God and Country

Like its recent support of the Super Bowl, the US Air Force also performed a flyby of the “super bowl of NASCAR,” the Daytona 500.  As with many similar events, the flyby is timed to coincide with the end of the singing of the national anthem.  The roar of jet fighters passing by as the anthem ends is a moving experience for many.  As cool as it is, it is poor form to start cheering for the fighters before the anthem is complete, as many in the crowds tend to do.

Interestingly, a comment left on the official Air Force article on this story took issue with the altitude of the flyby.  While the writer displays a bit of the fighter vs heavy antagonism (she said a tanker crew had gotten in trouble for doing “the exact same thing” and therefore the fighters should also), her complaint may have some validity.  The YouTube videos of the flyby (there are two decent ones here and here) do seem to show the fighters Read more…

A local military paper documents the long-running US Air Force Academy tradition of “100s Night,” which marks 100 calendar days until the senior class (”Firsties”) graduate.  While the Firsties are out at an official dinner and celebration, the freshman cadets (four degrees) transform their rooms into a variety of new creations.  Some are simple, others complex; some are light-hearted, others are devilishly creative.

The article lists a variety of examples, including filling rooms with balloons (balloons filled with glitter, in one case), taking all the furniture out and setting up the room in another location (a stairwell), or filling a room with a cement pond (no word on Koi).  Someone’s bed almost always ends up on the Terrazzo (the cadet common quad), and often one is placed in the middle of the cadet football field.

Military cadets are known to “count down” to major milestones, like the number of days to recognition for the fourth class cadets (even many lower class cadets know how many days they have until graduation).  This is just one traditional way in which lower class cadets throw off their fetters and have fun at the expense of their upperclassmen.  The Firsties?  For the most part, they don’t mind.  After all, they’ve only got 100 days left…

A lot of people don’t realize that some of the military academies’ displays of “spirit” aren’t entirely spontaneous or voluntary.  While many enjoy going to their college’s football games, for example, the military academies are probably among the few institutions that require their student body to attend such games (and in uniform).  Even the pushups that follow a touchdown in a service academy game are technically required (of the freshman class).

(When military members are essentially forced to participate in what seems to be a voluntary event, they refer to it as being ”volun-told.”)  Such displays are Read more…

A blog by a USAFA cadet reaffirms prior comments that the new pagan circle at the US Air Force Academy is in an area frequented for other purposes, and even has a unique spiritual history.

The area is collectively referred to as the “LZ,” and the clearing has been used–for years–as a station on the hill for which to conduct “training” for fourth class cadets.  The author of Wonderings and Wanderings has a post on the 14th of January that says his squadron used the LZ for training–3 days before the “cross incident” occurred (which, incidentally, was also a long weekend).  At the time, no one knew Read more…

The Air Force Times has editorialized that

Before the Air Force can move past its reputation for religious intolerance, it must do one more thing: Eliminate prayers from official events.

Beginning an editorial with such a statement certainly reveals the tone.  After all, while the Air Force has been accused of intolerance by vocal critics, no institutional intolerance has ever been substantiated, and there is no public indication that intolerance is a valid “reputation” of the Air Force.

The editorial also treats a fairly complex issue rather whimsically.  The simple and unexplained demand that the Air Force “eliminate prayers from official events,” after all, would have prevented a Chaplain from praying at the nationally-televised memorial service at Fort Hood attended by the President.  Read more…

An interesting article at the Air Force Times goes into more detail about a previously discussed “dream job” in the US Air Force: playing the bad guy.  Air Force pilots fly American fighters but train to replicate the threat of potential adversaries.  They then use those skills to “defend their homeland” during major exercises.

(Fighter units frequently use their own assets to simulate an air threat, a technique known as flying “red air.”  However, aggressor units specifically train to precisely replicate foreign tactics for large force scenarios.)

The article indicates, perhaps a little too matter-of-factly, that the US Air Force once had multiple squadrons of Russian-built fighters:

In the days that the U.S. considered the Soviet Union its biggest threat, four squadrons of airmen flew Russian-made MiG-21s or Su-27 fighters to lend authenticity to their job. Read more…

Paul “Skid” Woodford is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and F-15 fighter pilot.  As recorded on his blog, he recently experienced a questionably “manly” event that reminded him of a story that is, truthfully, still a longstanding urban legend within the fighter community (particularly between the F-15 and F-16 communities, which sometimes have a “friendly” rivalry).  The story he tells is still well-known, despite the fact that Woodford retired more than 10 years ago, and the story he recounts is nearly 30 years old.

The reference to LtCol Woodford’s site does not equate to an endorsement of his views (interesting though they are).  He uses the “warrior vernacular,” so be warned about language on the site.  Woodford is also a self-described atheist and tends to “lean left.”

