Category Archives: Military Regulations

ACLU Challenges Naval Academy, Again

As noted at the Religion Clause, the Baltimore Sun carries an article on the ACLU’s most recent threat of “legal action” against the US Naval Academy for holding “mealtime prayers.”  The Academy said it

does not intend to change its practice of offering Midshipmen an opportunity for prayer or devotional thought during noon meal announcements.

Such challenges have been going on for years, and were discussed here more than 2 years ago. The Alliance Defense Fund has volunteered to help defend the Navy against the ACLU.

Official Army Religious Forum Discontinued

The Stars and Stripes reported on an official Army message board that covered a variety of topics, but whose most popular forums were on topics of religion.  A portion of the religion-oriented forum was recently discontinued.

The article hypothesized that the popularity of the forum was due to the fact that it reflected the diversity of the Army community, rather than many other online forums that are dominated by one group or another.

Soldier Shoots Koran, General Apologizes

According to CNN (with more commentary here), a US Army Major General formally apologized to an Iraqi village after a soldier used a Koran for target practice.  The General called the soldier’s actions “criminal behavior,” and a military official “kissed a Koran” and provided it as a gift to the village.

An Iraqi party claimed that the apology and reassignment were insufficient and demanded “the severest punishment.”

UPDATE: According to CNN, President Bush has personally apologized to the Iraqi Prime Minister.  CNN has updated the article in response to the White House assertion that there was no “apology.”

Court Grants Objector Status

A federal court has ruled that the Army must grant conscientious objector status to an Alaska-based soldier whose application was previously denied.  Historically, the Army has insisted that a CO object to all war, not just “this” war, and the soldier’s previous comments seemed to indicate that he looked forward to combat.  The soldier indicated that his objection developed as a result of what he saw in Iraq.  The judge did concede that the military had a legitimate concern on the “timing” of the CO application, but that it could not deny it based solely on that cause.

The text of the ruling can be seen at the Religion Clause.

Religious Objection to Military Autopsy

As noted at the ADF, the AP has reported that an Army Private contacted the Military Religious Freedom Foundation after the Army autopsied his deceased infant son.  The Private indicated that he was Muslim and objected to the autopsy on religious grounds.  Reports indicate that the MRFF plans to include this, as everything else, in their ongoing lawsuit.

While the situation is regrettable, it is not isolated to this military case or this religion.  Many government offices perform autopsies over the religious objections of the family, and the courts have apparently supported their ability to do so–particularly when the cause of death is suspect, as it was in this case.  It is not, then, a case of military “anti-Islamic prejudice and bigotry,” as Michael Weinstein asserts.

It is also worth noting that the religious opposition to autopsy is equally valid in Christian, Jewish, and Islamic faiths.  There is no objection to the practice in their core doctrines, though “interpretation” in each could lead to the conclusion.

Ethics and Professional Conduct

Our service succeeds only because of the integrity of our Airmen…
– Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne

Ethical challenges are a virtual certainty in the military.  While some instances are “obvious,” like temptations to steal or cheat, some situations are unique in the military environment.  For example, a variety of Air Force members—including one general officer—were recently punished for inappropriate influence in regard to a $50 million contract for the Thunderbirds.  It is unlikely that many of those involved considered themselves to be overtly “cheating” or “stealing,” yet the actions were treated just as severely.  A few years ago, two Boeing executives (one a recent Air Force retiree) were sentenced to prison for unethical conduct with respect to ongoing government negotiations. Read more

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