Tag Archives: Military

Navy Chaplain Reverses Course on Gay Marriage

Head Navy Chaplain (Rear Adm) Mark Tidd has reportedly issued a “one-line” statement suspending his prior decision allowing US Navy Chaplains to perform homosexual marriages in military chapels.

As previously noted, members of Congress had objected to the announcement, saying it was in conflict with the Defense of Marriage Act.

If nothing else, the controversy stands in contrast to those who have had a dismissive attitude toward repeal, claiming it would be a non-event and transparent in its removal.  As demonstrated by the concerns raised during training and the sensitivity of this announcement, it very evidently isn’t.

Military Academies Line Up Graduation Speakers

The US military academies appear to have hammered out their graduation speakers for this year:

The top military leadership speaks at the military academy graduations on a rotating basis.  For those keeping count, Obama has already spoken at Annapolis, West Point, and now the Coast Guard academy, so if tradition holds he will address USAFA next year.

Pagan Leader Resigned over USAFA Treatment

The name of the US Air Force Academy’s “Cadet Chapel Falcon Circle” was noted yesterday in the discussion of its dedication.  In a response to a Washington Times editorial that accused the Academy of “pandering” to fringe ideas, Michael Weinstein now claims USAFA was “insensitive” in the naming of the area, which led to the “resignation” of the pagan lay leader at USAFA.  If you can get past Weinstein’s gratuitously florid language, he says:

The Times article showed a picture [captioned] as “the Pagan lay leader at the Academy.”  Wrong again, Times editorial buffoons.  [The pagan lay leader], a courageous MRFF client, resigned that titular post a fair number of weeks ago in direct protest over the blatant, strong-arming insensitivity, which the Academy was using in the administration of the naming of that stone circle…

Always quick to resort to the grade school antic of name-calling, Weinstein apparently failed to realize the Times didn’t Read more

DADT Update: Marine Training, June Target, and Military Weddings

Below:

  • Camp Pendleton Marines ask the same DADT questions
  • Obama said to be aiming for repeal in June
  • Navy head of Chaplains says gay marriages permissible in military Chapels

Camp Pendleton Marines recently went through the required DADT training for the upcoming repeal of the policy most often known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”  Despite some people dismissing the concerns of servicemembers Read more

USAF Academy Chapel Dedicates “Falcon Circle” for Pagans?

The creation of a “pagan area” under the auspices of the US Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel was highly controversial more than a year ago.  Originally, a “dedication” was scheduled in March 2010.  It seems the ceremony was delayed more than a year.

USAFA announced it had dedicated the “Cadet Chapel Falcon Circle” last week on May 3rd.  As previously discussed, the US military does not make a site “sacred,” so the “dedication” seems to have been more ceremonial or functional in nature.

Interestingly, the article seems to indicate a slight tweak on the original purpose of the outdoor chapel.  Originally, USAFA was said to be adding “a worship area for followers of Earth-centered religions.”  The new wording was somewhat more careful this year:  Read more

Chaplain Recalls Impact of Suicide Attack, Impact of His Ministry

US Army Chaplain (Capt) Vincent Hardy was stationed at Bagram, Afghanistan, when a suicide bomber struck a FOB of his unit in mid-April, killing 6 Soldiers.  In the Army Times reprint of The Leaf-Chronicle article, Hardy remembers the fallen he knew so well:

Five of the six soldiers killed were from Hardy’s battalion, the 101st Special Troops Battalion. He knew them all and interacted with them regularly…

Two of the Soldiers obviously depended strongly on the Chaplain for their spiritual support:

Sgt. 1st Class Charles Adkins, described by Hardy as a “man of God,” stayed right next to him in the barracks at Gamberi.

He recalled Sgt. Linda Pierre as an especially devout Read more

Navy Officer Wants Apology for Callsign

Lt.jg Steve Crowston is the former enlisted Sailor who became an officer and then went through a fighter pilot naming, as previously discussed:

Crowston told the IG that [his commander, Commander Liam] Bruen and the unit’s then-executive officer, Cmdr. Damien Christopher, were in the unit’s ready room during an August 2009 all-officer review of squadron call signs, when Crowston was offered choices such as “Fagmeister,” “Gay Boy” and the group’s final choice, “Romo’s Bitch” — a reference to the quarterback of Crowston’s favorite football team, the Dallas Cowboys. Crowston was the squadron’s administrative/legal officer.

Crowston is demanding an apology for the experience:  Read more

Chris Rodda Highlights MRFF Hypocrisy. Again.

The MRFF’s researcher Chris Rodda recently took to the Huffington Post to make hay out of Vice President Joe Biden having rosary beads in the White House situation room during the bin Laden raid, and for the SEAL Team leader saying “For God and Country” in front of the code word “Geronimo” after the successful strike.

The critical tone inspired a slew of comments.  The overwhelming majority — even from self-described “liberals” — were highly critical of Rodda’s article, claiming it was an exercise in finding offense, political correctness, and a suggestion America should surrender its freedoms for appearances.

After a biting critique from a fellow Huffington Post blogger, Rodda tried to explain the logic behind her position, but she actually made it worse:  Read more

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