Happy Easter, and Remember our Military
Have a joyous celebration of the resurrection of Christ, and take time to remember our troops deployed around the world.
Sailors worship at Easter. (DoD Photo)
Tag Archives: Military
Fighter Pilot Speak: Saved by the Wedge
The Wedge principle is a time-honored military mantra; while it may be present in a wide variety of career fields in the military, the high-visibility nature of the fighter pilot profession has made the Wedge principle a strong and lasting tradition.
The Wedge principle has nothing to do with lever arms, inclined planes, or any other form of engineering. It is also not to be confused with the callsign “Wedge,” which is given to those who resemble the “simplest tool” ever invented. Instead, it is a time-honored, unwritten principle that basically says Read more
MRFF Opposes Troops’ Religious Freedom at Easter
Last September, Chris Rodda, a researcher for Michael Weinstein and his Military Religious Freedom Foundation, wrote an article enumerating her “Top Ten” list of Christian travesties in the US military, emphasizing acts which “convince the Muslims we’re on a crusade.” A less combative version of this same list was re-published in the US Air Force’s Attitudes Aren’t Free just a few weeks ago.
At number 8, Rodda lists this rather interesting way in which the US military is showing the Muslim world America is on a crusade: Read more
A-10 Flies on Biofuel
The US Air Force flew an A-10 Thunderbolt II on an alternative fuel last week. The fuel was a 50/50 mix of standard JP-8 fuel and a biomass-derived jet fuel blend. The effort is one of several to fly a variety of US military aircraft on synthetic and alternative fuels.
Replacing or augmenting military fuel supplies is far more complex than just “seeing if it works.” Long test programs are often necessary to analyze Read more
Chaplains Take Notes on Deployment Kits
Many military members who deploy have “kits” of items that they take with them, some for personal reasons, other for professional. Some military branches and specialties also issue kits with required items for the servicemembers in those fields.
Chaplains are no exception. Over at the Army Chaplaincy Blog, Chaplain Daniel Sparks has a picture and list of the things he packs in his “Chaplain’s Kit” when he deploys. While size and weight are certainly important, Sparks also mentions another important factor: Read more
Chaplain Ministry Prepares, Comforts Combat Troops
The ministry team of Chaplain (Capt) Steve Fisher and his assistant SSgt Dewey Landers made a special point in Iraq to minister to the Air Force Security Forces on base. They are one of the few units that is called upon to perform missions “outside the wire.”
The response of the members of the unit to the Chaplain’s visit was an important indicator of the significance of Chaplains in the military. From their Chief, Michael Fluck: Read more
Military Religious Freedom at Work
It is not uncommon for people of a religious faith–Christian or not–to occasionally speak of the difficulty of celebrating their faith while in the military. This is particularly true in intense training environments, as well as the obvious restricted areas of combat. The military culture is sometimes hostile (even unintentionally) to the spirit of a religious faith, and the logistical environment sometimes restricts the ability to fully exercise one’s faith.
Despite the challenges encountered, it is important to highlight the fact that the US military has a responsive environment of both commanders and Chaplains to see to the religious needs of all of its servicemembers. Though there are obvious logistical hurdles in some cases, there is no institutional support for or bias against any particular faith. In fact, the opposite is true.
For example, the Aleph Institute, a DoD Chaplain endorsing organization and valuable support agency for Jews in the US military, recently said they had to come to the rescue of a Soldier seeking spiritual resources, and because of “red tape” a Jewish Soldier has “almost no chance” of getting spiritual resources like prayer books and kosher field rations.
History, however, demonstrates the opposite. In fact, Jewish military Read more
Chairman: Officers Who Support DADT Can Resign
Update: The Army announced that General Mixon will not be reprimanded.
LtGen Benjamin R. Mixon, commanding general of US Army Pacific, previously wrote a letter to the editor encouraging servicemembers to “speak up” about their views on the potential repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” His letter was used as the second example of an active duty officer publicly disagreeing with the proposed change, when he said
If those of us who are in favor of retaining the current policy do not speak up, there is no chance to retain the current policy.
This was particularly salient, because, as the General pointed out, there has been little public opposition from those in the military on the topic. (By contrast, present and former members of the military who oppose the ban have been a common item in the media, some in clear violation of military regulations.) The supposition was that military members did disagree, but feared the reaction of the military if they expressed disagreement with their Commander in Chief and senior officers.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, who have expressed support for President Obama’s proposal to lift the ban, called General Mixon’s letter “inappropriate“: Read more