The American Military Partner Association recently repeated its frequent use of troops in uniform to endorse its cause:
The U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, & U.S. Marine Corps were all well represented at #AMPAWestCoastGala. More photos coming soon!
***www.MilitaryPartners.org***
Note that there was no Read more
A US Military Academy Facebook photo from their University of Texas at El Paso football victory raised the ire of activists, as it showed the cadets wearing sombreros while being hosted by the largely Hispanic community [emphasis added]:
The school should apologize for the image and take it down, said Lisa Navarrete, an official with the National Council of La Raza, a nonprofit group in Washington that focuses on immigration and other Latino issues. The use of sombreros to represent Latino people is an “old-school and dated stereotype” that offends many people, Navarrete said.
“I am a huge sports fan, so I understand that trashing your opponents in silly and not-so-silly ways is part of the game,” she said. “But I am also old enough to remember when banana peels were thrown at Georgetown University basketball players. Ugly bigotry is still ugly and offensive, even in the context of entertainment.”
With regard to the public Read more
The Associated Press published an unusually revealing article [updated link] about a 13-year-old US Army dependent named Jenn Brewer — who is actually a male, but is attempting a pre-puberty “transition” to female under the military’s healthcare system:
The Pentagon announced in June an end to the military’s ban on transgender service members. The ripple effect of the new health benefits extends beyond active-duty military to include roughly 7 million retirees and children of service members, like Jenn.
The change puts support for Jenn’s mental and physical well-being during her transition within reach, but the new coverage also comes with controversy.
The National Center for Transgender Equality says the new policy doesn’t go far enough, with a key operation – gender-reassignment surgery – covered only for active-duty personnel.
The article indicates activists are already fighting Read more
Yes, it’s really a thing. The 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson AFB, NC, recently decorated and then burned seven pianos in an event that recalled their unit history as part of the Eagle squadrons in the Battle of Britain. As described by FltLt Douglas McKay, a Royal Air Force pilot on exchange with the USAF at Seymour Johnson: Read more
The Department of Defense has published “An Implementation Handbook” to “Transgender Service in the US Military” (as a PDF). While apparently trying to be helpful, it contains a lot of “it depends” type answers. For example, will a Soldier get in trouble for using the “wrong” pronoun with respect to someone who is a male but claims to be female [emphasis added]?
Question: What pronouns should I use with transgender Service members?
Answer: This will vary by individual and unit. Transgender Service members should Read more
US Air Force Chaplain (Capt) Timothy Dahl was recently deployed to Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, with Joint Task Force Bravo. Though not a traditional “combat” deployment (which makes the reference to “outside the wire” awkward), the trip provided many opportunities for both Dahl and those he served to expand their perspectives on the world:
We had nine orphanages that we were responsible for getting volunteers for. Almost every Saturday and some Sundays we had a group going out.
“One time we went into the mountains to check out a potential hike location beforehand and we saw a family bathing in a very deep ditch with lots of nasty water,” said Dahl. “They have no [plumbing] system in the mountains. I felt very blessed about where I got to sleep and bathe that night.
“It’s really easy for me to complain about my life,” added Dahl. “It’s really Read more
Most people who follow military issues know US Army MajGen Wayne Grigsby was fired suddenly this week for an undisclosed reason. The mystery around why has attracted and kept the media’s attention, particularly as they’ve looked into his past and noted he was a relatively uncontroversial commander at Fort Riley, Kansas. The only newsworthy event, in fact, was a complaint from Michael “Mikey” Weinstein months ago about retired LtGen Jerry Boykin speaking at a prayer event.
And that’s enough of a connection for Mikey Weinstein, who has vaunted the same story a half dozen times over the past week. While he has repeatedly proclaimed “MRFF in the news!”, he’s left even some of his own supporters scratching their heads. Referring to one of Weinstein’s self-aggrandizing posts, a supporter said [emphasis added]:
This…has some serious click bait issues…There is no real meat to the story. There is mention of Gen Boykin but nothing links Grigsby to any MRFF Hot Button issues.
That’s an astute observation by someone who normally defends Weinstein. Weinstein is Read more
Despite claims by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter that tolerance is “a practical necessity” in the US military — and that nothing unrelated to someone’s qualifications should prevent them from serving — people who are prevented from serving for reasons other than sexuality aren’t reaping the fruits of that newfound practical “tolerance.”
Maj. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi was recently in the news — and at the Democratic National Convention — highlighting the continued fight for Sikhs to gain Read more