Air Force Comprehensive Airman Fitness

With an interesting sense of timing, an Air Force article on “Comprehensive Airman Fitness,” focusing on “Spiritual Fitness,” was recently published at Charleston Air Force Base. 

As military articles on such topics often do, it calmly predicts and answers the questions of the recent uproar over Spiritual Fitness in the military.

There are three concepts associated with spirituality, according to [Chaplain (LtCol) Michael] Brown.

“The first is to discover meaning in your life and a meaning that transcends anything in the physical world,” he said. “Some find that through Read more

Arizona Shooter was Left-Right-Wing Fundamentalist-Atheist

It was disturbing this weekend to see the attempted assassination of US House Rep Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) — in which a 9 year old girl lost her life — devolve into a game of political gotcha within minutes.

Because Giffords was a pro-abortion Democrat who defeated a “Tea Party” candidate just a few weeks ago, some pointed at right-wing “AM radio-listening” pro-life extremists.  When the alleged shooter’s internet ramblings started to become public — in which he appears to be a confused socialist and ambiguously anti-religion — the speculation went from “conservative fundamentalist” to “lunatic.”  Apparently because to Read more

Hindu C-17 Pilot on Faith and the Falcons

LtCol Ravi Chaudhary has an interesting article on his experiences as a Hindu cadet at the US Air Force Academy many years ago: 

As one of the few Hindu cadets at USAFA in 1989, the Academy was very accommodating to my spiritual needs. USAFA Chaplains even dusted off a small “all faiths” room in the Cadet Chapel to ensure I had every opportunity to practice my faith. This gesture made all the difference and supported my spiritual development during my Doolie year.

Events like these dot the spiritual landscape at USAFA, and serve as a unifying force for the entire Cadet Wing. At lunch time, the entire student body sits down to eat together and each member is given a moment of silence for individual prayer prior to the meal — a sign of Read more

Air Force to Field New Gorgon Stare

The Washington Post recently caught up to the announcement from last June that the US military was attempting to field UAVs with a multitude of cameras and sensors called the Gorgon Stare — named for the Greek mythological creature.

Of actual interest in the article is the technology the Air Force is using to help analysts sift through the vast amount of material produced by UAVs:

The Air Force…is working with Harris Corp. to adapt ESPN’s technique of tagging key moments in National Football League videotape to the war zone. Just as a sportscaster can call up a series of archived quarterback blitzes as soon as a player is sacked on the field, an analyst in Afghanistan can retrieve the last month’s worth of bombings in a particular stretch of road with the push of a button, officials said.

Sailor Re-Enlists at Mach 1

AM3 Alfonso Tulavillanueva had a unique opportunity to re-enlist at sea when he was given a flight in an F/A-18 Hornet.  His pilot (or “naval aviator”), Cmdr Mitchell Conover, administered the re-enlistment oath during the flight.

Interestingly, Tulavillanueva’s commanding officer had apparently offered flights to anyone who was willing to take it upon themselves to get the necessary training.  CAPT Paul Sohl said only two ever took him up on the offer.

Support the Troops but Demean Their Very Purpose?

A few articles have surfaced on the potential some schools may “let” ROTC return now that DADT has been repealed.

At the Washington Post, Colman McCarthy had an interesting take on the mission of the military when he recalled his interview with Notre Dame on ROTC:

I asked if he actually believed there could be a Christian method of slaughtering people in combat, or a Christian way of firebombing cities, or a way to kill civilians in the name of Jesus. Did he think that if enough Notre Dame graduates became soldiers that the military would eventually embrace Christ’s teaching of loving one’s enemies?

But don’t take that to mean he doesn’t “support the troops:”  Read more

“Rock the Fort” Counter-Event Struggles with Purpose, Limits

As previously discussed, US Army SGT Justin Griffith is trying to organize a counter-event to “Rock the Fort.”  His “Rock Beyond Belief” event was part of a divorce from the atheistic Fort Bragg Freedom Festival.  Based on public information, his event seems to be outdoing his former partners in spades.  In order to get MWR “official” Army support and access to the parade field, they need projected attendance of 2500+ people.  Based on the publicly available information, Griffith may be on his way to that number, though its difficult to say.

Importantly, Griffith knows his event needs to remain non-offensive to his fellow Soldiers to obtain the official support of the military he so strongly desires.  It is highly unlikely the Army would provide support to an event demeaning to others, regardless Read more

Captain Honors Relieved of Command

As a result of the videos he produced while XO, the Navy has relieved CAPT Owen “Opie” Honors of his command of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise.  Said ADM John Harvey:

While Capt. Honors’ performance as commanding officer of USS Enterprise has been without incident, his profound lack of good judgment and professionalism while previously serving as executive officer on Enterprise calls into question his character and completely undermines his credibility to continue to serve effectively in command.

The Admiral did not explain how the videos from 2007 Read more

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