The integration of Chaplains in US military operations is so seamless that it is actually difficult to read a story about ongoing combat operations without hearing about the role of the military’s spiritual advisors. In a recent piece at the LA Times about the commander’s changing tactics in Afghanistan, the reporter happens to describe a Chaplain riding in an MRAP with soldiers: Read more
The US military has been accused of allowing its members to illegally use its official government email system to distribute messages with religious content (see background here). These actions have been called “unConstitutional” and “a violation of military regulations.”
This e-mail distribution has violated the separation of church and state [and] violates well established [military regulations].
In one specific incident, a base Chaplain asked the staff to forward a Bible study announcement. Did that message violate regulations, or any other policy or standard?
The shortest, most accurate answer: Read more
Though they may not recognize his name, virtually the entire world has been affected by the innovation of R.G. LeTourneau. Mover of Men and Mountains documents both the faith and profession of one of the world’s most influential people. Essentially an inventor of machines, LeTourneau (1888-1969) created many of the massive earth movers that miraculously accomplished what is now taken for granted.
LeTourneau’s inventions eventually measured movement of earth in thousands of tons, and made many modern marvels possible. His company subcontracted on the Hoover Dam, creating the challenging road that allowed heavy equipment to build one of the modern wonders of the world. In his book he recounts that thousands of heavy machines used by the Army in World War II were built by his company, including those that filled the bomb craters in Hawaii after the attack on Pearl Harbor Read more
As noted previously, a letter to the editor of the Stars and Stripes touched a nerve, with another contributor scolding a Chaplain about relying on the Bible.
The publication sparked a surprisingly blunt tit-for-tat, demonstrating that feelings about culture and religion present in American society are, indeed, also prevalent in the military.
A Captain stationed in Iraq decried the letter writer’s suggestion that modern Americans should rely on the Bible and its “Bronze Age morality.” Another Read more
The Air Force has graduated its first class of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) pilots that included officers who had never attended Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT). That is, they are the first UAV pilots who were not formerly a pilot of some other military aircraft. The class was composed of 10 pilots and 9 sensor operators. Eight of the pilots were non-aviators; there is a second similar class in training behind them.
The increasing demand for UAVs in Iraq and Afghanistan–as well as the desire to keep military pilots in cockpits–led to the “experiment” Read more
As previously noted, Air Force Captain George Bryan Houghton was killed in an F-16 crash in June. A report from the Air Force Times says that the Air Force investigation determined Houghton’s inexperience in a challenging maneuver at night contributed to the crash.
Houghton was reportedly an experienced pilot, but Read more
The Navy has added a year of active duty service to the previous 4-year requirement for those who use NROTC scholarships. This makes the service commitment from ROTC equal to that of those who attend the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. The new commitment applies to those who begin their freshman year under the NROTC scholarship in the fall of 2010.
Interestingly, those who attend college on an NROTC scholarship but are commissioned in the Marines will still have a 4-year commitment, as will Read more
While those who encourage the “mixing” of faith and the military profession are sometimes criticized, it appears there are specific efforts to promote the “mixing” of non-faith and the military. In an interesting twist on encouraging leadership development, the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers is offering a $500 “educational grant for military and nontheist leadership and activism.” The award is “particularly” aimed at military cadets. Read more