Quartermasters have Saint Martin, and Marine artillery has Saint Barbara, but the patron saint of Army aviation is Saint Michael. Four aviators were recently “inducted into the Order of Saint Michael” while deployed to Afghanistan.
The award recognizes individuals who have contributed significantly to the promotion of Army Aviation in ways that stand out in the Read more
A DoD article highlights country music star Toby Keith’s USO performance given to an Army base in Kuwait.
Keith performed such hits as “American Ride,” “Let’s Get Drunk and Be Somebody,” and “Red Solo Cup” to a crowd starved of Americana.
The USO said it was Toby Keith’s 189th USO show: Read more
Justin Griffith, the Army Soldier made famous by the event he organized at Fort Bragg, recently found a prayer group advertised on an Army unit’s Facebook page [redacted]:
Naturally, Griffith immediately took issue with the time of the prayer event, which is during what are traditionally considered duty hours. He decided to call on his web followers to target the unit’s Facebook post [formatting original]: Read more
US Congressman Bob Filner (D-CA) has reportedly asked the US Navy to name a ship after Harvey Milk, a homosexual activist who was killed while serving as a San Francisco supervisor in 1978. Milk also served in the Navy in the early 1950s — apparently illegally, Read more
Capt Barry Crawford was recently awarded the Air Force cross by US Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz for his actions in Afghanistan in May 2010. The Air Force cross is second only to the Medal of Honor, and Crawford became only the third living recipient of the award since September 11, 2001. The Air Force special tactics officer and his small team fought a pitched 14-hour battle with more than 100 Taliban insurgents — with Crawford exposing himself to fire to assist in the evacuation of wounded.
Crawford credited “someone higher Read more
The as-yet undecided case of the Camp Pendleton cross, a memorial facing complaints by atheists, has actually impacted a second, unrelated cross. LCpl Benjamin Whetstone Schmidt was killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire, and members of his platoon had apparently planned to erect a cross on an overlooking hill on Camp Pendleton:
But because of a pending military review of placement of religious symbols, the parents of Lance Cpl. Benjamin Whetstone Schmidt Read more
As predicted, it didn’t take long for Chris Rodda to read last week’s write-up on the VMFA-122 Crusaders and manufacture some outrage. She called the renaming of the unit from the recent “Werewolves” back to the “Crusaders” “sheer stupidity” and a “constitutional issue.” Of course, everyone is aware of the clause in the Constitution that prohibits military units from having a cross on their patches. It must be in there somewhere…she said so.
Michael Weinstein was in regular form. Eliminating the unnecessary adjectives and adverbs, which constituted about a third of his statement:
“This…action…is…unconstitutional[] and…stupid[]. It [is]…propaganda…for our…Islamic foes and…a…national security threat…It will…hasten the maiming and deaths of our armed forces members…We’ll be seeing you in Federal Court, chump.”
“See you in court” from Michael Weinstein is about as threatening as “see you on the field” from the 2011 Indianapolis Colts. Being a perpetual loser kind of undermines your credibility.
Michael Weinstein, again, says that America’s extremist adversaries — not the US Constitution nor “Nature” nor “Nature’s God” — are the barometer by which Read more
An official DoD article highlights the “positive role” SPC Benjamin Reynolds has in his unit, the 82nd Airborne currently deployed to Afghanistan. Even those around him know what drives him:
Reynolds sites his faith as playing an important role in maintaining the positive attitude that so many in his unit admire. In the toughest of times, his beliefs seem to grow even stronger.
“I usually pray for my safety and those around me and use my faith as a motivator,” he said. “When God pulls you through something like that it’s an amazing feeling. It really reinforces your faith.”
Reynolds’ company commander literally couldn’t stop giving him praise: Read more