Tag Archives: Religion

Air Force Reports Cause of Edwards F-22A Crash

Despite a prior Washington Post article, the Accident Investigation report released by the Air Force indicates that the reason for the F-22A crash in March was the affects of the high-g environment.  While he did not G-LOC, the report basically says that he was trying very hard not to and he was only partially successful.

This mishap was caused by the [pilot’s] adverse physiological reaction to high acceleration forces and subsequent loss of situational awareness…The [pilot] channelized his attention to fight off the effects of high g-forces…[and] entered an extreme nose down, high-speed attitude from which safe recovery was not possible…

The Accident Investigation Board report can be read here (pdf) in its entirety.  Other sites have translated this accident as being caused by “A-LOC” or by “pilot error.”

Fighter Pilot Recovered from Iraq 18 Years Later

Update: Speicher has previously been described by his family as “a true leader, a devout Christian and a role model.”  He was a father to a then-3 and 1 year old, and also a Sunday School teacher at his Lake Shore United Methodist church in Jacksonville, FL.  His widow subsequently married another fighter pilot and friend of Scott Speicher.  Speicher has also been promoted twice since his shootdown, and is now a Captain (USN).

US Navy Lt Cmdr Michael Scott “Spike” Speicher, an F/A-18 pilot, was shot down over Iraq on 17 January 1991, during Operation Desert Storm.

Various news outlets have covered the US military’s announcement that Speicher’s remains have been recovered, following leads from local Iraqis.  All indications are that he was buried near his aircraft crash location, leading to the conclusion that he was killed when he was shot down.

Read more

New Lieutenants Paid to Earn Graduate Degrees

While many military cadets may look forward to graduation and moving on to the “real” military (getting out of the fishbowl), a small group gets the pleasure of pinning on their Lieutenant bars and heading right back to school.  For example, after graduating from the US Air Force Academy, 87 cadets will have the opportunity to continue their education through a variety of advanced degree programs as varied as MIT and Oxford.  Not only will their attendance be paid by scholarship or stipend, but the young officers will also continue to receive their Lieutenant paychecks.

Advanced education is considered desirable in the military, particularly for officers in specialized fields and those who will go on to strategic ranks.  Obtaining a graduate degree this early gives the young officers an advantage Read more

Ambassador-Warrior Tebow’s Platform for Christ

Tim Tebow, the now-famous college football quarterback (previously discussed), is currently featured on the cover of Time Magazine, with the headline “Man of Many Missions.”  With a fruitful college football career and an outspoken heart for Jesus Christ, Tebow truly does have many (very successful) missions.  The champion college player had the option of quitting school and entering the NFL, but chose instead to finish his college career, in part because of

the platform that I had at the University of Florida, the opportunity that I had to minister to a lot of kids around the south, and the US for that matter, and just what was going on around the University of Florida, how much I loved it, how I loved being a Gator.

Tebow’s statements about the value of his witness express the very heart of Christianity, and of living Read more

President Jimmy Carter “Leaves the Church”

Much has been made of former US President Jimmy Carter’s recent missive in the UK Observer entitled “The words of God do not justify cruelty to women.”  In it he says

[M]y decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult.

It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention’s leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses…ordained that women must be “subservient” to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors, or chaplains in the military service. Read more

US Army Promotes Religion in Afghanistan

Despite controversies over religion in the military and the sensitivities of troops talking about religion with locals, the US Army has actually assigned a young Captain to do that very thing.

According to a Wall Street Journal article, US Army Capt James Hill’s job is to

turn Islam into a weapon against the Taliban.

Though the Wall Street Journal emphasizes the Captain’s religion (the article is entitled “The Baptist and the Mullah Launch a Faith-Based Attack on the Taliban”), Read more

Update 2: “God and Country Festival” Flyby

As previously noted, the Air Force declined to support the Nampa, Idaho, “God and Country Festival” with a flyby, despite a 40+ year history of supporting the event.  The festival organizers now have a petition online.  The organizers make a point of saying

We want to make it clear that although it is unashamedly a Christian event, a major part of the Festival is honoring our troops who protect our freedom to assemble.

The decision has stayed in the news, and was even covered by Bill O’Reilly Read more

Update: No Flyby for Christian Patriotic Event

FoxNews has now picked up the story, previously noted, of the Air Force’s decision not to provide a fly-by of the “God and Country Festival” in Nampa, Idaho.  A “defense department official” repeated that the reason for the refusal was that it would have provided a “selective benefit.” Of note:

The Air Force was in charge of the decision-making process, meaning neither the secretary of defense nor President Obama weighed in directly, the official said.

Capt. Tom Wenz from Air Force public affairs told FOX News that past participation was due to the fact that the event was described only as a “patriotic tribute,” and the Air Force wasn’t aware until now of the apparent focus on Christianity, despite the festival’s name.

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