Tag Archives: Military

Crusader Crosses Removed from US Afghan Chapel

NBC reports the US military chapel at Forward Operating Base Orgun-E was improperly displaying Christian crosses, and the Army has ordered them removed and covered over:

U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan on Thursday ordered the removal of a steeple and crucifix erected over a remote American base in the Muslim country after a soldier deployed there noted that the symbols violated Army regulations…

Doors with cross-shaped windows were reportedly boarded up until they can be replaced.

This has happened before, and, as noted previously, it is not really a significant event.  The article accurately notes Army regulations (not DoD regulations) dictate Read more

US Air Force Transports Whisky to South Pole

Sometimes the US Air Force transports blankets and bottled water to disaster-stricken areas.  Sometimes it delivers century-old Scotch to Antarctica.

Three bottles of rare, 19th century Scotch found beneath the floor boards of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackelton’s abandoned expedition base were returned to the polar continent…

The original bottles had flown in two combination-locked containers with Key to Antarctica in a U.S. Air Force transport plane from Christchurch…

Mind you, this isn’t the first time Air Force aircraft have transported alcohol — and a lot of it — to the region.  Truth be told, that’s pretty much the only way anything gets to Antarctica, which likely means the planes carry other items that would raise some eyebrows — but all for the greater good, of course.

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C-17 Landing at Wrong Airport Blamed on Fatigue

Update: The Stars and Stripes reports on the corrective actions put in place to prevent future aircraft from misidentifying the runways.

The Tampa Tribune obtained the report of last July’s “unscheduled landing” of a C-17 at Peter O. Knight airport in Florida — when it was supposed to land at MacDill Air Force Base a few miles away.

The crew of a military cargo jet landed at the wrong airport in Tampa in July, in part, because of fatigue, complacency and a lack of flight discipline, an Air Force investigation has found.

Fortunately, the crew realized their error and were able to Read more

Marines to Try Out Buddhist Mindfulness, Critics Stay Silent

Update:  Former Navy Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt says the Marines should be considering Christianity, not Buddhism:

“I think getting rid of anxiety is important. We need to decrease the suicide rate among our Marines,” he agrees. “But Buddhism is not the way to do that. I think Christianity is intellectually a better way to promote healthy mental awareness.”

Like Chaplain Lee, Klingenschmitt wonders where the normally vociferous critic Michael Weinstein is right now [emphasis added]: Read more

Yongsan Chapel Preschool to Close after Complaint

The Mustard Seed preschool operated at an Army base in South Korea will be closed after military leaders received a complaint it was operating illegally.  After commanders reviewed the program’s status, they determined there were no regulations governing the operation — thus, it had to be closed.

A long-running Christian preschool at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan will close at the end of the school year due to Read more

Air Force Welfare Sweep Nets Porn, Nose Art, Religious Books

The Air Force released the results of the “health and welfare” inspection ordered by Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh in December.

The Air Force found 631 instances of pornography…; 3,987 instances of unprofessional material…; and 27,598 instances of inappropriate or offensive items… In total, 32,216 items were reported.

The Air Force even published the entire list, if you’re keen on seeing 61 pages of small font of every item confiscated, removed, or destroyed.

Most media articles have already picked up on the things like Maxim magazine, nose art, and PG-13 movies on the list.  A few — mostly fighter pilots — will pick up on the mermaid-handled mugs that were removed.  Fewer will notice the Air Force actually had to order new parts for aircraft to replace “offensive” painted panels.

Wonder how many people will pick up on these:  Read more

Homosexual Advocates Lament Lack of Military Benefits

A veritable plethora of articles were published over the weekend highlighting the fact “spouses” of homosexual service members don’t have access to the benefits of heterosexual married families.

  • On January 19th, multiple media sites noted homosexual Ashley Broadway had declined the invitation of the Fort Bragg spouse’s group to be a “special guest.”  Broadway doesn’t meet the group’s criteria for membership as she isn’t a military spouse.
  • The same day, the New York Times told the story of US Army Lt Nakisha Hardy, who was awkwardly asked to leave a chaplain-run marriage retreat because she was a homosexual.
  • The next day, the Associated Press highlighted US Army Sgt Karen Alexander’s financial struggles, as she doesn’t get family pay rates that married troops do.
  • On the same day, the Stars and Stripes republished a local paper’s article noting homosexual National Guard member SSgt Tracy Dice is “not considered war widow,” though her “wife” was killed in Afghanistan.

This lack of “fairness” was, of course, always known Read more

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