Tag Archives: Military

Graduating Navy Pilot Training: Blessing of the Wings

A Naval flight training class graduation included a ceremony at their base chapel in which the chaplains performed a “blessing of the wings:”

This is a completely voluntary program, but one that is rather popular among many of the new aviators. While it is billed as a non-denominational ceremony, it is clearly a Christian program that culminates in the Catholic priest sprinkling holy water on the wings that these service members are about to pin on later that day.

Normally, this might bring conspiracy-theory advocates out of the woodwork, claiming this was further evidence of a secret coup by Christians to take over the world.  Or something.  Turns out, though, this story is actually about the participation by the US Navy’s newest Jewish Naval Aviators, in a Read more

Fighter Pilot Shoots down Friendly. Promoted to Admiral.

The Washington Times notes with thick irony the story of US Navy Captain Timothy Dorsey, an IG for a Navy Reserve detachment who has been nominated for promotion to Admiral — and who has an interesting history.  As also reported at the Military Times:

The incident took place Sept. 22, 1987. Then-Lt. Dorsey, 25, [piloting an F-14] shot down an RF-4C jet over the Mediterranean while operating off the carrier Saratoga, according to a 1988 Associated Press story on the Navy’s report. The two Air Force crewmen ejected safely…

While he knew he was taking part in an exercise, Read more

OTS, ROTC, USAFA Grads, Airman Killed in African U-28 Crash

Update: The military has said enemy action was not involved in the U-28 crash.

A U-28A — an AFSOC version of the Pilatus PC-12 — went down over the weekend during a mission from Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti (in the horn of Africa, for those unfamiliar).  All four aircrew were killed.  The least amount of deployments among the crew was 3 (in 5 years).

Of the three officers, one was from ROTC, one from OTS, and one was a 2009 USAFA graduate.  That represents all 3 possible commissioning sources in the Air Force in one loss.  While there are often good-natured rivalries among OTS, ROTC, and USAFA, risk and sacrifice know no bias.

Captain Ryan Hall…was a U-28A pilot on his seventh deployment. Read more

LtGen Ronnie Hawkins Berated for God in Commander’s Call

US Air Force LtGen Ronnie Hawkins is the new head of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA).  He is reportedly getting grief over a commander’s call in which he listed the personal “rules” he has lived by since he was a Captain — and they included references to God:

Hawkins, who just took over the directorship of DISA in January, said his presentation has been taken out of context… Read more

IG says USAFA Officials Negligent in Absolute Statements

The Air Force Inspector General has determined two US Air Force Academy officials were “negligent” when they made “absolute statements” about the Academy.  The IG’s conclusions:

  • Col [Richard] Fullerton was negligent in making an absolute statement concerning the academic credentials of [USAFA] faculty members while authoring the Academy’s 2009 Institutional Self-Study Report to the [HLC] of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
  • Brig Gen [Dana] Born was negligent in making an absolute statement to a local newspaper regarding the military faculty’s specific academic credentials as they related to teaching disciplines without first confirming the accuracy of the supporting data.

The investigation was the result of a complaint lodged by MRFF-associate R. David Mullin, an Academy instructor who apparently lost his teaching position (apparently due to “performance issues“) around the same time he went public with various criticisms of the Academy.  That has led to speculation on both sides — that Mullin has been targeted for mistreatment, and that Mullin is trying to exact revenge Read more

Poway Classroom Patriotic “God Banners” to Supreme Court

Last September, the patriotic “God banners” in Poway teacher Brad Johnson’s classroom were ruled unconstitutional by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals.  The appellate decision reversed that of the district court, which had previously written a strong ruling finding in Johnson’s favor.

The Thomas More Law Center recently appealed to the Supreme Court, with TMLC president Richard Thompson saying  Read more

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