowship has reportedly received a $1.7 million “challenge grant” that will fund the acquisition of another KODIAK. As previously discussed, the KODIAK is a purpose-built bush plane created by Quest with input from the MAF. MAF assets have already seen service in Haiti, among other locations.
Links to MAF and other similar organizations can be found on the Links page.
According to a news release, Missionary Aviation Fellowship has leased a Cessna Caravan from Samaritan’s Purse to aid in its ongoing efforts in Haiti; the aircraft was leased for $1 for two years: Read more
The Colorado Springs Gazette, local to the US Air Force Academy, has an interesting article on the rise of UAVs at “Zoom U,” the military Academy most stereotypically known for its association with fighter jets.
Last year, the Air Force ordered more drones than fighter jets, and the Air Force Academy became the first service academy in the nation to launch a program to coach cadets in their use.
“Unmanned aircraft are here, and they are the future of the Air Force,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Dave Latham, an experienced pilot who directs the academy’s extracurricular drone program.
UAVs are becoming an integral part of the US Air Force, even from the beginning.
This is an updated version of the annual discussion of the Combined Federal Campaign.
Whether or not you believe in the concept of the exact tithe, charitable giving remains one of the basic tenets of Christian living. Besides “passing the plate” on Sunday, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is one of the more popular means through which members of the military have an opportunity to give.
What is the CFC?
The CFC, which has been announced through a variety of official releases, is a government-sanctioned means of collecting charitable contributions from federal employees. It runs every year from September to December (CFC-Overseas runs a slightly different schedule), during which volunteer representatives make “100% contact” with their fellow employees to inform them of the charitable giving campaign. Military members (and other government employees) are given the opportunity to make one-time contributions or give monthly deductions from their paychecks to any of thousands of approved charities.
Why should a Christian use the CFC? Read more
A metal-covered New Testament, originally a source of strength for a Sailor in World War II, is now providing a connection for a Sailor nearly seven decades later.
“My dad just approached me…a couple days before I was leaving to go back to fly overseas,” Chris Carson said. “He said, ‘You take the Bible with you, Chris. It’s important to have it with you to keep in mind the good Lord.’ My dad is pretty religious. I brought it with me.” Read more
According to a DoD press release, Army 1LT Rafael Lantigua of the Texas National Guard will soon be the Army National Guard’s first Muslim Chaplain. Lantigua has fulfilled all requirements save some classes required by the Chaplain board. Lantigua, who had a Roman Catholic father and a mother who converted from Baptist to Buddhist, converted to Islam as a teenager. He says he looks forward to being a model for “other members of [his] faith:”
“I am humbled for this opportunity to be a role model for other members of my faith throughout the military,” he said.
While he is by no means the first Islamic Chaplain in the US military, they remain relatively few in number.
