CSAF General Welsh Ends Air Force Blues Mondays

Prepare to hang up those polyester pants, ladies and gentlemen.

As reported in the Air Force Times, Chief of Staff of the Air Force General Mark Welsh “decided not to renew” the Air Force-wide “blues Mondays” instituted by his predecessor, Gen Schwartz (a widely-panned decision noted even in the infamous Dear Boss letter).  This means the authority for the uniform policy reverts to the MAJCOM, rather than HQ Air Force, level:

Accordingly, both Air Force Space Command and Air Force Special Operations Command have ended Blues Mondays. Other major commands, Read more

Atheists Continue Fight Against Military Memorials

As noted previously, a group of atheists (or anti-religionists) at the Freedom From Religion Foundation is trying to bring Jesus down from the mountain.  After finally producing an actual plaintiff, a federal judge has ruled they have standing to continue their lawsuit:

The Knights of Columbus and four others had requested that the lawsuit be dismissed since the Freedom From Religion Foundation had not Read more

Fort Bragg’s $13.5M Chapel to be Dedicated in Time for Holidays

Construction is complete on the US Army’s newest chapel facility on Fort Bragg, and the chapel will open in time for holiday services.  The complex, billed as the first chapel built on the base since Vietnam, has a sprawling campus and a main sanctuary that has double the capacity of the Division Memorial Chapel it is intended to replace:

At 22,600 square-feet, the complex includes a worship and activity center, expansion area, gathering area, lobby, clergy and staff offices, baptistery and sacristy suites, meditation and reconciliation room, kitchen, choir room, nursery, and vestibules. With a seating capacity of 629, the new facility is twice as large as the old chapel, which only seats 300. The facility spans 9 acres located off Ardennes Road next to the 82nd Airborne Division Memorial Museum.

The chapel also boasts some significant historical content:

One of the most distinguishing features of the chapel is Read more

Is Building Better Bystanders the Solution?

In response to sexual assaults that have occurred over the past few years, the US military has placed a significant emphasis on “bystander intervention.”  As an example, the very recent leadership memorandum from the US Air Force on sexual assault addressed only a single audience:

We must be united in our commitment to intervene when we see the potential for harm, to act affirmatively when we observe tolerance of sexist behavior and attitudes, and to provide victim care…

In other words, the Air Force focused solely on Read more

General Officer, West Point Colonel Highlight Religious Conference

Jews in Green recently announced LtGen Howard Bromberg, US Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, and Col Glenn Goldman, Director of Military Instruction at West Point, will be speaking to the Aleph Institute’s 2013 “Military Training Course” in January.  (Gen Bromberg has spoken there before, and prior speakers have included Speaker of the House John Boehner.)

The annual conference is intended for Jewish members of the military who Read more

Unitarian Chaplains Multiply in US Military

An article at the Unitarian Universalist website notes an increase in Unitarian military chaplains and chaplain applicants after decades of under-representation.  The article reports the denomination now has 10 chaplains, with 7 more applying.  While a significant increase from the “one or two” chaplains before (including Army Chaplain Rebekah Montgomery), it still isn’t a high number.  The reason for the low interest?

It’s no secret that for many years after the Vietnam War many UUs harbored some hostility toward the war and the politicians who promoted it. In some cases veterans themselves were treated distantly in our congregations, even shunned.

One UU chaplain said they are needed to balance out “evangelicals”:  Read more

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