Month: February 2011

Naval Academy Professor Settles Complaint

Bruce Fleming has had a long — and tumultuous — career as a professor of English at the US Naval Academy.

In 2009 he wrote an Op-Ed claiming the USNA inappropriately lowers its standards to increase its racial diversity, a claim he has made elsewhere.  He claims he was denied a “standard” pay raise as a result.  He filed a complaint which has now been settled “to the satisfaction of both parties,” according to the Academy.

Fleming has criticized the existence of the military institutions, complaining they create mediocre officers and “promulgate” a “conservative worldview” that includes “religion.”  Despite such complaints, he seems content to take a paycheck from the Navy to teach there, as he has for more than Read more

Rep to Ban Military NASCAR Sponsorships, MRFF Victory?

Update: The House voted against the amendment.

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-Minn) has reportedly submitted an amendment to the 2011 House budget bill (one of about 400) that would ban the military from sponsoring NASCAR drivers.

The National Guard sponsors Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team, the Army sponsors Ryan Newman, and the Air Force sponsors AJ Allmendinger, according to HamptonRoads.com.

“I would challenge the Pentagon to give me one example of someone today in Iraq or Afghanistan who saw the Go Army car going around Read more

AKC-130 Deployed to Afghanistan

The US Marine Corps’ newest attack aircraft, its armed KC-130J tanker/airlift aircraft, is reportedly flying sorties over Afghanistan:

The [KC-130] is the first of three airplanes with San Diego-based Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352 to be fitted with the Harvest Hawk kit. The kit, designed as a roll-on/roll-off weapon system, includes a pod attached to the left wing that can carry four Hellfire missiles, Read more

Soldier Sees Troops Support Each Other, Regardless of Faith

In a somewhat long but interesting article first published in the Jewish Exponent and republished by the Army, 1LT Avi Behar, a 23-year-old Army Lieutenant, recalls a day in Afghanistan in which he had an epiphany about religion and relationships both in the US military and the Afghan Army.

Earlier in the day, with the help of an Afghan General, his unit helped a local get his truck, overloaded with his produce, unstuck from the side of the road.  Later, he came back to base to celebrate Chanukah:

Upon returning that night…our battalion chaplain put together a Chanukah service. We had discussed the idea a few days prior, but I wasn’t expecting what I was about to experience.  Read more

Millionth Soldier Takes Army GAT

In early February the US Army’s Global Assessment Tool was taken by its millionth Soldier.  Presumably that includes the total force, as the Army has approximately 1.1 million Soldiers total, including Guard and Reserve.

As noted in the Army article,

This effort began in 2008 under the leadership of Brig. Gen. Rhonda L. Cornum…The CSF program is not medical or psychological treatment…

The GAT is a 105-question survey that assesses a Soldier in emotional, social, spiritual and family fitness. The GAT is not a pass or fail test, Read more

Army Tackles Suicide with Soldier Fitness, Other Programs

A few weeks ago the US Army noted that while active duty suicides were down last year, suicides in the Guard and Reserve were up.  Notably, while the stereotype is a forlorn Soldier who cannot reconnect after a year of combat, more than half of the Guard Soldiers who committed suicide had not deployed.

The Army, understandably unable to find a “silver bullet” to stop suicide, credits a variety of new programs with at least appearing to staunch the tragic flow:

The reduction in active-duty suicides shows progress, [Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter] Chiarelli said. He attributed the decrease partly to the stand-up of the service’s Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention Council and Task Force in 2009, and the programs and policy changes it’s instituted.

More soldiers are using the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program, and the Pain Management Task Force is monitoring Read more

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