Christian Fighter Pilot Tammie Jo Shults Lands Crippled Southwest 737

In what is now a widely read event, a Southwest Airlines 737 last week suffered a catastrophic engine failure that crippled the airplane and claimed the life of a passenger.

The pilot was Tammie Jo Shults, and her First Officer was Darren Ellisor.

A few news outlets have made a point of covering the fact Shults is a former fighter pilot, having flown F/A-18s for the Navy. A few have also noted her faith plays an important in her life and her profession:

Tammie Jo Shults…is a recognizable figure at the Texas Hill Country church, which averages 900 in worship. She has led the children’s worship program at First Baptist and taught Sunday School for children, middle schoolers, high schoolers and adults, said Staci Thompson, a longtime friend and administrative assistant in the church office…

Shults’ “biggest goal” amid the emergency landing and Read more

Breaking: Navy Rebuffs Mikey Weinstein over Missing Man Bible

Update: In response to this denial, Mikey Weinstein is now demanding the POW/MIA table be piled with books of various other spiritualities.  This is standard Weinstein fare (he’s used it before) for trying to try to milk the “controversy” timeline and make the situation as annoying as possible in hopes he’ll be placated.  Meanwhile, who, precisely, is being “honored” by this?

As reported at the San Diego Tribune, the US Navy has rebuffed Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s attempt to have a POW/MIA display “investigated” because it contained a Bible:

In a letter dated April 17 and mailed to New York attorney Donald G. Rehkopf Jr., San Diego-based Rear Adm. Paul D. Pearigen said that “neither further review nor an investigation of this matter is necessary.”

Initially, it appeared the Navy had asked “how high?” when Weinstein Read more

Mikey Weinstein Says Chaplain Scott Squires is “Intolerant Filth”

Update: In an interesting take, Patrick Hornbeck, a department chair of theology at Fordham University and an open homosexual, admitted that Chaplain Squires was “mistreated,” but attributed it to the natural consequences of “bureacracy” and a “well-meaning if somewhat confused investigator.”

The world waited with bated breath for Michael “Mikey” Weinstein — self-declared savior of military religious freedom — to speak on the case of Chaplain (Maj) Scott Squires. Chaplain Squires had been investigated and recommended for reprimand after he re-scheduled a Strong Bonds event just so a homosexual could attend, hosted by a different chaplain whose endorsing agency apparently is not morally opposed to homosexual “marriage.”  Given the affront to his faith, and his efforts to accommodate the homosexual couple in an a different affirming event, naturally a defender of religious freedom would rally to Chaplain Squires’ side.

Noting that Chaplain Squires was following his endorsing agency’s guidance, as both the agency and the US Army requires, this was Weinstein’s response:

Our argument is [Defense Secretary Jim Mattis] ought to disqualify that particular entity as a chaplain endorsing agency.

Weinstein Read more

Army Chaplain Scott Squires May be Sanctioned over Strong Bonds, Same Sex Troops

In what seems to be second case of Equal Opportunity offices gone wild, another US military EO office has determined that a Christian military officer is guilty of discrimination — and should be reprimanded — because of his religious beliefs about sexuality.

US Army Chaplain Scott Squires was apparently tasked to host a Strong Bonds marriage retreat — and a homosexual couple signed up. Chaplain Squires is a Southern Baptist, and his ecclesiastical endorser has said Southern Baptist chaplains can’t perform ministry that might appear to condone sexual sin. (This would be equally true for any Catholic or Muslim chaplain.) Thus, Chaplain Squires rescheduled the Strong Bonds event to a weekend in which another chaplain — one whose faith group would support a homosexual “marriage” — could host the event.

That wasn’t good enough. The Soldier complained to EO — and the EO office said the chaplain should be reprimanded [emphasis added]:  Read more

Ashley Broadway: Knowing Commanders are Christians is Failure of Leadership

There was surprisingly little media coverage of the wailing and gnashing of teeth from LGBT activists over the decision by the Air Force to reverse the punishment of Col Leland Bohannon. Last October Col Bohannon had a superior officer sign a spouse appreciation certificate for a homosexual subordinate, rather than affront his religious beliefs by signing it himself.  The Air Force fired him but now admits it was wrong to do so.

It seems even the general public thought getting a two-star General to sign the certificate was a fair compromise that should have made everybody happy. Showing homosexual activists in a frenzy over this reasonable accommodation might have made them look foolish.

Enter Ashley Broadway-Mack.

Now heading the homosexual activist American Military Partner Association, Broadway — a self-described “devout Christian” — said the Air Force’s decision to defend Col Bohannon’s constitutionally-protected religious liberty, rather than promote her preferred sexual behavior, was “alarming” [emphasis added]:

“This colonel’s action sent a dangerous message to the entire command that he disapproves of every same-sex spouse that supports their service member throughout their military career. That’s a severe failure of leadership.”

Read that again carefully, and consider the ramifications.

“This colonel’s action” resulted Read more

Civilian Marine Serves God, Country, Corps

The Marine Corps published an interesting article about José Rodriguez, a civilian who works for the Marine Corps Systems Command — and who is also an Episcopal Priest:

With encouragement and support from the command, Rodriguez brings that same passion to the Orlando community where he serves as an Episcopal priest at Iglesia Episcopal Jesús de Nazaret.

Although it is rare in the Episcopal Church for a priest to have two careers, Rodríguez chose to work at TRASYS because his job goes hand-in-hand with his mission as a priest.

It’s an interesting example of a man integrating Read more

Mikey Weinstein Goes after Okinawa POW Bible. Again.

By now you’ve probably seen the reports saying Michael “Mikey” Weinstein filed a complaint (PDF, through his lawyer) about a Bible at a POW/MIA display at Okinawa, Japan. What these reports don’t seem to convey is this is just Mikey being Mikey. Every couple of months he makes these kinds of complaints; they hit a high point every now and then, fade into the background later, and maybe catch peoples’ attention again.

The POW/MIA display is a piggy bank for Weinstein. If his coffers get low, he can pull one of these from his files and try to get attention.

To prove the point, consider that the subject of this latest complaint at US Naval Hospital Okinawa is a POW/MIA table that is on permanent display. It’s been there for years. Nothing Read more

Thunderbird Pilot Dies in Crash in Nevada

A US Air Force F-16 pilot who was a member of the Thunderbird demonstration team has died as a result of a crash “during [a] routine training” flight:

“A U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds pilot was killed when his F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed over the Nevada Test and Training Range today at approximately 10:30 a.m. during a routine aerial demonstration training flight,” the Wednesday statement said.

The pilot was Read more

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