Army Tackles Suicide with Soldier Fitness, Other Programs

A few weeks ago the US Army noted that while active duty suicides were down last year, suicides in the Guard and Reserve were up.  Notably, while the stereotype is a forlorn Soldier who cannot reconnect after a year of combat, more than half of the Guard Soldiers who committed suicide had not deployed.

The Army, understandably unable to find a “silver bullet” to stop suicide, credits a variety of new programs with at least appearing to staunch the tragic flow:

The reduction in active-duty suicides shows progress, [Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter] Chiarelli said. He attributed the decrease partly to the stand-up of the service’s Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention Council and Task Force in 2009, and the programs and policy changes it’s instituted.

More soldiers are using the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program, and the Pain Management Task Force is monitoring Read more

Report: Fort Hood Attack Enabled by Political Correctness

As noted at the Christian Science Monitor,

A Senate report on the Fort Hood attack suggests that the Army failed to heed warnings about the prime suspect because it was wary of singling out a devout Muslim.

The article and report seem to implicate that a fear of being accused of racial profiling may have discouraged pursuing what should have been “red flags.”  (This has long been discussed.)  The Senate solution:  Call it what it is.

The enemy — Islamist extremists — must be labeled correctly and explicitly, the report said, in order for the military Read more

Afghan Christian Convert Set to be Executed

As noted previously, Said Musa has been imprisoned in Afghanistan for the crime of converting to Christianity.  According to some articles, he has been sentenced to be hanged (and, depending on timing, may have been already). 

The World Evangelical Alliance’s Religious Liberty Commission has protested, claiming this violates Afghanistan’s own Constitution.  The article also notes that

Afghanistan is ranked No. 3 on Open Doors’ World Watch List of countries with the worst Christian persecution.

As noted at the Wall Street Journal, the US government has called on Afghanistan Read more

IG Says Ensign Faced Retaliation over Complaint

The Inspector General has reportedly determined that US Navy Ensign Steve Crowston faced reprisal in the form of an “unfavorable fitness report” after lodging complaints against his leadership.

Crowston was an “administration/legal officer” and had recently become an officer after previously serving as a petty officer.  The aviators in his unit included him in the fighter pilot tradition of a Naming; Crowston lodged complaints as a result.

Crowston’s then-commander, Cmdr Liam Bruen, Read more

USAFA Prayer Luncheon on “Overcoming Adversity”

After apparently attending the USAFA National Prayer Luncheon, the local Colorado Springs Gazette wonders aloud if Michael Weinstein’s lawsuit was “much ado about nothing.”

Buddha and Allah were mentioned almost as often as Jesus at an Air Force Academy prayer luncheon Thursday that drew a lawsuit over fears of Christian evangelism.

The speaker at the center of the controversy, retired Marine Lt. Clebe McClary, didn’t shy from embracing faith, but talked more about the power of a well-chosen spouse and overcoming adversity with teamwork than Christianity.

The speech was preceeded with Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist prayers. A rabbi gave a closing prayer.

McClary reportedly talked about value and perseverance, how his faith Read more

Denver Seminary Creates PTSD Chaplain Program

The Iliff School of Theology in Denver has created a one year Master’s Degree to help current military Chaplains

assist service members suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Associated Press indicated the program was created for the Air Force.  Chaplain (Maj) Abner Valenzuela, of the Air Force Office of the Chief of Chaplains, indicated the program was created to respond to “emerging needs.”  Like much of a Chaplain’s training “measuring success” is “difficult,” but it is part of the continuing effort by the military to use all available resource to address the needs of its troops.

Weinstein Threatens Legal Action Against Gazette

Michael Weinstein, ever the critic, apparently doesn’t take kindly to criticism himself.

The Colorado Springs Independent reports Weinstein’s lawyers sent a “warning” to the publisher of the Colorado Springs Gazette over its recent editorial criticizing Weinstein’s attack on the US Air Force Academy’s prayer luncheon.

[Gazette Editor Wayne] Laugesen’s editorial scolded Weinstein for attempting to infringe on free-speech rights, and said Weinstein opposed McClary’s appearance “because he is Christian.”

“That is false, and I have no doubt Mr. Laugesen and the Gazette know it full well,” Dallas attorney Randal Mathis writes…, adding that “publishing the statement is obviously calculated to offend, scare, and potentially mislead to the point of inciting unstable people.” Mathis makes Read more

Sailors, Cadets, Midshipmen Discharged for Using “Spice”

There are often long discussions on the military’s ability to influence or govern the private conduct of its members — whether over issues of alcohol, chewing tobacco, smoking, divorce, sexuality, or other aspects of what many people consider behavior unrelated to “official” conduct.  As has been shown in many cases, the military can (and does) regulate the behavior of its troops, even when potential restrictions may be entirely legal and permissible in civilian life.

The use of “spice,” which is reportedly unregulated and commonly available in smoke shops and related retail outlets, is one such example.  While it may be entirely legal for a civilian to purchase and “use” spice, which is described as a “synthetic marijuana” with components difficult to detect with normal drug tests, most military Read more

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