Tag Archives: Navy

T-34 Instructor Presumed Dead, Student Rescued

The US Navy has indicated that the instructor pilot from the crashed T-34C training aircraft, Lt. Clinton Wermers, is now presumed dead.  The student was rescued the night of the crash and has not yet been identified.  Initial reports had indicated that both pilots were holding on to the wreckage before it sank.

A comment left on the CNN article on this story indicated that Wermers was a married father of two, and was expecting a third child.

The T-34C is a Navy primary training aircraft used to teach new student pilots.  The two-seat, single engine aircraft does not have ejection seats, but requires aircrew to manually bail out in emergencies.  The T-34C is slated to be replaced by the T-6A Texan II.

Chaplains Praise Support: Torahs for Our Troops

The Jewish Welfare Board’s Jewish Chaplains Council has organized an effort called “Torahs for Our Troops,” with the intent of providing Jewish servicemembers with the religious materials they require for their spiritual needs:

[Jewish] chaplains have asked [the] JWB Jewish Chaplains Council to provide them with small, lightweight but fully kosher Torah scrolls to accompany them from site to site, as they move around ships and the combat theater…For Jews, writing or helping to write a Torah is an important mitzvah. JWB is giving people the opportunity to fulfill this religious obligation by contributing toward the completion of these new Torahs, as well as a way to thank those men and women who serve in the armed forces…

As noted many times on this site, obtaining spiritual resources for servicemembers in theatre and around the world can be challenging, despite the seemingly constant call and supply of ‘care packages.’  The JWB/JCC move is an admirable effort to help military Chaplains provide for the needs of their troops.  This not only provides moral support for our troops as they are deployed in defense of our country; it also ensures US soldiers’ rights to religious free exercise regardless of their location.

Despite the positive attempts by the JWB and Jewish Chaplains to support Jewish members of the US military, their efforts are not without potential controversy Read more

Academies Among 100 “Best Value Colleges” 2010

As noted at AF.mil, the US military academies (Air Force, Navy, Army, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine) were ranked in the “top 100” Best Value Colleges by the Princeton Review/USA Today (again, see 2009).

The military academies, which combine both military and academic training, are government-funded and built around their missions.  As a result, they are no-cost, have low student/teacher ratios, and provide some of the best educational opportunities in the US.

As quoted in the Air Force article, The Princeton Review said

If you can make it through this four-year gauntlet, though, an Air Force diploma is an awesome credential. You will almost certainly leave here with a knack for leadership and a skill set that will impress your friends.

While “impressing your friends” is hardly a worthwhile credential, it is worth noting that the Review recognizes the value of a military academy diploma.  They are challenging to earn, and are earned in limited numbers, making them a commodity even in the civilian sector.  (Though the education is valuable, an Academy diploma does not necessarily have instrinsic value within the military.)

The 2010 Princeton Review can be accessed directly here.

Navy Midshipman Stands Out for Christ

This site has previously documented the public faith of Tim Tebow, the unquestionably talented Florida quarterback who led his team to championships and wore his faith on his life, as well as his eye blacks.  He has been lauded for publicly living out his faith in his “profession.”

The Baptist Press documents another “stand-out linebacker” who “serves Christ,” this time as a military Midshipman at the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. 

Ross Pospisil is the Navy football defensive team captain, helping lead a team Read more

Soldiers See Once in a Lifetime Sights

The US Navy used to have a slogan that said, “Join the Navy, see the world.”  While the catch phrase has long since been abandoned, “seeing the world” remains a significant reason that some people join the US military.  Within just a few months of starting their military service, they may be sent to places as widely varied as Europe, Asia, and Africa.  It is true, too, that in this present time many will likely soon see Iraq, Afghanistan, and the surrounding regions.

An Army press release notes the experiences of a group of soldiers who were given the opportunity to see the ruins of Ur in Iraq.  Ur is the historical birthplace of Abraham, Read more

NORAD Exercise Reveals Typical Challenges

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

Yearning for the Wild Blue Yonder

The Washington Post chronicles the story of Colin Banks, a high school senior who dreams of going to the US Air Force Academy and becoming a fighter pilot.

While the article has the unfortunate tendency of focusing on race, Banks’ story is a good one.  He has an avid interest in all things aeronautic and has an unbelievably supportive mother.  His mother has taken him to Air Force Day at the National Air and Space Museum’s Dulles annex (a pilot heaven, and home of the space shuttle Enterprise), researched Air Force jobs, and drives him to his flight lessons.

As a result of a Tuskegee Airman program called Youth in Aviation, Read more

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