It appears that the non-acquisition of the armed T-6 may have been planned to take another step, with a potential combat deployment to Afghanistan. Apparently, the Congressional Armed Services Committees rejected the funding requests for the project:
For more than a year, the Pentagon has wanted to test propeller-driven planes outfitted with reconnaissance sensors and precision-guided weapons in combat to see Read more
The Jewish Chaplains Memorial that will join the others at Chaplain’s Hill in Arlington will be dedicated in a ceremony next Monday, 24 October.
The memorial is a bronze plaque with the names of the 14 Jewish Chaplains who died while on duty from 1943 to 1974; at the top are two lions bracketing the Jewish chaplains’ insignia, which is two tablets with a Star of David on top.
As a point of trivia, none of the chaplains memorialized Read more
For the second time, US Marine Corps recruiters have been the sole respondents to an invitation by a homosexual group to set up a recruiting booth, though they had to get a little funding help from the organizers to attend:
Alan Chan, San Gabriel Valley Pride’s secretary, invited military personnel in the Pasadena recruitment office across from the college to set up booths at the event. The Navy, he said, did not have adequate staffing. The Army had previously committed to another event. The Air Force Read more
A military news release notes the celebration of the Jewish High Holy days by US servicemembers at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. As previously noted, four Jewish Chaplains have fanned out across Afghanistan to ensure the right to free exercise of military servicemembers even while they are deployed to a combat area in response to their country’s call.
The ongoing celebrations recognize the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and Jewish servicemembers can even celebrate by erecting traditional (if somewhat modernized) Jewish Sukkahs. Given the locale, the religious exercise of Read more
The South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum has opened a new exhibit featuring religion during the Civil War.
Throughout the nation’s history, American soldiers have fought for God and country. During the Civil War, the bonds of country were blurred, but faith in God remained strong on both sides, blue and gray… Read more
The Marines have decided to deploy an unmanned helicopter to Afghanistan to conduct cargo delivery operations:
Adm. Bill Shannon, program executive officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons, approved Lockheed Martin/Kaman’s K-MAX unmanned helicopter for a six-month deployment to augment Marine Corps ground and air logistics operations.
The unmanned helicopter has reportedly Read more
The UK Guardian‘s Riazat Butt continued her reporting on religion in the British forces in Afghanistan with an article on the UK chaplaincy, which is similar to the chaplaincy in the US military, but with some significant differences. Still, the content of the fairly long article is interesting.
Noting the importance of the ministry of presence by chaplains (who are, in fact, on the “front lines” with the troops): Read more
Arid Uka, accused in the murder of two members of the US Air Force at the Frankfurt airport in Germany, now says he does not believe Islam permits violence beyond self-defense.
While Arid Uka still prays and considers himself a Muslim, he said Wednesday he was duped by extremist propaganda and no longer believes his religion permits violence, except in self-defense. He added that shooting the airmen was not permitted by his religion.
This change of heart is somewhat unique, as some other recent Read more