Month: January 2010

Fighter Pilots and Science Fiction

A rule of writing is that an author must “spell out” a term before using its abbreviation or acronym.  It appears that military public affairs writers have taken this rule to heart, almost to a fault.

A recent article from Balad, Iraq, talks about the men and women who maintain the flight equipment that pilots wear on missions.  These servicemembers may sometimes be overlooked, but if pilots are forced to depend on their equipment (for example, following an ejection), strong bonds often develop between the Airman who packed a survival kit and the pilot whose life is saved by it.

In the article, the public affairs Airman says  Read more

Soldier’s Faith Inspires Him to Help

An Army Lieutenant spearheaded an effort to provide an Iraqi child with the surgery she needed to give her sight.  US Army 1st Lieutenant Jason Hickman’s efforts were in no small part a result of his faith, as he acknowledged that there are no such things as chance occurrences:

“I don’t believe in the traditional sense of the word ‘destiny,’ but I do believe that God puts people in certain places at certain times,” Hickman said. “Things don’t happen solely by coincidence. All you have to do is look for the road signs…”

“The Lord may not push you around the board like a pawn, but every now and again he puts you where he wants you,” Hickman said. “We were supposed to end up in Zwaynat that night. It was just up to us what we were going to do when we got there.”

Read the full story.

Weinstein v Ammerman, Continued

In September, Michael and Bonnie Weinstein filed a civil lawsuit against the Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches and Gordon Klingenschmitt.  The primary issue seems to be Klingenschmitt’s “imprecatory prayer” against Weinstein and Barry Lynn, as was noted in a previous analysis.  (Weinstein has amended his lawsuit twice in the intervening months, but only the original is currently publicly available.)  This case will be interesting for religious freedom in general, not just in the military, since it may delineate what control–if any–the government is willing to place on public prayer.  Initial commentators, including allies of the Weinsteins, doubted they would succeed in their suit.  However, despite the initial furor, there has been little in the media since.

The case continues, however.  It appears one of the initial issues will be jurisdiction, which is a legitimate question in this case.  Weinstein is a resident of New Mexico, the CFGC is headquartered in Texas, and Klingenschmitt is presumed to be a resident of Colorado.  Weinstein is suing in Texas district court.  Since the CFGC is in Dallas, it would appear to make sense that Weinstein would sue the CFGC in Texas.

However, the CFGC’s connection to the complaint is tenuous.  As noted already, the precipitating action in this litigation appears to be a prayer by Klingenschmitt, not anything done or said by the CFGC or its head, Jim Ammerman.  The CFGC’s role in the prayer is nonexistent, except insomuch as Klingenschmitt is a Read more

Fighter Pilots: “Joy-Riding Flyboys”

In editorial discussions in Arizona about the future of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, locals parried over the possibility of the F-35 being stationed in the area.  The “discussion” demonstrated the continuing public stereotype of fighter pilots.  Said one letter writer to the Arizona Daily Star:

Basing the F-35 Air Force jet in Tucson is a very bad idea. Tucson is an asset to all of Arizona because it attracts quality, high-tech, tax-positive industry…Tucson is the jewel of Arizona. A deafening noise from joy-riding flyboys will do more economic harm than whatever modest benefit these flyboys will bring to the local bars. (emphasis added)

Interestingly, subsequent writers responded in defense of military fighter pilots, decrying the “generalization” of fighter pilots:  Read more

UAVs by Any Other Name

Reuters notes the tensions between common phrases and those who want to control the semantics.

The US Air Force has made a concerted effort to change the lexicon of Predators, Reapers, and other air vehicles that do not have humans onboard.  While traditionally called “UAVs,” or “Unmanned Air Vehicles,” the Air Force is now attempting to popularize the term “RPV,” or “Remotely Piloted Vehicle.”  (See, for example, this official Air Force article which exclusively uses the term “RPV.”)  The intent is to accurately convey the make up of the weapon system:

The change is significant to the Air Force as it recruits a new generation of pilots who may spend little time inside a jet plane. It wants the world to know that humans have “positive control over these vehicles,” [Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley] said.

Unfortunately, the Air Force might become a victim of its own insistence on correct characterization.  For example, it is true that the Predator Read more

Christian Military Wives Provide Mutual Support

A local paper covered the social support system of Christian Military Wives, a ministry of the Christian Military Fellowship (see links).  The article recounts the challenges of the wives left behind by husbands deploying for multiple combat tours–in one case, four times in five years.  Besides providing a spiritual resource for like-minded wives, the group also helps with the physical needs of military wives:

Part of the group’s mission is to provide physical needs like babysitting, lawn care, meals or home repairs for military wives “who come to this area, and they don’t have those connections yet,” Fitzgerald said. Scotts Hill Baptist plans to host a Military Wives Conference on May 15 to connect families with resources in the area.

The motivation behind the ministry is fairly simple, and it demonstrates both the family spirit and the relevance of faith to the military culture:

I feel like God calls us to help one another.

That straightforward statement of faith in action should serve as a sentiment that many Christians should seek to share.

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