Tag Archives: Military

Military EOD School Told to Remove Motto

The unofficial motto of “Initial Success or Total Failure” (ISOTF) — intended to convey the life or death consequences of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) profession — has been banned by the US military.

Rear Adm. Michael Tillotson told school leaders this month that the motto could be viewed as disrespectful to the hundreds of Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians who have died in the line of duty.

Adm Tillotson went on to say that to “imply [the fallen have] failed” Read more

American Soldiers to Face Trial over Quran Burning?

Reuters reported last week that Afghanistan wants NATO to put the “Koran burners” on trial — and Afghanistan reportedly claimed NATO had agreed to a trial, though Reuters qualified the statement as not “immediately verified.”

“NATO officials, in response to a request for the trial and punishment of the perpetrators…promised this crime will brought to court as soon as possible,” Karzai’s office said in a statement.

While it is unlikely NATO actually made such a concession — NATO has already said the burning was “inadvertent” and there is no crime against burning Korans in the Western world — the confusion may be understandable. Even President Obama’s Read more

US Soldier’s Path to Service, through the Israeli Army

A Department of Defense article highlights the unique story of Daniel J. Houten, an enlistee with the Georgia National Guard.  He’s now in basic training — but he hardly took the traditional route to get there:

Houten…wanted to join the U.S. Army — but without a GED and 15 hours of college credit, he was ineligible.

An acquaintance told Houten the Israeli Army recruited new soldiers simply because they were Jewish…
 
Although his religious faith had diminished somewhat, he still identified himself as a Jew and felt strong connections to Israel, the homeland of his people, culture and religion. He decided this should be his next step in life.

Houten learned Hebrew and was Read more

New Bomber on Air Force Horizon

Despite ongoing budget issues, the US Air Force intends to develop and field a new bomber colloiqually known as the Long Range Strike Aircraft.

The Air Force has already set aside $292 million in research dollars for the bomber in their fiscal 2013 budget request. The service plans to spend $6.3 billion into the effort over the next five years. Once developed, the new bomber will replace B-1Bs and B-2s. The new plane will be designed to evade advanced aerial defense systems, employ stealth Read more

Lawsuit Filed over Deception of Pentagon DADT Data

The Thomas More Law Center has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Center for Military Readiness:

The purpose of the lawsuit is to obtain records believed to show intentional deception by the Pentagon to gain congressional support for repeal of the 1993 law regarding open homosexual conduct in the military, usually called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

The TMLC alleges the Pentagon has

engaged in a pattern of deception in its efforts to persuade Congress to allow open homosexuality in our military.

The lawsuit centers around the premise the Pentagon leaked information to the Washington Post in 2010 to sway public opinion and Congress Read more

MRFF, MAAF Find Roots in Ohio

The Columbus Dispatch highlights a familiar connection of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers through Ohio State University.

Two of the most-prominent national organizations fighting for religious freedom in the U.S. military have roots at Ohio State University.

Retired [sic] Army Capt. Jason Torpy incorporated the nonprofit Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers while getting a master’s in business administration at Ohio State in 2006.

Air Force Reserve Capt. Casey Weinstein, whose experiences at the Air Force Academy helped lead his father to begin the [MRFF], also has an MBA from Ohio State. His wife, Reserve Capt. Amanda Weinstein, is working toward a doctorate in economics there now.

It’s interesting to see OSU as a common thread, but “prominent” is Read more

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