George HW Bush Memorial Flyover Preceded by Pre-Mission Prayer
Just in case you were wondering what the pilots (aka “naval aviators”) were doing in the lead up to the 21-ship flyover of the President George HW Bush internment (video):
Tag Archives: Bush
USAFA Supe Calls for Dignity, while Others Show Disrespect
In a widely reported incident, US Air Force Academy Superintendent LtGen Jay “Tonto”* Silveria took to the staff tower at the cadet dining hall (Mitchell Hall) to tell USAFA cadets that racial slurs had been written on message boards at the nearby Academy Preparatory School, essentially a junior college for those who will eventually join the Air Force Academy.
In a five minute speech in which he notes hundreds of staff and faculty are lining the walls, LtGen Silveria eventually boiled it down to a simple statement:
If you can’t treat someone with dignity and respect, then get out.
Then he walked away.
That’s a call with which anyone can agree. Treating a Read more
US Navy Chaplain Brings Islam to Africa
People tend to connect more through their faith than anything else.
– Chaplain Abuhena Saifulislam
US Navy Chaplain (Cmdr) Abuhena Saifulislam, stationed in Ramstein Air Base, Germany, as the USAFRICOM deputy command chaplain, recently spent a week in Djibouti
with members of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa Religious and Civil Affairs, they met with the deputy director of Islamic affairs for Djibouti, the Sultan of Tadjoura and representatives of the Red Crescent Society of Djibouti among others.
Besides meeting with local leaders, Saifulislam participated in religious Read more
President Obama Leaves Office Unpopular with Military
Regardless of individual opinions on particular policy decisions, President George W. Bush was very popular within the US military, largely due to the genuine and sincere care he displayed and very obviously felt for the troops he led. Even after he left office, President Bush continued to serve and visit troops in the hospital — most often without any fanfare whatsoever.
The Military Times has posted the results of a poll that indicates President Barack Obama will leave office with the majority of the US military viewing him “unfavorably” (by wide margins, in some cases). The paper Read more
Fort Hood Pagans Complain about Christian Privilege
One of the oldest and most well-known non-traditional religious groups in the US military is the pagan group on the US Army post at Fort Hood, Texas. In 1999, George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and soon to be US President, famously criticized the US military’s openness toward wiccan practices at Fort Hood.
The “Fort Hood Open Circle” entered the news again recently when Michele Morris, the group’s self-described clergy and Designated Faith Group Leader (DFGL), posted an “open letter” on Facebook decrying their mistreatment in the face of “privilege” (which she clarified as “Christian privilege” in another interview) [emphasis added]:
My congregation was locked out of their church last night. It wasn’t the first time, or the second, in fact – I’ve lost count of how many times this has happened over the last six years…Last night was three hours outside, an entire congregation milling around, angry, scared, frustrated, defeated, and discouraged…
The last six years…have been a dizzying roller coaster of harassment and neglect relieved by brief moments of support and underpinned by the soul killer that we proudly call “tolerance”.
Morris went on to list a veritable bevy of grievances. It was unclear at Read more
A Private Act Sends a Public Message
Some have recently expressed heartburn over Baptist, Catholic, and other Christian US military chaplains being told not take part in any event or ceremony where a possible acceptance of homosexuality might be construed. In that light, Rev (Dr) Al Mohler had an interesting commentary on the recent decision by former President George H.W. Bush and his wife to attend such a ceremony — and the very public impact of that simple “private” event:
According to The Washington Post, the elder Bushes attended the wedding of Bonnie Clement and Helen Thorgalsen, held at Kennebunkport, Maine…The 41st President of the United States was present, along with the former First Lady…
No one should be surprised by the Read more
Farmer Buys WWII Plane, Fixes and Flies It
Ed Wuerker, a 74 year old New Jersey Farmer, fulfilled a lifelong dream when he bought a TBM Avenger in 2005.
Wuerker…plunked down $60,000 and bought it. It has taken eight years to restore and to get the FAA approvals for the plane and his own certifications needed to fly it, but Wuerker recently got it airborne for the first time since it was used to fight forest fires in Canada.
The Avenger is the same aircraft President George H.W. Bush flew — and was shot down in — in WWII.
The plane is more functional than Read more
UAV Does Touch and Go on Carrier
Just days after its first carrier launch, the Navy’s X-47B, the Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D), successfully did a touch and go on the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) last week.
Don Blottenberger, UCAS-D Deputy Program manager, commented, “This landing, rubber hitting deck, is extremely fulfilling for the team and is the culmination of years of relative navigation development. Now, we are set to demonstrate the final pieces of the demonstration.”
But does it wear dogtags when it plays volleyball on the beach?
(That’s a Top Gun reference, for those UPT students who weren’t even born when that movie came out…)
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