More Airmen Request DADT Discharges

According to the Stars and Stripes, three more members of the US Air Force have requested discharge due to their homosexuality:

According to the Air Force, during the past month two female staff sergeants and a male 2nd lieutenant made statements identifying themselves as gay and asked to be separated quickly from the service.

While these discharges were once non-events, they are now front page news because of their rarity and the fact the Secretary of the Air Force has to approve them.

As with the other recent case, the article indicates these Airmen wanted to be discharged, and to be discharged quickly, before the repeal of DADT.  While homosexual advocacy groups have made much of the “victimization” Read more

MRFF Supporters Validate Weinstein’s Agenda

Want to know what Michael Weinstein and his self-founded Military Religious Freedom Foundation stand for?  Ask his staff and supporters.

GodDiscussion.com, which has a close relationship with Leah Burton — one of two members of Michael Weinstein’s MRFF board — recently hosted a fundraiser for the MRFF in coordination with the Fort Bragg “Rock Beyond Belief.”  They were bringing in money for three reasons, in their own words:

(1) the soliders [sic] at Ft. Bragg who face potential legal challenges in having their Rock Beyond Belief secular alternative to Frankin Graham’s Rock the Fort proselytizing concert

(2) legal representation of service members nationwide who face discriminatory “Spiritual Fitness Tests” and

(3) the general fight against Christian extremism within the Armed Forces.

It’s interesting they’d raise funds for Read more

Pilot Traditions: Flying Flags in Combat

A recent Army article noted the continuation of a longstanding aviation tradition:  conducting sorties with American flags onboard the aircraft.  These “combat experienced” flags are then given to any of a variety of organizations or requesting individuals back home.

The [Army aviators] fly the flag a bit differently. They fly their flags inside an Apache attack helicopter while patrolling the skies of Iraq.  Read more

Military Commanders: Religious Expression or Religious Coercion?

The Journal of Faith and War has published articles on a variety of topics covering aspects of national security, leadership, God, religion, and the military.

They recently re-published the 2010 paper by Chaplain (then-LtCol) Jimmy Browning, entitled “Religious Expression or Religious Coercion: Commanders Caught in the Crossfire.”  The paper was noted here last year, and is a brief but very interesting perspective on religious issues as they pertain to military leadership.

Chaplain (Col) Browning is now Deputy Commandant of the US Air Force Chaplains’ Corps College.  The College is part of the joint Chaplain school at Fort Jackson, SC.

Air Force Chapels Raise $250K for Japan

According to an official Air Force release, the US Air Force chapel community raised more than a quarter million dollars to aid the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

In the wake of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan March 11, members of the Air Force Chaplain Corps on 43 installations helped raise more than $257,000 toward relief efforts for victims of the disaster, officials said here June 9.

The effort began with a call from the Air Force Chief of Chaplains:

On March 15, Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Cecil R. Richardson, the Air Force Chief of Chaplains, encouraged chapel community Airmen and their families to take designated offerings at worship services to assist the earthquake victims.

The funds went to a variety of aid organizations, including a Catholic aid group and the Billy Graham-founded Samaritan’s Purse:  Read more

Military Religion Question Answered: Advertising a Bible Study

Recently, an email from an officer announcing a Bible study at Kirtland AFB was the subject of a complaint from Michael Weinstein’s Military Religious Freedom Foundation, leading to the question here, “Can a military officer advertise a Bible study?”

Some relevant quotes from the original complaint, as sent to (and publicized by) the MRFF by an enlisted Airman:

During the past 6-7 months a unit commander, who is now the Deputy Group Commander decided to send mass e-mails to the wing regarding bible study sessions. These are sessions that were led by the individual sending the e-mails…a person in a command position, clearly a conflict of interest. A lot of us expressed concern about the perception that leadership is endorsing what should clearly be a chaplain endorsed and led activity.
 
Just imagine the following scenario… if you were a young Airman wanting to look good for a Below the Zone package, the Deputy Group Commander is leading a bible study, a young impressionable person might Read more

On Being a Mother and Fighter Pilot

An official news release features US Air Force Major Jaime Nordin and her attempts to balance her life as an F-16 fighter pilot and mother.  While many people consider being a fighter pilot “who they are,” it seems Nordin is in transition:

“Being a mom and a fighter pilot are both equally demanding, which makes having only 24 hours in a day hard,” she said. “But more and more, I’m becoming a mom, and a fighter pilot is my trade.”

Everyone has priorities in life; having children can put a new perspective on things.  For those that are curious, the article describes some of the details about female fighter pilots who get pregnant.  Nordin was grounded Read more

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