The second anniversary of the massacre at Fort Hood passed quietly on 5 November 2011. The trial of US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the wheelchair-bound accused who faces execution if convicted, is scheduled to begin in March.
On Saturday in a small private ceremony, some victims’ relatives planned to place wreaths on the fence that now surrounds the boarded-up building where the shootings occurred. Michael Cahill’s widow, Read more
Some may have forgotten that Veterans’ Day actually began as Armistice Day, commemorating the end of World War I on 11 November 1918. Through the years it developed a meaning for all veterans, though it continues to recall the cost of The Great War.
Right now hundreds of thousands of US troops are stationed around the world in support of the military’s mission. Many more have returned home from war Read more
The Rev. Billy Graham has a syndicated daily newspaper column called “My Answer.” He recently addressed a question from a US servicemember in Afghanistan reconsidering their calling in life:
DEAR BILLY GRAHAM: Right now, I’m in the military deployed in Afghanistan, and I’ve really grown closer to God during my time here. Do you think God wants me to be a pastor or something like that when I get out? How can I know? — M. M.
Graham thanked the servicemember for their service and noted the Read more
US Army PFC Naser Abdo has been indicted on additional charges related to his planned attack on Fort Hood a few months ago. (His effort is one of 10 revealed planned or attempted attacks on the US military by those claiming or somehow motivated by their Islamic faith.) He now faces a possible life sentence:
Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo was indicted on Read more
Former US Navy Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt has filed a suit in the US Court of Federal Claims seeking reinstatement and back pay or access to retirement.
Klingenschmitt was discharged in 2007 after a controversial couple of years largely revolving around his insistence on ending prayers “in Jesus’ name.” He has been filing appeals ever since.
Notably, Klingenschmitt’s timeline in the filing indicates Read more
The Stars and Stripes covers the story of US Army SGT Chris and Cristina Tarantino, who were “reared Catholic” but recently converted to Islam.
She started to wonder what happened after death, she said, and how to best live life on earth.
She was spending time with her older sister, who had converted to Islam after marrying a Palestinian, and she sought her sister’s guidance.
Her sister’s answers about Islam made sense Read more
Any article that starts with “retired male supermodel” and touches on peace and religion is bound to draw some kind of attention. From the Wall Street Journal, no less:
Retired male supermodel Cameron Alborzian sat down with Maj. Gen. Phil Jones at the U.S.-led coalition headquarters in Kabul this past summer to discuss a novel way to persuade Afghan insurgents to lay down arms.
Apparently Alborzian, who was once associated with Madonna’s music videos, has bent the ear of American and British Generals in Afghanistan with his suggestion that everyone should just meditate together, and everything would be ok: Read more
The Military Times notes the unveiling of a Navy airship at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.
The MZ-3A is the Navy’s scientific test platform for surveillance cameras, radars and other sensors…[used] “to prove LTA [lighter-than-air] has a place in our military construct,” said Cmdr. Jay Steingold.
The slow, long-endurance vehicles are variations on the blimp/dirigible and could fill a variety of roles. The Navy isn’t the only one to have such a program: Read more