Tag Archives: Military

GAO Tells AF to Improve Drone Operator Morale

A congressionally-requested Government Accounting Office report on the US Air Force drone community was recently publicized:

Senate leaders in Sept. 2012 asked the GAO to study the Air Force’s approach to managing the remotely piloted aircraft crews, which has tripled since 2008…

The intent was to analyze how the drone community is being managed and treated, in the face of rumors of low morale, low promotion rates, and underappreciated warfighters.  The GAO created and interviewed focus groups, concluding:  Read more

Boykin: Pray For Mikey Weinstein

In an interesting commentary during the Family Research Council’s Washington Watch, retired LtGen Jerry Boykin and Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention spoke on recent issues of religious freedom in the military. Boykin reminded Christians there’s a correct response to Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, one of the loudest (and most vitriolic) critics of Christianity: Read more

Army Chaplain: Government Trying to Silence Military Christians

Retired US Army Chaplain (Col) Ronald W. Benzing, now an endorser for the Associated Gospel Churches, addressed a local men’s group in North Carolina, describing how the US military has been trying to “silence” Christians. He cited what he described as a fairly recent incident:

“Two months ago we had an Army chaplain in Alaska who was told by an Air Force chaplain who was a senior chaplain, ‘You can’t preach that sermon Read more

President Obama Intros Official Military Prayer Book

The Jewish Welfare Board has released an updated siddur, a Jewish prayer book that is the “first of its kind since World War II:”

The impetus to create the siddur dates to 2006, when the Jewish Chaplains Council advisory board realized that its chaplains were using a variety of siddurim depending on what the rabbi or trained lay person leading services chose to use. This was often the prayer book with which he or she was most comfortable, or simply what was available at the base.

The format Read more

Nidal Hasan Denied Grooming Waiver

Much has been made of the January changes to the US military religious accommodation policy — changes presumably made in light of the 2013 and 2014 NDAAs passed by Congress that required the US military to promulgate policies protecting religious expression.

The changes have been criticized by almost everyone, including Congress, religious liberty advocates, and even religious groups who might benefit from grooming or uniform wear waivers. The policies do not expressly address religious expression, and the waivers they allow are temporary and subject to the whim of local commanders, according to some sources.

The US military recently revealed that two applicants have been denied waivers under the new policy.

In addition, it said since 2012 it has approved six and denied Read more

MRFF’s Chris Rodda Sticks Foot in Mouth over Atheists

As noted about a week ago, Dr. James and Shirley Dobson appeared on FoxNews’ The Kelly File, during which host Megyn Kelly described Michael “Mikey” Weinstein as an “atheist,” and Dr. Dobson said he was a well-paid “professional atheist.”

In response to the FoxNews characterization, MRFF researcher Chris Rodda went on the warpath, decrying the “atheist” label and stooping to personal attacks on Megyn Kelly [emphasis added]:

As a former attorney, Fox News’s Megyn Kelly should know full well what defamation is, and she should know full well that what she repeatedly said on last Thursday’s episode of her show The Kelly File was indeed defamation…

It seems “former attorney” Weinstein went out of his way to put out something attacking atheists — and suffered some significant backlash as a result.

After all, Rodda didn’t Read more

Army Adds Humanist Religious Preference

The US Army recently decided to add “humanist” to the list of options that Soldiers could declare as their religious preference. From the LA Times (also repeated in the Stars and Stripes):

There may be no atheists in foxholes, but there soon will be a few humanists. The U.S. Army has heeded the plea of Maj. Ray Bradley that he (and others of his kind) receive a “preference code” similar to those accorded to members of traditional religions.

Much has been made of the change and, granted, humanist “adherents” have been calling for the change for some time. In the end, though, even advocates admit the addition really does little other than changing a moniker in a file, despite other declarations:

In practical terms, the change means Read more

1 … 182 183 184 185 186 … 552