If nothing else, his site is proof that contrary to popular belief, the US military–and even the fighter pilot community–is not homogenous.  The US military is composed of men and women who represent all kinds of ideologies, as is the American culture from which they come.

As noted at the Air Force website, the top 3 US Air Force leaders distributed their 2009 holiday season greetings.  They asked Airmen to “reflect on our blessings,” and expressed gratitude for deployed Airmen and fellow servicemembers serving in war.  The leaders also specifically asked Air Force families to “reach out” to the familes of deployed servicemembers and single Airmen, and

welcome them into your holiday celebrations, in the spirit of giving and support that makes our greater Air Force family so special.

Ultimately, Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley, Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz, and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Roy successfully transmitted a neutral note of goodwill for anything that happens to be going on during this specific time of year:

In all of the joyous ways that this holiday season is celebrated, we wish you and yours the very best–during this special time, and througout the New Year.

While admirably non-exclusive, the message is almost meaningless Read more…

It is common knowledge that the Air Force and White House were roundly criticized for the Air Force One flyover in New York, a faux paus that ended the political career of the leader of the White House Military Office.  Since then, the military has made a point of announcing significant exercises and events that might attract the attention of the public, particularly those that involve aircraft.

Unfortunately, such announcements risk exposing the unpredictability of scheduling events that involve military aircraft.  For example, Read more…

Stars and Stripes penchant for finding religion in a story continues with its headline “Wing and a prayer.”  The title is evidently a reference to the Islamic “cultural view” cited in the article:

The members of the air corps are “the cream of the cream of the crop” when it comes to the Afghan army, Rennell said. Still, an “inshallah” (God willing) mind-set dominates the ranks, a cultural view that clashes with the strict protocols required for operating highly technical aircraft.

While insha’allah is traditionally compared with the Southern Baptist “Lord willin’,” others have considered it more a statement of realism or fatalism.  In what may be an urban legend based on stereotype, stories have been told about Islamic pilots Read more…

The decades-long battle to remove the Mount Soledad cross from the hills of San Diego is once again at the appeals court.  In various formats, lawsuits have challenged the Mount Soledad cross for years.  In this most recent iteration, the US District court in July 2008 ruled in favor of those who support the cross remaining at its current location.

The basic complaint is that the cross is an inherently religious symbol, and by sustaining it on public land, the US government violates the Constitutional prohibition against “establishing” a religion.

The ACLU, which is representing the plaintiffs, has had to defend itself against accusations that it wants to remove crosses (and any memorials with them) from all public lands–including military cemeteries.  An attorney for the American Legion, Read more…

According to FoxNews, a Republican congressman has criticized the decision by the White House to send its traditional Christmas cards out–without any mention of Christmas.  The Obama “holiday” card reportedly says:

May your family have
   a joyous holiday season
and a new year blessed
   with hope and happiness.

As if to prove that you can’t make everyone happy, former President Bush Read more…

A military news article recounts an Army spin on a long standing aviation tradition.  Helicopter pilots fly with American flags into combat and later give them to support organizations, friends, and family:

A nation’s flag can be a powerful symbol of pride for people, but a flag that comes with a story behind it can mean so much more…  Read more…

Ever since Madalyn Murray O’Hair of the American Atheists sued NASA in 1969, the relationship between the space agency and all things religious has been interesting.  Even forty years later, as noted here, American Atheists complained about NASA allowing Astronaut Patrick Forrester to carry a piece of Nate Saint’s airplane with him into space.

Still, NASA hasn’t shied away from all things religious.  A previous article noted that God of Wonders has been one of the more popular “wake-up songs” broadcast to the shuttle crew in space.  (Each crewman’s family can pick a song as the wake-up call for the start of each day.)  The most recent trip (STS-129) just ended, with space shuttle Atlantis returning to Earth just after Thanksgiving.  During the mission, the shuttle heard MercyMe’s I Can Only Imagine, the Newsboys’ In Wonder, and Bob Carlisle’s Butterfly Kisses, among several other songs for the crew.  Read more…

In the United States of America, we have an abundance of things for which to be thankful.  We enjoy the practice of our human liberties to a degree unparalleled in the world.  We rest in the security provided by the world’s best military.  Despite vast ideological differences, we continue a tradition of peaceful debate and peaceful transitions of power.

Remember those who have sacrificed, and continue to sacrifice, to protect those sacred trusts for which we are so grateful.  Thank God for our freedoms, our nation, and the troops who protect it–even as they celebrate while separated from their families back home.

Have a joyous and enjoyable Thanksgiving.

Read the message from the Secretary of Defense.