US Air Force Squadron Participates in Islamic Festival

Members of the 90th Air Refueling Squadron deployed to Incirlik, Turkey, took full advantage of their exposure to a foreign culture — even participating in the local Islamic “Feast of Sacrifice:”

The feast’s origins come from the story of Abraham heading up a mountain to sacrifice his son, but his son’s life was spared by God’s provision of a ram. In a spirit of thankfulness during this festival, animals are sacrificed and the meat divided into portions — some being kept by the family, and the rest given away to the poor.

The unit’s commander noted the troops’ desire to participate in the religious festival, despite the fact they weren’t Muslims:  Read more

US Troop is Soldier, Businessman, Pagan Priest

An official DoD article covering the theme “Why We Serve” highlights SPC Adama Blackthorn, who has the nickname “Evil.”  It highlights his unusual life story, from a practically homeless bouncer to making candles as a hobby with his family:

His all-natural candles also play a role in his faith — the Earth-based Pagan religion.

“I’ve been a practicing Pagan for almost two decades, and it’s very fulfilling,” said Blackthorn…

“I grew up Southern Baptist and my family is all Christian. They Read more

Air Force Updates F-22 Crash Response

The US Air Force took the unusual step of issuing a follow-up press release on the crash of a Tyndall F-22 last week.  Normally, the initial announcement, accompanied by the ominous “a board of officers will investigate…” is the last word heard. 

Despite initial media speculation, there are no indications that point to the life support system leading to this incident or playing any role in this crash. A thorough investigation is being conducted in accordance with standard Air Force and Department of Defense policy…

In this case, the Air Force appears to be a intentionally responding to speculation, apparently to squash possible connections to the recent “scandals” over F-22 safety.

US Army Releases New Regulation on Religious Support

The US Army recently released Field Manual 1-05 (FM 1-05), Religious Support, the

Army’s keystone manual for detailing fundamental principles of comprehensive religious support.

Much of the 40-page manual is little more than logistics and structural guidance on how chaplains and religious support are to be integrated into Army operations.  That the Army felt the need to publish such a document, however, is one indicator of the high value it places on such religious support.

The manual begins with an introduction on the history and importance of chaplains:

Chaplains have served in the U.S. Army since the first days of the American Revolution and many have died in combat. These chaplains represented more than 120 separate denominations and faith Read more

Baptists Help the National Guard Stay Clean

A few months ago, a DoD article highlighted the service of the North Carolina Baptist Men, a disaster relief group that also volunteers to assist local military exercises:

[The Baptist Men] call themselves the “disaster junkies”, assisting the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross by setting up mobile hospitals, showers, laundry services, child care facilities, and cooking stations that are capable of feeding 50,000 or more people a day.

For the National Guard’s Operation Panther exercise, the group was washing the troops’ laundry, as many as 120 loads per day.  The group is composed largely of retired military, and they even structure themselves like a military unit:  Read more

Court Overturns Decision, Chaplains Continue Lawsuit against Navy

In one of the least-reported military religious lawsuits-that-never-ends, In re Navy Chaplaincy (DC Cir., Nov. 2, 2012), a US Court of Appeals has reversed a lower court ruling and said Navy Chaplains do have standing to continue their decades-old lawsuit against the Navy.

The long-running case centers on the allegation the Navy Chaplaincy discriminated against non-liturgical faith groups, resulting in favorable treatment of certain religious beliefs that affected promotion rates and the proportion of chaplains in the US Navy.

As reported by the Religion Clause.

Military Professors Debate Religion in the Military, Part 2

Dr. Don Snider (Col, US Army, Retired), a Political Science instructor at the US Military Academy at West Point, responded to USAFA law instructor David Fitzkee’s (Maj, US Army, Retired) prior Parameters article on religious freedom with a commentary criticizing the analysis of command involvement.  Regarding the memorandum on religious neutrality issued last year, Snider said

It seems fair to say that the Chief of Staff of the US Air Force does not trust some of his Commanders to correctly fulfill their responsibilities to “support individual Airman’s needs and provide opportunities for the free exercise of religion.” So, he has withdrawn autonomy from all of his Commanders to do so, turning it over to their Chaplains.

Snider accurately notes that this singles out issues of religion for separation from command guidance:  Read more

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