Month: December 2009

Chaplains Guard Constitutional Rights

As noted here late last year, the US military has increased its public relations emphasis on the virtues of its Chaplaincy and spiritual environment.  This was likely to counter allegations and perceptions of religious intolerance or impropriety within the US military.  All of the military branches now routinely publish news releases on Chaplains of varying faiths selflessly serving their troops, as well highlighting the inclusive spiritual atmosphere within the US military.

An article from Keesler Air Force Base appears to be the most blunt to date.  Entitled “Chaplains guard constitutional right to religious freedom,” it features Chaplain (Capt) Charles Mallory reciting Read more

Letter Inspires Responses: God’s Role in Combat

A letter to the editor at the Stars and Stripes complained of offense when the paper quoted a soldier apparently expressing a belief in God (discussed here). The “non-believer’s” letter spawned a spate of responses.

Three responses directly addressed the original letter writer’s question.  The first attempted to explain the sovereignty of God by pitting free will versus God’s will, a complicated subject at best for the opinion section of a newspaper.  A second letter also taught a theological lesson, as well as bluntly communicating a Christian message.

The third addressed a more basic concept in the original letter, noting that God has allowed many to die–and live–when man cannot comprehend why.  The first sergeant makes an astute observation about the self-contradiction of the initial complaint:  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

General: Fighter Pilots’ Jobs Safe, for Now

Lt. Gen. David Deptula, Air Force deputy chief of staff for ISR and a strong advocate for UAVs, recently stated that “we haven’t even seen the horizon yet” on the last manned tactical aircraft.

While many have forecasted the “unemployment of the fighter pilot” as UAVs have become more ubiquitous, Deptula’s reason for saying fighter pilots have some job security is fairly simple: 

There is no sensor package capable of “360-degree situational awareness that can process information” and decide on how to act upon it better than the human brain.

The article notes that Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said he is “inclined to believe” that the F-35 will be the last manned fighter.

White House Staff Swaps F-22 for F-15

In an interesting “behind the scenes” look at a Presidential speech, The Cable, a blog of Foreign Policy magazine, says that White House staffers asked an Air Force squadron to remove its F-22 from President Obama’s speech location and replace it with an F-15.  The story was corroborated by an Elmendorf AFB public affairs officer.

The blog reports that some of the local troops who fly and maintain the Raptor “took offense” and were bewildered that the White House wouldn’t want to showcase the Air Force’s premier front line fighter.

It is highly unlikely that Obama personally had anything to do with the decision.  Such political “staging” matters are frequently made at levels well below the Oval Office (as noted by the article saying aides made the request).  As the Foreign Policy article shows, though, sometimes the decision to use what might seem like an innocuous stage piece (in this case, two Air Force fighter aircraft) may have a significant backstory.

Academy Hosts ‘Religious Warrior Weekend’

The US Military Academy at West Point recently hosted civilian college students and fellow military academy cadets at its annual religious Warrior Weekend at the cadet chapel.  Designed to give the civilians a sense of their religious military heritage, it also gave the military cadets the opportunity to “immerse” themselves in their culture.

The event, described below, is an admirable effort by cadets and officers to do two important things: convey to civilians that their faith is not inconsistent with military service; and remind military cadets of the depth of Read more

A Day which Will Live in Infamy

December 7, 2009, marks 68 years since the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that propelled the United States into what was already the second World War.  While Remembrance Day is an annual event (see the Presidential declaration), memories of Pearl Harbor have been more vivid since what some have implied was the 21st Century Pearl Harbor: the terrorist attack on the US on 11 September 2001.

Many recognize the opening line and a choice phrase or two, but Read more

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