According to the Wall Street Journal, a US Air Force C-130 and an unmanned RQ-7 Shadow collided over Afghanistan on Monday. The C-130 was damaged but landed safely; the RQ-7 apparently did not survive.
The name of the UAV is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
The RQ-7 is a tactical UAV generally operated by US ground forces. DefenseTech.org has pictures of the C-130.
Dr. Michael Milton is President of the Reformed Theological Seminary. He is also US Army Chaplain (Maj) Michael Milton, an instructor at the US Army Chaplain Center & School at Fort Jackson, SC.
Chaplain Milton recently responded to the criticism of the Air Force’s “ICBM training course” that was allegedly “pulled” over Christian content, including in its reference to Just War. (More recent information indicates the course wasn’t actually part of ICBM training.)
The Chaplain focuses, as others have, on the Just War inclusion in the brief, which was not the point of the course. The course was not designed to teach Just War; it simply mentioned it as one response to criticisms of war and ultimately the use of nuclear weapons. Still, the Chaplain had some interesting things to say.
Attorney Mikey Weinstein, Read more
Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff, a former Navy Chaplain who once acted as a special advisor to the Air Force on religious issues and remains engaged in current events, has a guest column in the Washington Post suggesting it is time for a new Chaplain’s insignia in the US military.
Today’s chaplains wear one of four separate insignias: Read more
Frequent articles have noted the unique experiences to which US military members have access as they travel the world at their nation’s call. They may be able to visit the home lands of Abraham; they may be able to travel to Mecca at the government’s expense. In Japan, they may be able to join a military-based tour group on a “spiritual journey” to a local Buddhist monastery.
As noted in an official Marine article, Marines based at Iwakuni went on a “spiritual journey” to a local temple hosted by Tadahisa Teshima: Read more
The International Security Assistance Force, led by US Army Gen. John R. Allen and Ambassador Simon Gass, hosted an Islamic iftar in Afghanistan, the meal that breaks the daily fast of Ramadan. Afghan leaders were thankful:
Defense Minister of Afghanistan Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak [said] “This is actually a demonstration of the upmost respect for our beliefs, our faith, our traditions and our culture…”
As noted in a US Army article, Islamic US Army Soldiers at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, are observing Ramadan with others of their faith.
As Soldiers engaged in war, the Islamic faith technically exempts them from fasting during Ramadan, but at least one Soldier has chosen to Read more
In perhaps the most dismissed — and yet most widely predicted — response to the repeal of the policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a homosexual advocacy group is pushing for military benefits currently denied to homosexuals.
Far from simply relying on the eventual undoing of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network says the military can actually grant benefits consistent with the law: Read more
A US Air Force article highlights the story of Major Josh Brown, a KC-135 pilot who has earned his 19th Air Medal:
Brown flew his final combat sortie for this deployment July 30, qualifying him to receive the 18th oak leaf cluster for his Air Medal.
The Air Medal is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievements while participating in aerial flight in support of operations…
In layman’s terms, Air Medals are handed out for one of two things: unique, heroic events…or for flying a certain Read more
The report on the T-34 crash that occurred in New Orleans in January 2010 says the incident, in which the instructor pilot was killed, could have been prevented.
According to the Navy Times, the aircraft descended below required minimums without visually acquiring the runway. The aircraft then impacted the water. Both crewmembers climbed out; they didn’t have water survival gear. They became separated, and the instructor pilot’s body was found a few days later. The student Read more