They say there are two things you can become while deployed: You can either spend all your time at the gym and become a hunk, or you can spend it at the free dining hall and become a chunk.
Now, it seems there’s a third option.
A homosexual female Soldier is trying to become a man.
Call her Keith. That’s the name this 26-year-old specialist, now deployed to Afghanistan, plans to take when she completes a transition Read more
NBC recently updated the controversy of Bible references being inscribed on the side of Trijicon’s ACOG weapon sites sold to the US military (as well as other nations).
Nearly three years later — despite the military’s assertion that is making “good progress” — the code remains on many rifles deploying to Afghanistan…
For those unfamiliar with the original story, Trijicon makes industry-leading sights for weapons and has sold them by the hundreds of thousands to the military. (They’ve reportedly increased marksmanship in the Army.) On the side of the scope, the identification number is followed by an abbreviation that refers to a Bible verse.
As is Trijicon tradition, every verse makes some reference to “light,” as their sights use a form of ‘light enhancing’ technology.
Michael Weinstein complained in 2010 Read more
Jews in Green highlights an article by the Jewish Daily Forward that chronicles Jewish members of the US military who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. JiG maintains its own list of all known Jewish US troops who have died in the recent conflicts.
The linked sites make an interesting comparison of the ‘celebration’ of Americans serving in the Israeli Defense Forces to that of Jewish Americans serving in the US military.
A little-reported side story to the well-known controversy over the Camp Pendleton crosses was that a platoon was going to raise another cross on Pendleton, this time to honor Lance Corporal Benjamin Schmidt, who was killed in Afghanistan. The family and his unit had planned to erect the cross — near other crosses already in place — in connection with an April memorial ceremony.
However, the complaints by atheist activist Jason Torpy, who found out about the crosses on the internet, caused Pendleton to put a moratorium on further memorials. The Read more
Afghan insurgents dressed in US Army uniforms broke the lines at Camp Bastion/Camp Leatherneck and managed to destroy 6 US Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers and damage an additional 2.
They’ve never managed to shoot one down, but they became a (ground) ace in a day.
The attack killed two Marines and wounded nine coalition forces, with 14 militants killed and one captured.
Update: Terry Jones has indicated his response to General Dempsey was to ask, “How long do we appease Islam? How far do we back down?” He also said he is considering not showing the film, as the public reaction has demonstrated that Islam is “not a religion of peace. It is a very dangerous religion.”
By now, most are probably aware of the murders of American embassy officials and the anti-Islam movie (as well as possible al Qaeda links) that is associated with it.
The Pentagon announced that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, called Pastor Terry Jones (of Koran-burning infamy), who had supported the film, to “express his concerns:”
“In the brief call, Gen Dempsey expressed his concerns over the nature of the film, the tensions it will inflame and the violence it will cause. He asked Mr. Jones to consider withdrawing his support for the film,” Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan said.
Apparently, General Dempsey told Jones the film was “pornographic,” which is causing Jones to re-evaluate his support for it — meaning he apparently endorsed a film he hasn’t seen.
Meanwhile, US military leadership has received scathing criticism for its decision to engage an American civilian over an issue of American liberties: Read more
US Marines at Camp Leatherneck recently hosted a “Faith in Combat Leadership” breakfast to “get back in touch with their religion.”
“The purpose of (the breakfast) was to Read more
General John Allen has publicly stated that the ‘stress’ of the Islamicly mandated Ramadan fast — which occurred during the heat of the summer this year — contributed to the increase in “insider” attacks by supposed Afghan allies on international (predominantly American) troops:
Gen. John R. Allen, said…that while the reasons for the killings are not fully understood, the effect of Ramadan fasting is likely among the causes.
“The idea that they will fast during the day places great strain on them,” Allen said, adding that the stress Read more