Tag Archives: Military

President Criticizes NDAA Clauses with Signing Statement

When President Obama signed the much-ballyhooed NDAA into law, he also issued a “signing statement,” a fairly recent presidential practice that explains the Executive Branch take on the Legislative Branch’s work.  The President’s signing statement notes the Constitution only allows the President to accept or reject the bill as a whole, but he still objects to some provisions.

The New York Times notes he took issue with restrictions on the transfer of Guantanamo detainees, and several sites highlighted his consternation over Section 533, previously described as containing ‘religious liberty protections.’  The Section was a compromise between the House and Senate and had been opposed by atheists and the ACLU.  The White House had previously objected.  President Obama said:  Read more

Top Australian General on Christmas, Christian Fellowship

In early December the Military Christian Fellowship posted a Christmas message from its “patron,” General David Hurley:

Christmas is a time of great celebration for Christians everywhere as we celebrate the birth of our Lord….Regardless of where you are next year I encourage you to seek the friendship and fellowship with Christians through MCF or the other military Christian ministries; with old friends and with workmates…I value the work of the MCF and was privileged to attend the Defence Christians Dinner and the MCF Spiritual Boot camp Seminar with my wife Linda this year. Wherever you are serving this Christmas I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and God bless you and your family in 2013.

For those unaware, General Hurley is the highest uniformed member of the Australian military.  Due to differences in structure, there isn’t a direct American equivalent, though the closest would probably be the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Read more

Report: Chaplain Appointed Illinois Adjutant General

According to the Chicago Tribune, Governor Pat Quinn has appointed Chaplain (MajGen) Daniel Krumrei the Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard.  The Adjutant General (TAG) acts as the commander of the state’s Guard forces and reports directly to the Governor.

On one hand, it is fascinating to see a chaplain rise to such a position.

On the other hand, his appointment is a bit confusing and seems hard to square with military regulations.

Under Title 10, which governs the national armed forces, chaplains have, by definition, rank without command.  Thus, by law, a chaplain cannot command Read more

US Marines to Institute Blues Fridays

Update: An official Defense.gov article notes the recent changes in Armed Services uniform policies and covers some of the highlights.

Just after the US Air Force abandoned “blues Mondays,” the US Marine Corps has announced that, as of tomorrow, Fridays require Marines to wear service uniforms instead of their utilities:

Beginning Jan. 4, 2013, all non-deployed Marines and sailors assigned to Marine units, regardless of component, active or Reserve, will be required to wear the appropriate seasonal service uniform each Friday.

The reasons given are the “form fitting” nature of the service uniform Read more

The Psychology of Christmas in Afghanistan

An otherwise common article on Christmas in Afghanistan — which covers a variety of services performed for packed chapels for US troops — has a unique start.  The first person mentioned in the article isn’t a chaplain; its the “brigade psychologist:”

“We usually expect to see an increase in family and relationship problems following the holidays,” said Capt. Justine Majeres, the brigade psychologist. “The stress of being away from family Read more

Homosexual Denied Membership in Army Spouse’s Club

Update: The Fort Bragg spouse group says some of the public accusations against them are “misrepresented.”

A homosexual woman lodged a public complaint after being denied membership in Fort Bragg’s “Association of Officers’ Spouses.”

[Ashley] Broadway said the social group — which is not an official military organization — told her she could not join because while she has a marriage certificate, she doesn’t have a military spouse ID…

Broadway says the clause about the ID card was added after she was denied, in what she believes was an effort to exclude same-sex spouses.

Broadway has indicated that she “has a case…because the group violated their by-laws.”  Notably, that hinges on the definition of the word spouse.   Federally, homosexuals are not recognized as “married.”  In North Carolina, which is where Fort Bragg is located, the state Constitution defines marriage as a man and woman.  In that regard, Broadway’s argument fails because she isn’t a “spouse,” though that may still depend on one’s political leanings.

Conveniently, Broadway works for the American Military Partner Association — which, just coincidentally, is a homosexual advocacy group focused on obtaining benefits for homosexual partners of military members.

Naturally, her group publicized the decision and condemned it:  Read more

Maxim Magazine Tightens Aim at Military Audience

In an interesting bit of timing, given the Air Force Chief of Staff’s recent health and welfare inspection, Maxim magazine was covered by the New York Times in a story highlighting its ubiquity within the military.

Why?  Basically, troops can’t get racy magazines like Playboy or Penthouse shipped to the war zone overseas — but Maxim, while it may skirt the line, doesn’t cross it:

Maxim, a testosterone-fueled magazine featuring adolescent humor and plenty of scantily clad actresses, has become for today’s Army what Esquire was to soldiers fighting in World War II and Playboy was during the Vietnam War…

The sale of “explicit” magazines on military bases comes up in the news every few years.  At one point, Lifeway publishers was attempting to create a Christian alternative to the popular magazines.  For now, the rules actually “benefit” Maxim:  Read more

Top 10 ChristianFighterPilot.com Stories for 2012

It’s the time of year for lists and summaries, and various sites and groups are compiling their “best of” and “mostest” lists for 2012.  Consistent with last year’s apparent trend, issues of religion and the military seem to have largely fallen from the visibility they once had.  For example, BJC online lists their “Top Religious Stories of 2012” — not one of which references the military.  Likewise the Christian Post.  The Religion Clause and the Stars and Stripes lists both made only one relevant reference, to the much delayed Fort Hood massacre trial.

Curious as to what others were reading here this year?  The Top 10 most-read stories on ChristianFighterPilot.com for 2012 are Read more

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