Month: March 2011

T-38 Passes 50 Years of Air Force Service

An Air Force article notes that the T-38 Talon, the Air Force’s primary jet trainer, has just passed 50 years of service.  To put that in perspective, the Air Force was only 14 years old, the Korean armistice wasn’t even a decade old, and most people probably didn’t know where Vietnam was yet.

The Air Force has indicated it will eventually begin an official search for a replacement trainer.

The T-38 isn’t the oldest aircraft in the inventory.  The B-52 is approaching 60 years of service.

America Joins Conflict in Libya: Operation Odyssey Dawn

The United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1973 authorizing “all necessary means” except an invasion to enforce a no-fly zone and “protect civilians” in Libya.  China, Russia, Germany, Brazil and India abstained from the vote.  The UN Security Council:

Authorizes Member States…to take all necessary measures…to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya…while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory.

Establish[es] a ban on all flights in the airspace of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in order to help protect civilians;

Authorizes Member States…to take all necessary measures to enforce compliance with the ban on flights…

Fighter pilots and other American military members around the world are undoubtedly preparing for their eventual role in this conflict, which, like virtually every other conflict since Korea, remains politically controversial.  (For example, The Washington Times quotes then-candidate and Senator Barack Obama apparently contradicting his current actions as President.)

Ironically, Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi tried to paint this latest conflict as a Christian crusade against Muslims:  Read more

Women in Combat Have Three Times Suicide Rate

USA Today notes preliminary data from the US Army indicates “the suicide rate for female soldiers triples when they go to war.”

The findings…show that the suicide rate rises from five per 100,000 to 15 per 100,000 among female soldiers at war. Scientists are not sure why but say they will look into whether women feel isolated in a male-dominated war zone or suffer greater anxieties about leaving behind children and other loved ones.

Some might earlier have called that last statement sexist, particularly in light of recent recommendations that women be allowed in combat Read more

US Army Chaplain Assistant Followed God’s Call

A Chaplain assistant has an interesting story of his eventual enlistment in the US Army:  God led him to it.  From the Army article entitled “God Made a Path to the Army, It Made a Path to Peace:”

After Hurricane Ike, [Spc. Kendall] Jackson was laid off and out of work yet again. Desperate, Jackson said he started reading his Bible, looking for answers, but everything he read talked about fighting in the Army.

While he was out looking for work “with everyone else,” a stranger approached him, touched his shoulder, and said, “Do what God has told you to do.” Jackson shook off this odd encounter. Then, after a Read more

History Channel “Pawn Stars” Buy AMRAAM?

A few different entertainment news sources are reporting that the purveyors of the reality TV series Pawn Stars purchased a US Air Force air-to-air missile recently.  As with many discussions of military hardware, its difficult to tell what, precisely, anyone is talking about:

Sources confirm to FOX411 that the stars of the History Channel’s reality show “Pawn Stars” have purchased a guidance system for a missile used on F-4 Phantom fighter planes.

TMZ originally reported that Rick Harrison and his team made the deal for an AIM-120 AMRAAM missile last week, although the missile did not contain a live war head.

An AIM-120 is not a guidance system, and AMRAAMs were not Read more

US Drones Flying in War…over Mexico

The New York Times reports the United States has, with the knowledge of the Mexican government, begun flying drones over its southern neighbor to “gather intelligence” on Mexico’s ongoing drug war.

Officials on both sides of the border also said that Mexico asked the United States to use its drones to help track suspects’ movements. The officials said that while Mexico had its own unmanned aerial vehicles, they did not have the range or high-resolution capabilities necessary for certain surveillance activities.

One American military official said the Pentagon had flown Read more

Chaplain Sponsors “Duty Day with God”

Chaplain (Capt.) Tony Cech came up with an innovative way to introduce himself to the men and women he serves.  He has led trips to the local Mount Mauna Kea observatories, which are the highest peaks in the area at nearly 14,000 feet.  These “Duty Day with God” trips serve several purposes:

The Army has developed innovative ways to help improve and maintain a soldier’s mental health throughout the years. One way is to help strengthen the spiritual health of a soldier with the help of Army chaplains…

[Cech’s] ‘Duty Day with God’ helps reduce stress and serves another purpose for Cech.

“I wanted to be able to take soldiers on a trip to help them relax and for me to try and build a relationship with them,” said Cech. “I wanted the soldiers to see an approachable chaplain for anything that is bothering them. I also wanted them to see that the chaplain goes everywhere the soldiers are.”

Read the full story.

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