Tag Archives: Military

Frankfurt Shooter Trial Begins August 31st

The trial of Arid Uka, accused in the murder of two US Airmen and wounding of two others at the Frankfurt airport is set to begin at the end of August.

Authorities have said Uka confessed shortly after his capture to wanting to kill American troops because of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.

Killed were Senior Airman Nicholas Alden and Airman 1st Class Zachary Cuddeback.

Uka faces a possible life sentence.  As previously noted, his is one of nine recent “soft target” attacks/attempted attacks on the US military, some by members of the military, all apparently motivated in some part by their Islamic faith.

Liberty Counsel Defends Air Force Nuke Training

In what may be one of the more unbiased presentations of the “media controversy” thus far, the Christian Post presents a somewhat fuller picture of the nuclear missile officer course that floated to the surface a few days ago.  They are the first large media organization to highlight the fact the brief wasn’t exclusively Christian:

The section also cited biblical figures including Abraham, Samson and David as religious figures that fought wars in a righteous manner. Additionally, a picture of a menorah was featured on a slide highlighting the Maccabees’ revolt against their oppressors.

In fact, they are also the first to consciously highlight that the brief wasn’t even exclusively religious:  Read more

Abdo to Face More Charges

A federal judge referred the case of US Army PFC Naser Abdo to a grand jury, and indicated Abdo may face additional charges in the foiled “terror plot” in which he stands accused.

Given the testimony, Abdo seems to have largely confessed to the public characterization of the attempted attack:

After Abdo was arrested at the motel, with some items found in his backpack, he told authorities he was planning “a massive attack in the Killeen and Fort Hood area,” [FBI special agent Michael] Brogan testified. Abdo said he planned to make two bombs and detonate them in a restaurant where Fort Hood soldiers eat, according to documents filed in the case.

The Army Times article notes US Army Maj Nidal Malik Hasan is also in jail not far away, awaiting his capital trial.

Air Force Pulls Nuke Training over Religion Complaint

A variety of news sources are now reporting the US Air Force ended a training class after an internet article belittled its religious content.  Contrary to some assertions, this is actually not a big deal.

This much has been accurately reported:  The Air Force training slides had Bible verses, and the course was led by a Chaplain.  There was a public article.  The Air Force pulled the course to “review it.”

Beyond that, much of the other reporting has been misrepresented or inaccurate.

The Washington Post said

The Air Force has suspended a training course for nuclear missile launch officers that used Bible passages and religious imagery to teach them about the ethics of war.

Unfortunately, that’s essentially a misrepresentation, likely because the conclusion was drawn solely from a copy of the slides used in the brief — sans notes or context.  The course did not use Biblical citations to teach ethics.  The ~40-slide PowerPoint presentation was an ethical discussion on the conduct of war, with emphasis on the application of nuclear weapons.  (The title of the first seven slides is “Ethics;” the second section is “Nuclear Ethics and Nuclear Warfare.”)

The course’s focus was to address common Read more

The US Marine Corps and Opinions on Homosexuality

The text of the briefs given to US servicemembers on the repeal of the policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is publicly available. Notably, it starts out with this phrase:

This brief is NOT an attempt to change anyone’s opinion about the subject of homosexuality. [emphasis original]

Later, the presentation says this:

There Is No Expectation To Change Religious or Moral Views: Soldiers will not be expected to change their personal views and religious beliefs. They must, however, continue to treat all Soldiers with dignity and respect. [formatting original]

With that in mind, the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, SgtMaj Michael Barrett, toured bases in the Pacific with the Commandant of the Marine Corps General James Amos in June. Addressing DADT Read more

Atheist Rock Beyond Belief Announces Approval

“Rock Beyond Belief” — the self-described atheist counter-event to the Christian “Rock the Fort” — has announced that Fort Bragg has agreed to allow it to hold its festival next March on the Army post.  While there is a bit of celebration on their part, its worth noting Fort Bragg also approved their request for last spring; RBB just decided to cancel itself at the time (and then allowed Michael Weinstein to equate the Army with racists over the incident).

The statement makes no reference to what changed, other than Read more

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