Tag Archives: army

Sikh Soldier Endures US Army Training

A local paper notes the training of SPC Simram Lamba, the first observant Sikh to serve as an enlisted line Soldier in decades.  For his part, Lamba seems to find it a non-event:

Lamba…said the most frequently asked question by his fellow soldiers is about his unshorn hair and beard.

Lamba said both are considered Sikh articles of faith. He called them a “natural gift from God, and we’re not going to destroy it.”

Lamba added the soldiers at his side treat him like any Read more

Islamic US Soldier Worships with Local Afghans

US Army SPC Stephen Hirt helped “bridge[] the gap between US and Afghanistan Muslims” during his recent combat tour.

After his deployment to Afghanistan in 2008 and 2009, Hirt decided to unite his mosque, the Islamic Institute of Orange County – al Farouk, in Anaheim, Calif., with the Muslim people of Afghanistan during his deployment…

Hirt’s unit was not only supportive, they joined in the effort with funding Read more

Women in the Military: Statistics, and the First Female JFACC

Previous articles have noted the recommendation by a government panel that women be allowed in all military roles, including combat, because their careers suffer when they are compared to males with broader or combat experience.

A recent article highlighting female Army aviators noted the statistic:

According to a study released earlier this month by the Military Leadership Diversity Commission, women account for only 16 percent of leadership positions in the military – a seemingly staggering statistic to release during National Women’s History Month.

The very next sentence, however, puts the statistic in perspective:  Read more

AU, ACLU File FOIA over Rock the Fort, Rock Beyond Belief

Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and the American Civil Liberties Union have filed a Freedom of Information Act request over recent concerts at Fort Bragg.  (More accurately, they skipped the FOIA office everybody else has to use and sent a letter directly to the Secretary of the Army.)

Interestingly, the letter presents a schizophrenic perspective.  On one hand, they say Fort Bragg’s interaction with Rock the Fort was “unconstitutional.”

we believe that the actions of [Chaplain (Col) David] Hillis and the Department of the Army, in coordinating, planning and supporting last year’s Rock the Fort concert, violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

On the other, they demand to know if Rock Beyond Belief is truly being Read more

US Army Eliminates “Moral Character” as Requirement for Service

The US Army recently published an updated version of Army Regulation 601-210, Active and Reserve Components Enlistment Program.  The new version, dated 8 February 2011, makes an interesting change.  From the list of revisions at the front of the regulation:

Changes all references of “moral qualification or waiver” to “conduct qualification or waiver” (throughout).

The words “moral character,” a mainstay of the prior version, now occur only one time in the entire publication.  Unfortunately, it appears to have been implemented with a simple “find and replace” of the word “moral.”  For example, where it once said:  Read more

Women in Combat Have Three Times Suicide Rate

USA Today notes preliminary data from the US Army indicates “the suicide rate for female soldiers triples when they go to war.”

The findings…show that the suicide rate rises from five per 100,000 to 15 per 100,000 among female soldiers at war. Scientists are not sure why but say they will look into whether women feel isolated in a male-dominated war zone or suffer greater anxieties about leaving behind children and other loved ones.

Some might earlier have called that last statement sexist, particularly in light of recent recommendations that women be allowed in combat Read more

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