In an interesting twist, US Navy CAPT Owen Honors, recently fired from his position as skipper of the USS Enterprise, is being defended in the press by former Sailors who served under his command — and are homosexual.
“He wasn’t insulting” gay sailors, added Mr. Solis [a gay former Sailor], “They were just harmless jokes.”
Capt. Honors “absolutely did not” create a hostile or homophobic atmosphere on board, added Eric M. Prenger, a gay sailor Read more
A few articles across the internet have posited that CAPT Owen Honors, recently fired skipper of the USS Enterprise, was simply a product of the “military culture.”
As a retired Navy officer, my perspective is that Honors was acting as the custom of the time allowed. If the Navy wants to change its culture, it needs to get the word out on what is to be changed and only discipline future violations.
That’s an interesting perspective from several angles. It seems reasonable that if you permit Sailors (or anyone else) to conduct themselves after a certain fashion, then that conduct becomes “acceptable,” or it is at least perceived to be so. In truth, “allowing” or failing to discipline or prosecute conduct does not inherently make it right, thought it can understandably create a culture of confusion.
In addition, as the writer said above, if the Navy Read more
With an interesting sense of timing, an Air Force article on “Comprehensive Airman Fitness,” focusing on “Spiritual Fitness,” was recently published at Charleston Air Force Base.
As military articles on such topics often do, it calmly predicts and answers the questions of the recent uproar over Spiritual Fitness in the military.
There are three concepts associated with spirituality, according to [Chaplain (LtCol) Michael] Brown.
“The first is to discover meaning in your life and a meaning that transcends anything in the physical world,” he said. “Some find that through Read more
LtCol Ravi Chaudhary has an interesting article on his experiences as a Hindu cadet at the US Air Force Academy many years ago:
As one of the few Hindu cadets at USAFA in 1989, the Academy was very accommodating to my spiritual needs. USAFA Chaplains even dusted off a small “all faiths” room in the Cadet Chapel to ensure I had every opportunity to practice my faith. This gesture made all the difference and supported my spiritual development during my Doolie year.
Events like these dot the spiritual landscape at USAFA, and serve as a unifying force for the entire Cadet Wing. At lunch time, the entire student body sits down to eat together and each member is given a moment of silence for individual prayer prior to the meal — a sign of Read more
The Washington Post recently caught up to the announcement from last June that the US military was attempting to field UAVs with a multitude of cameras and sensors called the Gorgon Stare — named for the Greek mythological creature.
Of actual interest in the article is the technology the Air Force is using to help analysts sift through the vast amount of material produced by UAVs:
The Air Force…is working with Harris Corp. to adapt ESPN’s technique of tagging key moments in National Football League videotape to the war zone. Just as a sportscaster can call up a series of archived quarterback blitzes as soon as a player is sacked on the field, an analyst in Afghanistan can retrieve the last month’s worth of bombings in a particular stretch of road with the push of a button, officials said.
AM3 Alfonso Tulavillanueva had a unique opportunity to re-enlist at sea when he was given a flight in an F/A-18 Hornet. His pilot (or “naval aviator”), Cmdr Mitchell Conover, administered the re-enlistment oath during the flight.
Interestingly, Tulavillanueva’s commanding officer had apparently offered flights to anyone who was willing to take it upon themselves to get the necessary training. CAPT Paul Sohl said only two ever took him up on the offer.
A few articles have surfaced on the potential some schools may “let” ROTC return now that DADT has been repealed.
At the Washington Post, Colman McCarthy had an interesting take on the mission of the military when he recalled his interview with Notre Dame on ROTC:
I asked if he actually believed there could be a Christian method of slaughtering people in combat, or a Christian way of firebombing cities, or a way to kill civilians in the name of Jesus. Did he think that if enough Notre Dame graduates became soldiers that the military would eventually embrace Christ’s teaching of loving one’s enemies?
But don’t take that to mean he doesn’t “support the troops:” Read more
As a result of the videos he produced while XO, the Navy has relieved CAPT Owen “Opie” Honors of his command of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. Said ADM John Harvey:
While Capt. Honors’ performance as commanding officer of USS Enterprise has been without incident, his profound lack of good judgment and professionalism while previously serving as executive officer on Enterprise calls into question his character and completely undermines his credibility to continue to serve effectively in command.
The Admiral did not explain how the videos from 2007 Read more