Tag Archives: Afghanistan

Germany Files Charges in Frankfurt Airport Attack

Murder charges have been filed against Arid Uka, a 21 year old Albanian who is accused of opening fire on US servicemembers traveling through the Frankfurt airport in Germany, shouting “Allahu Akbar” as he killed two American airmen and wounded two others.

The indictment indicates Uka was a Muslim “radicalized by jihadist propaganda:”

Authorities have said that Uka confessed shortly after his capture at the airport to wanting to kill American troops because of the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.

According to the indictment, Uka was radicalized over time by jihadist propaganda he saw on the Internet, Read more

MRFF, Atheists Go After Military Easter. Again.

This site previously noted the lack of original thought on the part of some activist atheists.

Now, in response to Easter, they want, well, an atheist counter-celebration of Christ’s resurrection, apparently.

Last year this site noted that Michael Weinstein’s research assistant Chris Rodda held up for derision the military Christian celebrations of Easter in the combat theatre. Despite the criticism by Rodda and Weinstein’s organization, which oddly includes “military religious freedom” in its name, the celebration of religious holy days in the combat area is perhaps one of the most explicit examples of religious freedom in the US military.

This year, the MRFF continued its attacks Read more

US Marine Pilots-to-be Lead in Afghanistan

Due to training timelines, it is not uncommon for new officers to wait up to a year or more for their pilot training course to begin.  Sometimes these officers are given other opportunities like the chance to obtain a Masters Degree or attend another professional course.  In other instances, they are held in an “awaiting pilot training” status, filling a sometimes menial position in another unit.

Thirteen new Marines took another path:

Instead, 13 active-duty lieutenants commissioned with aviation contracts are on the ground in Afghanistan, Read more

Navy Chaplain Impacts Marines in Afghanistan

A US military news release documents the story of US Navy Chaplain (LT) James Ragain, currently deployed to Afghanistan.  While much of the article covers the standard mantras of Chaplains and their roles, Ragain’s story demonstrates the strengths of having a military Chaplain integrated with a combat unit:

“He’s probably the greatest secret weapon I have here in my squadron,” said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Clarence Harper, the squadron’s commanding officer. “The way he goes about building religious Read more

Local Priest Serves US Troops

Similar to the prior story from Afghanistan, US troops in Haiti also found a local religious leader with whom to worship.

Father Glenn Meaux, originally of Abbeville, La., was able to minister to Louisiana National Guardsmen and other troops deployed in Task Force Bon Voizen in Haiti.  Father Meaux moved to Haiti in the late 1980s, and the senior enlisted leader of the Task Force knew he was there.  The unit’s Chaplain was able to find Father Meaux on the internet and arrange for him to minister to the American forces there:  Read more

Comprehensive Soldier Fitness, from General Marshall

Chaplain (Maj) Bill Scritchfield, currently serving in Afghanistan, has an interesting perspective on the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, reaching all the way back to General Marshall:

Scritchfield…believes Gen. George Marshall explained the significance of Soldier spirituality best, “The Soldier’s heart, the Soldier’s spirit, the Soldier’s soul are everything. Unless the Soldier’s soul sustains him, he cannot be relied on and will fail himself and his country in the end.”

The context of the article is US Army SPC Turquoise Dawson, who volunteers as an usher at Bagram’s chapel services.  Her conscious decision to usher with a happy heart

illustrate[s] some of the behaviors and strategies that help one adapt and cope with challenges – behaviors and strategies Army officials hope to pass on to other soldiers.

Critics continue to imply an impending lawsuit over some portions of the Army’s CSF program.

The Controversy over “Moral Injury”

The Stars and Stripes covered the “Navy and Marine Corps’ annual conference on combat and operational stress,” and indicates new “buzzwords” — “moral injury” — are causing some consternation:

One Marine commander roped into a panel discussion at the last minute bluntly took issue with the phrase: “As a Marine, I’m insulted.”

Lt. Col. James “Hall” Bain…said he thought the term implied that Marines were stressed as a result of immorality.

The Corps trains Marines to have “the skill and the will to kill,” he said. “It’s based on an ethical standard.”

In his defense, LtCol Bain seems to take issue with the terminology, not the concept.  In other places, the term “moral injury” has been used to describe the dissonance that occurs when one man kills another:  Read more

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