US Army Major Hasan Guilty on All Charges

US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan was found guilty of all charges by a unanimous board of officers.

Not that it should be a surprise.  His opening statement was “I am the shooter.”

Hasan is one of 12 attempted or successful attacks on the US military by those apparently motivated by their Islamic faith, four of whom were actually members of the US military:

And:  Read more

Air Force Investigates Claim of Religious Discrimination

The Stars and Stripes reports the Air Force has launched an investigation at Lackland Air Force Base to determine if Senior Master Sergeant Phillip Monk was a victim of religious discrimination. Monk had claimed he was essentially “fired” by his commander for his religious views.

Training wing spokeswoman Colleen McGee said…the Air Force has launched an investigation into Monk’s claims, to determine if any command violations may have occurred.

Notably, the Liberty Institute — a part of Read more

DoD Grants Spousal Benefits to Homosexuals

The Department of Defense announced it would grant homosexuals “spousal benefits” starting in September.

After a review of the department’s benefit policies following the Supreme Court’s ruling that Section Three of [DOMA] is unconstitutional…, the Defense Department will make spousal and family benefits available no later than Sept. 3, 2013, regardless of sexual orientation, as long as service member-sponsors provide a valid marriage certificate.

Because some homosexual troops might be in Read more

The Challenge of Shabbat in Baghdad

The Jewish Journal documents the story of US Army Captain Eric Goldie, a Jewish soldier deployed to Iraq and trying to remain faithful to his religious exercise in an article entitled “Shabbat in Iraq: Under the Gun“:

On Shabbat, Goldie and a small group of soldiers, embassy workers and contractors — and even one Iraqi-Jewish woman — would gather in the U.S. Embassy to daven. That woman, Halida, would sneak into the embassy to participate, a considerable risk in a city where Jews were hiding their true identities…

Goldie endured a gauntlet of barriers himself just to get to the embassy for services.   “I had to take an armored transport, wearing 60 pounds of body armor, with my weapon, to attend,” he said.

The article contains what may be a swipe at the military Read more

Fort Hood Hosts Islamic Iftar

Chaplain (Maj) Khalid Shabazz and his chaplain assistant, Sgt Jessica Covello, hosted an Islamic iftar attended by “more than 60 soldiers and family members” at Fort Hood, Texas.

“Fasting increases our awareness of God and self-restraint,” Shabazz said. “Abstaining from something so natural such as food and water allows ourselves to gain a greater respect for those who suffer on a daily basis.”

Sgt Covello even tried a little mutual support:  Read more

Air Force SNCO Claims Firing over Religion

Senior Master Sergeant Phillip Monk of the 37th Training Wing at Lackland AFB, TX, says he was “relieved of his position” because he did not agree with his homosexual commander about “gay marriage.”

The Air Force disagrees, and says it was just his time to move on.

As depicted, there may be validity to both sides as to whether or not he was “fired,” but that discussion detracts from the actual issue.

Monk, an evangelical Christian, said the issue came up when he was advising his company commander about a situation involving a staff sergeant who had expressed opposition to homosexuality on religious grounds — an opinion shared with trainees that might be a violation of an Air Force policy barring the use of a position of authority to promote personal religious beliefs.

Monk had said the situation called for Read more

Air Force Chief Targets Bible in POW Memorial, IG Defends It

A long-running US military tradition is the POW/MIA table.  While often a discrete event at formal functions such as military dinings-in, many dining facilities maintain a continuous POW/MIA table within their facilities.  There are actually many variations on the display, though one of the more common ones follows:

The table is round – to show our everlasting concern for our missing men (and women).

The tablecloth is white – symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to duty.

The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of Read more

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