According to the Air Force, an RAF Lakenheath F-15D Eagle pilot safely ejected and his plane crashed (in a “fireball,” according to a witness):
The pilot, with the 493rd Fighter Squadron, ejected and was brought back to the base with only minor injuries, a spokesman for the base said.
The F-15D is the two-seat version of the F-15C. The rear cockpit was presumably empty. Read more
From the Stars and Stripes:
Capt. Jonathan Mahan is the stereotypical fighter pilot: calm, confident, with a steely gaze and a sharp sense of humor. He has a cool nickname and a mustache so perfectly groomed that it would make “Top Gun” character Goose proud.
River has no doubt heard no end to the…praise…of his fellow fighter pilots for his portrayal in the article on the F-15.
Goose was Read more
When the Air Force reversed its position and allowed enlistees to omit “so help me God” from their oath of enlistment, Pat Robertson had this response:
There’s a left-wing radical named Mickey Weinstein who has got a group about people against religion or whatever he calls it, and he has just terrorized the armed forces. You think you’re supposed to be tough, you’re supposed to defend us, and you got one little Jewish radical who is scaring the pants off of you…
It’s just crazy. What is wrong with Read more
Perhaps drowned out by other military religious issues, a few sites noted that the US Air Force recently swore in its first Jewish rabbi with a beard:
Rabbi Elie Estrin [made] history this week.
The Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi…is set to become the first bearded chaplain in the U.S. Air Force.
The ceremony [was] held Read more
Homosexual activists recently emphasized the fact the US Senate just confirmed a “gay attorney” as the new General Counsel of the US Air Force. Mr. Gordon Tanner has taken on the civilian role akin to the uniformed JAG of the Air Force. Tanner also retired as a Reserve JAG; interestingly, he may have worked on courts-martial or discharges enforcing the ban on homosexuals even as he continued to serve. Still, those activists missed the more newsworthy expression of Tanner’s view on religious expression and homosexuality in the military:
May a member of the armed forces who has a sincerely held belief in opposition to same-sex marriage be subject to adverse personnel action or similar other adverse action, if he or she shares those personal views on the subject in a personal capacity?
Tanner: No. A member of the armed forces Read more
After it just recently served as a surface-to-air target for the first time, the Air Force announced the first successful downing of the pilotless QF-16 drone:
The first unmanned QF-16 Viper struck down over the Gulf of Mexico Sept. 5 was part of a joint effort between the Test and Training Division at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and the 82nd Aerial Target Squadron here at Tyndall.
The QF-16 is slated to eventually replace the current QF-4 full-scale drones. Read more
Chaplain (Capt) Michael Bram made the news as the first Jewish chaplain to serve at Elmendorf since the 1970s:
According to Bram, there are only six Jewish chaplains on active duty in the U.S. Air Force. The first Jewish chaplain at JBER in the last 25 years, Bram said he is used to the curiosity that can surround a man in a uniform and a yarmulke.
“The question I am asked, more than any other question, is, ‘How does it stay on your head?'”
Chaplain Bram has a fascinating story, told at Read more
Update: Patrick Vaughn, general counsel for the American Family Association, wrote an article saying “The U.S. Constitution makes it clear: American atheists are not and should not be barred from serving their country through military service.”
Facing scrutiny for its letter-of-the-law requirement that Airmen enlist with “So help me God,” the Air Force has asked the DoD General Counsel to provide an official legal opinion:
The Air Force said Tuesday it was awaiting a legal opinion from the Defense Department’s top lawyer on whether an enlisted airman who’s an atheist can opt out of the phrase “so help me God” in his re-enlistment oath…
“The opinion that we’re seeking will help inform future decisions and the latitude that can be taken with the oath,” Air Force spokeswoman Rose Richeson said Tuesday. “But the Air Force has to comply with law.”
From an objective position, Read more