Tag Archives: Military

The Story of Big Mountain Jesus

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has sued over a war memorial — a statue of Jesus on a ski slope in Montana — which they claim violates the US Constitution.  The FFRF lost and has appealed to the Ninth Circuit.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty produced a video to explain some of the history of the memorial — history the FFRF calls a conspiracy. Meet Gene Thomas, a member of the Knights of Columbus, one of the men who has been caring for the memorial for 40 years.

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Chaplain Messenger of Hope in Christ to US Military

An official Army article highlights US Army Chaplain (Capt) Samuel Rico, currently deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Chaplain Rico says his motivation is simple:  It’s his faith:

“My motivation is, ultimately, be a messenger of the hope that is in Christ where we have eternal life and the prospect of preparing people who someday will have God as their reward in the afterlife,” Rico said.

There is a place for faith in Christ in the military, and Chaplain Rico proudly proclaims the integration of his faith and profession — which gives other Christians in the military the courage to do the same.

Every chaplain in the US military is ultimately an ambassador of his faith, whatever that may be.  That is, after all, the entire reason for having chaplains in the military.

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Female USAFA Cadets Majority of Masculinity Class

The Colorado Springs Gazette, local to the US Air Force Academy, highlighted USAFA’s addition of an academic elective entitled “Men and Masculinity” (previously noted here).

Visiting Professor Christopher Kilmartin, of the University of Mary Washington, is teaching a course on masculinity at the U.S. Air Force Academy this semester, as part of a new program to discourage sexual assaults…

“My job as an educator is to name the pressure” that exists for males to conform to unhealthy masculine stereotypes, Kilmartin continued.

The article notes the elective is filled with cadets, “most of whom are female.”  Females make up less than 20% of the cadet wing.

No word on when USAFA will offer a course of “Women and Femininity” — or if most of the students would be male.

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US Military Calls Out American Civilian Over Islam. Again.

For the third time, the US military has taken the unusual step of officially addressing the liberties of a private American citizen — over his public treatment of Islam.

In 2011, General David Petraeus “condemned the action” of Pastors Wayne Sapp and Terry Jones, who burned what General Petraeus called “a copy of the holy Quran.”

In 2012, General Marty Dempsey called Jones personally and asked him not to support the “pornographic” anti-Islam film that was initially blamed for the attack on the consulate in Benghazi. (General Dempsey Read more

Search Begins for New Air Force One

The Department of Defense has apparently begun the search for a replacement for the Air Force VC-25A — the Boeing 747-200 better known as “Air Force One” when the President of the United States is onboard. (There are actually two similarly configured 747s.)

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center on Sept. 9 released a Sources Sought Synopsis, a survey asking potential contractors about their ability to create a suitable replacement to the VC-25, the modified Boeing 747-200 that has carried presidents since 1990.

The program for replacement actually began several years ago, and there were rumors that Airbus would offer an A380 — though the spectre of the American Presidential airplane being a “foreign” aircraft stoked much criticism.  The replacement is almost certainly going to be a modern Boeing aircraft, though the contractor who modifies the aircraft may yet be another company.

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Doolittle Raiders Final Toast Scheduled for November

After their last reunion in April, the remaining four Doolittle Raiders will privately gather for their final toast November 9th at the National Museum of the Air Force.

Today, just four of the men survive: Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole, co-pilot of crew No. 1; Lt. Col. Robert L. Hite, co-pilot of crew No. 16; Lt. Col. Edward J. Saylor, engineer-gunner of crew No. 15; and Staff Sgt. David J. Thatcher, engineer-gunner of crew No. 7…

Each year, the remaining Raiders have toasted their comrades and turned over the goblets of those who passed away the prior year.  The original plan had been for the final two to open a celebratory bottle of cognac in a last gathering.  Due to age and health concerns, they decided to make this their final year.

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Test Pilot First “Passenger” in Single-Seat QF-16

Boeing Test Pilot Jason Clements recently announced to his “fellow Viper drivers” that the beginning of an era is at hand — and the F-16 community will soon see their planes take to the air without pilots.

Clements is part of a team that has been converting F-16s to QF-16s, or pilotless drones.  He recently rode in the cockpit as a passenger for the entire sortie, never once touching the controls.

The QF-4 has long filled this role — so long, in fact, they need to be replaced.  This will apparently be the first time the US Air Force has turned an aircraft into drones while it was still fielded operationally.  In other words, it is conceivable that an F-16 pilot will get to shoot down a QF-16 — a feat heretofore unheard of.

The first “no pilot” QF-16 sortie is scheduled for Friday the 13th, next week.

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