Last weekend three of the four remaining Doolittle Raiders met at the National Museum of the Air Force to participate in their final toast.
A collection of links, information, and the video from the final ceremony can be seen on the official Air Force site here.
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The LA Times, repeated in the Stars and Stripes, reports that some homosexuals in the US military have complained they were denied access to the leave to which they were entitled.
The special leave — subsequently renamed an “administrative absence” — for homosexuals to travel to areas they can obtain a marriage license was ordered by the DoD to “level the playing field” with heterosexuals who, presumably, were allowed to marry in the immediate locale of a military facility.
While the repeal of DADT was previously described as a “non-event,” the LA Times now (dramatically) describes the military as struggling with the changes: Read more
After USAFA appeared to capitulate to Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s complaints that “so help me God” violated the US Constitution, two Congressmen have proposed legislation that would require “Congressional approval” before changes can be made to military oaths. The bill was proposed by Reps Sam Johnson and Pete Olson (R-Tx). Though the text is not available, the current lengthy title says the purpose of HR 3416 is
to require congressional approval before any change may be made to the oaths required for enlistment in the Armed Forces, appointment to an office in the civil service or uniformed services, or appointment as a cadet or midshipman at a military service academy…
Astute observers will note that has nothing to do with USAFA’s Cadet Honor Oath. Similarly, the oaths to which that legislation does apply are already enshrined Read more
The Air Force released two investigation reports blaming pilots for two separate F-16 crashes this year.
In the first, Capt Lucas Gruenther was killed when he ejected from his F-16 during a night training sortie over the Adriatic Sea. The Air Force said:
The board president, Brig. Gen. Derek P. Rydholm, found clear and convincing evidence that the pilot Read more
Chaplain (Capt) Joseph Wright describes how he and his family prepared for his first deployment, six months after he arrived at his first assignment:
We prayed, and we prepared. We read a book about preparing for deployment. It advised not to simply survive deployment, but thrive during it. Two retired colonels authored the book and emphasized the importance of trusting God and His plan. They shared the conviction that God is directing my family’s time of separation, because through it, He would be growing, maturing, and developing all of us in ways impossible if we stayed together.
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An Air Force article highlights the opening of the first US Air Force Chapel on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.
The location chosen for the most recent worship space was specific:
The non-denominational Christian worship service’s unique characteristic is its location inside the entry control point where it can reach airmen who otherwise may not be able to attend a worship service.
“The other chapels on base do an outstanding Read more
In an anticlimatic but optimistically predicted result, LtGen Michelle Johnson declared that the “so help me God” portion of the USAFA Cadet Honor Oath is optional:
“Here at the Academy, we work to build a culture of dignity and respect, and that respect includes the ability of our cadets, Airmen and civilian Airmen to freely practice and exercise their religious preference – or not.” said Lt. Gen. Michelle D. Johnson, Academy Superintendent. “So, in the spirit of respect, cadets may or may not choose to finish the Honor Oath with ‘So help me God.'”
The current USAFA Athletic Director, Dr. Hans Mueh (BGen, Ret), was part of the faculty that decided on “so help me God” in 1984, when it was created in response to a cheating scandal:
“To add more seriousness to the oath, we decided to mirror the commissioning oath and add the words, ‘so help me, God,'” Dr. Mueh said.
Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, the “religious freedom” advocate who Read more
The Air Force has announced that the November 9th final toast of the Doolittle Raiders — an event closed to the public — will be broadcast live on the Pentagon channel.
The remaining Raiders will join for the final time and open the ceremonial bottle of cognac from 1896, the year Jimmy Doolittle was born.
The event is occurring at the National Museum of the Air Force and will include B-25 flybys, a wreath laying, related movies and a book signing.
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