Tag Archives: army

Troops Gather for National Day of Prayer

Despite a spate of controversy, American military members gathered for National Day of Prayer celebrations around the world. A Chaplain’s assistant in Iraq had a fairly basic explanation for the popularity of the chapel services in the combat theatre:

“I believe people are more passionate [in Iraq],” said [Sgt. Antonio Henderson, the brigade chaplain’s assistant]. “They get more into it. I believe prayer works, no matter where you are, but I believe people pray more when their lives are in danger.”

Army Considers Anonymous DADT Forum

According to the Associated Press, the Army is considering standing up a forum that would allow

soldiers to anonymously express their opinions about the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gay troops.

It is unclear how this would be different from the one already established by the DoD, unless its objective truly was to gather opinions on the policy, rather than the implementation of its repeal.  The latter is the stated objective of the DoD page.

Fighter Pilots, Helicopter Pilots and Attitudes toward War and Killing

In Blackhawk Down, the dramatized events of the 1993 assault on Mogadishu, US Army Blackhawk Super 61 is struck by an RPG and begins spinning to the surface.  As the alarms blare and the helicopter loses altitude, the pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Cliff Wolcott, calmly asks his co-pilot, CWO Donovan Briley, to silence the annoying caution lights:

“Hey, Bull, you want to pull those PCLs off-line or what?”

The pilot knew his capabilities; he knew the status of his aircraft.  He likely knew he was about to die; yet his voice was calm and procedural, betraying not a hint of emotion.

In perhaps the most widely watched example in recent history, American Airlines pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger calmly told the taken-aback Air Traffic Controllers

“we’re going to be in the Hudson.”

By all accounts, the crew was calm and methodical as it executed its emergency procedures, saving the lives of all on board.

How can pilots be so stoic during life-threatening catastrophes that might bring screams and panic from others?  Read more

Weinstein Reveals Vendetta in Demanding Removal of “Cross”

Michael Weinstein is truly the gift that keeps on giving.  His latest attempt at infamy is to say that a red cross appearing on a military hospital’s emblem

violate[s] the constitutional requirement for separation of church and state and should be removed.

DoD Image

DoD Image

Apparently Weinstein has missed the long, international history of the cross in military medical use, as well as the US military’s equivalent treatment of Islam and Judaism that would allegedly “violate…separation of church and state,” pictured below.

Weinstein also objects to the emblem’s motto “pro deo et humanitate” or “for God and humanity,” despite the military’s description of the phrase as pre-dating Christianity.

The emblem in question is that of Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson, near Colorado Springs.

The official Army description of the emblem Read more

Pentagon Snubs, President Visits Franklin Graham

In an interesting turn of events, during his North Carolina vacation President Obama visited Billy Graham and his son, Franklin Graham — after a week that saw the Pentagon rescind an invitation to the younger Graham over his religious views.  Though the visit was initiated after the Pentagon’s announcement, it is likely Obama’s intent was to visit the elder Graham.  The Obamas received a gift, and the two gentlemen prayed for each other:

At the end, Graham presented Obama with two Bibles — one for him and the other for first lady Michelle Obama, Ross said. The two men then prayed together, with Obama first praying for Graham and then Graham “concluded with a prayer for the president, his family and his administration,” according to Ross.

Update: Franklin Graham apparently got the ear of the President — and a seemingly supportive (or diplomatic) reply — over the recent incident:

In reference to the invitation being rescinded, Franklin Graham told The Associated Press that he told the president that activists were trying to remove all religion from the military, and he said Obama pledged to look into it.

The “disinvitation” of Franklin Graham from the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer has continued to raise the ire of a variety of public figures. Read more

Franklin Graham and Military Religious Freedom, Continued

It is now common knowledge that Franklin Graham’s invitation to speak at the prayer day hosted by the Pentagon Chaplaincy was “rescinded.”

Army spokesman Col. Tom Collins confirmed today, that at the Army’s request, the Pentagon Chaplain’s Office had contacted Graham to withdraw the invitation extended to him to be the main speaker at the Pentagon’s observance of the National Day of Prayer.

As a result, the National Day of Prayer Task Force is also not participating in the Pentagon event.  Graham responded:

I regret that the Army felt it was necessary to rescind their invitation to the National Day of Prayer Task Force to participate in the Pentagon’s special prayer service. I want to express my strong support for the United States military and all our troops. I will continue to pray that God will give them guidance, wisdom and protection as they serve this great country.

(Some have claimed the NDoP itself is unConstitutional, consistent with Read more

The Army’s Unmanned Air Force

Popular Mechanics, as repeated at FoxNews, notes the US Army’s increasing reliance on and acquisition of UAVs.

Maj. Gen. James Barclay III, the commanding general in charge of Army aviation, today released the “Unmanned Aircraft Systems [UAS] Roadmap 2010–2035” at an Army aviation conference in Fort Worth, Texas. Its subtitle, “Eyes of the Army,” hints at the plan’s early focus on reconnaissance, but the scope of the roadmap expands…

The article describes a “rivalry” between the Air Force and the Army– Read more

Out of a Perfectly Good Airplane

Some people call skydiving “jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.”  US Army Staff Sgt Ben Borger took it to a new extreme when he jumped out of a C-17 at 32,000 feet in a “wingsuit.”  He reportedly broke a world record for traveling 11.5 miles after jumping, which translates to slightly more than 2 miles of horizontal travel for every mile he fell.

An airplane, of course, could have travelled much further, and it wouldn’t have needed to hitch a ride after landing…

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