Tag Archives: Military

DADT Survey Publicized, Derided by Advocacy Groups

A homosexual advocacy group obtained a copy of the survey delivered to US military members despite the military’s intent to keep the survey “confidential.”  The Department of Defense defended the format and content of the survey against criticism from homosexual advocacy groups that have derided it.  Apparently, those groups take issue with the word “homosexual” and the fact recipients were asked how they would feel about sharing personal space with open homosexuals.  The military’s response:

Responding to critics’ claims the survey was biased against gays, [DoD spokesman Geoff] Morrell said, “Absolutely, unequivocally, I reject it as nonsense.”

Fighter Pilot Dies during Bible Study

The Air Force announced that US Air Force Captain Samuel Robertson, a 26 year old F-15 pilot stationed at RAF Lakenheath (UK), collapsed during a Bible study last week.  He was pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital, and the cause of death is under investigation.  From his wing commander:

“Our heart-felt condolences go out to Captain Robertson’s family, friends and coworkers.  He was a loving husband, a great friend and an outstanding Wingman.  His loss will be felt across our Air Force family. The Liberty Wing will provide untiring support and assistance to his family during this difficult time.”

McChrystal, Petraeus Replacement Hurts US-Muslim Relations?

The UK’s Guardian has said that General Stanley McChrystal’s ouster from leading NATO forces in Afghanistan has dealt a blow to a long and slow improvement in US-Muslim relations.  The article summed it up this way:

McChrystal’s strategy in Afghanistan also had major implications for US relations with the world’s 1.4bn Muslims. McChrystal’s message was simple: we respect you. We honor you. We are here to protect you. You have a great religion and a great culture, and we will help you preserve it and secure a future for your children.

The article calls the choice of General Petraeus to replace McChrystal “solid,” which has been the general feeling in the public (Petraeus was approved unanimously in the Senate).  Ironically, however, while McChrystal apparently sported friendly credentials with the local Muslim populations, Petraeus has been accused of being a fundamentalist Christian predator, at least by one person:

General Petraeus has, by his own hand, become a quintessential poster child of this fundamentalist Christian religious predation, Read more

Civilian Ejects from Fighter Aircraft

The US Navy has reported that a pilot successfully ejected from an A-4 Skyhawk at Fallon Naval Air Station.  The A-4 was owned by Airborne Tactical Advantage Co and flown by a civilian contract pilot.  The company was apparently on contract to provide Red Air for Naval aviator training at Fallon.

While civilian organizations flying military fighter aircraft are relatively rare (and they are often owned and/or composed almost entirely of former military members), there are a surprising number of civilian “fighter pilots” flying fighter aircraft either in or in support of the US military.

Alleged Wikileaks Source was Lonely, Angry…Humanist

The Defense Department has announced that 22 year old US Army Private First Class Bradley Manning has had “charges preferred” alleging multiple counts of improperly handling classified information.  According to prior reports, Manning admitted in internet chat rooms that he distributed the helicopter gunship video dubbed “collateral murder” as well as thousands of other secret files.

In an apparent attempt to humanize Manning, the Associated Press noted his “outcast” status among his peers:

With his custom-made “humanist” dog tags and distrust of authority, Bradley Manning was no conventional soldier.  Read more

Military Distributes DADT Survey

According to an official release, the Department of Defense distributed 400,000 emailed surveys yesterday to military members on the topic of the implementation of the repeal of the policy most commonly known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Half of the surveys went to active-duty servicemembers, and half were sent to the reserve components. Troops who received the surveys were selected based on age, rank, service, component, military specialties, education, marital status and other factors to ensure broad and thorough feedback on a potential repeal, Ham said.

The Military Times said the actual questions were “under wraps,” but the survey  Read more

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