Tag Archives: Military

Military Places High Value on Character

As the debate about the possible changes to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” occurs in the public, there seems to be some confusion about what the military can control and discipline among its troops.  For example, some (primarily those not in the military) who want to see DADT repealed seem to think the military cannot dictate personal conduct when those actions aren’t “wrong.”

Ignoring for a moment the moral judgment required to make such an assertion, the statements display a certain ignorance about military standards Read more

Military Religion Question of the Day: Beliefs, Part 2

On the same day someone complained in a Facebook post that a military Chaplain was “blatantly proselytizing” (in fact, just 6 minutes after the post), another Facebook post made a similar complaint about a different Chaplain:

Fans, check out this, written by a government-[employed] Chaplain in an official government publication:

Writing for the Chaplain’s Corner at Marine Corps Base Quantico, The Marine Corps Recruiting Command Chaplain writes about why women were created (as an afterthought to keep men from being lonely), marriage as a Christian institution, and segues to a blatant Jesus salvation pitch.

The article referenced is that by Chaplain Read more

T-6 Pilot Ejects at Vance AFB

The Air Force reported that a pilot ejected from his T-6A Texan II near Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma.  Based on the report, it seems the aircraft went off the end of the runway (into the mud) and the pilot ejected:

The aircraft is intact, sitting off of the end of the base’s runway 17L, with gear extended in the mud.

The report does not indicate if he was a student or instructor; only that he was solo.  (The term “he” is generic, as the Air Force report carefully avoided the use of gender-specific pronouns.)

Also noted at the Air Force Times.

Navy Set to Fly “Green Hornet”

Similar to the bio/synthetic fuel powered Air Force aircraft, the US Navy has embarked on an alternative fuels effort with its “Green Hornet.”  The Navy plans to fly the F/A-18 Super Hornet on Earth Day, April 22nd.

The “Green Hornet” was a backdrop to President Obama’s remarks at Andrews AFB (now Joint Base Andrews) on his energy policy.  During his remarks, Obama also recognized the Air Force’s efforts and the recent flight of the A-10 on biofuel.

Because the Navy operates different engines and has slightly Read more

“Collateral Murder” Video Released

Several major news outlets have reported on the “leaked” video of what appears to be a US helicopter gun attack on civilians.  News of the video has been distributed under the “collateral murder” moniker.  Reportedly, a Reuters photographer and driver were killed, as were about a dozen others in a small group.  A van subsequently comes to the scene and is also fired upon; in the van were two children who were wounded.

While not exclusively a fighter pilot topic, the video does shed some light into an area not often discussed in the public eye.  There are times when Read more

USAFA Pagan Cross Investigation Closed

The US Air Force Academy closed its investigation into the placement of the shape of a cross at a pagan site on the Academy grounds.  No new information was apparently determined, nor was any action taken.  To their credit, the Colorado Springs Gazette printed the most accurate description so far of the incident, saying

The cross – consisting of two railroad ties propped against a boulder…

Other organizations and individuals had inaccurately implied a ‘large cross’ was ‘made of railroad ties’ and ‘carried to the site’ to be ‘erected in the center’ of the pagan circle.  The Gazette left out only the facts the two boards were not connected and were already on the site before the incident occurred.

In noting the end of its investigation, the Air Force refused to characterize the incident as a hate crime:  Read more

President Obama Cites Fighter Pilot Easter

A few days ago, this site noted that a self-described religious freedom organization, Michael Weinstein’s MRFF, had criticized deployed servicemembers for publicly celebrating Easter in the combat theatre.

In an interesting convergence of topics, a message by President Obama recently cited just such a celebration of Easter–and not by just any servicemembers, but by a unit of deployed fighter pilots.  A fascinating photo (below) helps explain.

In his “holiday greetings” distributed on 3 April 2010, the President commented on “war time” observances of Easter, saying:  Read more

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