Tag Archives: Afghanistan

Pilot Error Caused F-16 Collision

The Accident Investigation Board has determined that pilot error on the part of Capt. Nicholas Giglio resulted in him colliding with his flight lead, Capt. Lee Bryant, near the end of a night sortie over the waters just east of Charleston, SC, in October.  Giglio died in the collision; Bryant landed his crippled aircraft.  It appears that Giglio, an inexperienced F-16 pilot, may have been “distracted” by a radar problem and failed to properly execute a rejoin on this flight lead, leading to the collision.  Giglio is one of several fighter pilots to die in night training accidents in 2009, including one in Utah and one in Afghanistan. 

As noted earlier, Giglio was held up as a man of God and family by his Pastor.

Happy New Year, 2010: Top Stories for 2009

A variety of websites that track issues of religion in the public sphere have listed their “top ten” stories for 2009.  Though each uses their own criteria, the resulting lists generally matched the recent trend (as noted last year) in which issues of religion and the military have largely disappeared from the “big stories” over the years.

US News mentioned nothing about the military in their list, nor did the Religion Clause.  BJC Online included a mention about Sikhs and the military at #8 and accusations of military evangelism in “US Foreign Affairs” at #4.  Of these, the Religion News Writers were the only ones to mention US Army Maj Hasan’s Fort Hood massacre (#3).

While ongoing events in the world will likely keep religion near the forefront of current affairs discussions, “controversies” over the interaction between religion and the military do not appear to be the “headlines” that some might think they are.  The year 2009 may have borne that out.  Some of the “biggest” stories on the military and religion were actually non-events, including accusations of Bible distribution in Afghanistan or the plethora of complaints that Chaplains acted illegally or unConstitutionally.

There will always be controversies and media attention.  Still, the belief that some accusations of impropriety are “tempests in a teapot” may be correct.  Perhaps, too, claims of surreptitious military takeovers by religions seeking world domination really are the fringe conspiracy theories they often seem to be.

“Conservative Christians Dominate the US Military”

Christopher Hitchens, author of God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything and co-author of Is Christianity Good for the World with Pastor Douglas Wilson, takes on religion in the US military in his latest article in Vanity Fair, for which is he a contributing writer.

The lead-in to the article demonstrates a set of false assumptions which are never substantiated within the article:

It’s no secret that conservative Christians dominate the US military, but when higher-ups start talking about conversion missions, it’s time to worry.

Hitchens never provides evidence that any ideological belief, never mind conservative Christianity, “dominates” the US military.  He also misrepresents Read more

Soldiers See Once in a Lifetime Sights

The US Navy used to have a slogan that said, “Join the Navy, see the world.”  While the catch phrase has long since been abandoned, “seeing the world” remains a significant reason that some people join the US military.  Within just a few months of starting their military service, they may be sent to places as widely varied as Europe, Asia, and Africa.  It is true, too, that in this present time many will likely soon see Iraq, Afghanistan, and the surrounding regions.

An Army press release notes the experiences of a group of soldiers who were given the opportunity to see the ruins of Ur in Iraq.  Ur is the historical birthplace of Abraham, Read more

Fighter Pilots Fight the Enemy: Boredom, Guilt

Not every fighter pilot gets to “use” their skills.  Like a football player who never goes to the SuperBowl, they train hard and sharpen their skills for the time when they are called upon, but for any of a variety of reasons–whether timing, politics, or just the world environment–they simply “miss” the war.

As noted in Christian Fighter Pilot is not an Oxymoron, no fighter pilot yearns for war, but if war occurs, they desperately want to be there, to do their job, and to do their part to achieve victory.

That said, even in war, there are sometimes slow times.  The Air Force Times notes that November was the second month this year in which zero bombs were dropped in Iraq, even though there were more than 800 close air support missions.  Read more

Muslim Soldier Validates Fears of “Political Correctness”

After the Fort Hood massacre, there were reports that people saw Maj Nidal Malik Hasan’s conduct that they did not report because they did not want to be viewed as biased against his faith or culture.  Two recent news articles highlighted the contrast in reactions to those allegations.

The first encouraged people to report such conduct: a Congressman is proposing a law to extend “whistleblower” protection to people who make those reports.

The second proved such concerns about “political correctness” valid: a Muslim soldier has implied he was the recipient of inappropriate special attention by the military because of his faith or culture–the very perception Hasan’s peers remained silent to avoid.

First, Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, the Congressman from the district that includes Read more

General Asks Americans to Thank a Soldier

An editorial submission to USA Today by US Army General Martin E. Dempsey, commander of the Army Training and Doctrine Command, encouraged Americans to “say thanks” to servicemembers when they seem them in the airports this Christmas season.  The Army ceases formal training courses over the holidays, allowing more than 40,000 soldiers to be home for the holidays.

During the next two weeks, more than 40,000 soldiers will depart our posts, camps and stations to travel across America. They will be joined by thousands of other troops traveling to and from Afghanistan, Read more

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