Tag Archives: faith

Christian Fighter Pilot Tells Troops about Need for Faith

Guy Gruters recently spoke at a gathering at the Navy Medicine Operational Training Center at Pensacola, Florida. The first words of the official Navy article on the event are fascinating:

Guy Gruters is a religious man. You would be, too, if you’d been in his shoes.

Then-Lt Gruters was an Air Force F-100 pilot in Vietnam who, after his second shootdown, was captured and spent nearly six years as a POW. One of his cellmates was Lance Sijan, and Read more

US Air Force Advocates for Transgender Lifestyle in Children

lauraperrytransMoody Air Force Base recently “celebrated” a “Diversity Day” that included a transgender veteran, retired USAF Major Leonard Perry, speaking about his lifestyle, as he now lives as a woman named Laura:

“[Gender dysphoria] is a medical condition. They’ve tried therapies and other treatments for it, but none of that has really worked. What they’ve found is transitioning to the identified gender is the only treatment that has consistently solved the dysphoria.”

(Perry was previously profiled by the Air Force for no reason other than his sexual lifestyle.)

Given that the US military supports free speech and permits its troops to express their freedoms within the constraints of military policy and the Constitution, Perry’s monologue supporting Read more

Chaplain of the Marine Corps on Faith in the Foxhole

The Marine Corps motto Semper Fidelis means “Always Faithful.” For USMC’s entire existence, Marines and sailors have fought gallantly on the battlefield with ever-present faith. That faith was administered through the wise words of Navy chaplains and religious program specialists, who preach religion to devil dogs and promote ethical and moral behavior as well as provide them guidance. Today, Navy chaplains continue to play an integral role in supporting Marines and sailors to improve combat readiness.

The Chaplain of the Marine Corps, Chaplain (RAdm) Margaret Kibben,  Read more

Vietnam War POW Shares Need for Faith of the American Airman

Retired Air Force Capt Guy Gruters, who was a POW in Vietnam for 5 years, recently told his story to the 128th Air Refueling Wing in Wisconsin.

For a time, Gruters’ cell mate was Air Force Capt Lance P. Sijan.

Gruters told the audience, which also included…Janine Sijan Rozina, Sijan’s sister, that he and Sijan were in the same squadron at the U.S. Air Force Academy for three years. Sijan, a Milwaukee native, was solid as a rock at 210 pounds and had played football for the Academy.

“To see him hurt so bad was really difficult,” Gruters said. “They would torture him, and we would scream in our cells to get them to lay off him and they’d come beat us.”

Capt Gruters clearly conveys the faith that Read more

Book Review: Leading with Honor

Lee Ellis
FreedomStar Media

Leading with Honor, Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton, is a unique and outstanding book by former prisoner of war Lee Ellis, an F-4 pilot who spent nearly six years in POW camps in Vietnam. Its stated intent is to pass on “leadership” lessons from the “crucible of captivity.” In truth, it is much more than that: It teaches lessons that are applicable to all of life.

Ellis, who was a 1st Lt at the time, was on his 53rd mission over North Vietnam Read more

Troops Talk Faith on the Frontlines

An interesting article by the US Marines asks troops what faith means to them, and to the mission:

For service members deployed to a combat zone, faith takes on a whole new meaning. For many Marines and sailors, the tragedies of war are apparent on a daily basis and often require a reserve of mental, moral, and physical strength that can only be found in a person’s faith.

This understanding of the importance of faith is one reason the US military takes such great steps to promote resilience within its ranks.  Whatever it is the Soldier, Marine, Airmen, or Sailor holds faith in, that faith will sustain Read more

New Rick Perry Ad Vows end to “Obama’s War on Religion”

Much has been made of Texas Governor Rick Perry’s latest campaign commercial saying he would “end Obama’s war on religion.”  What is interesting is how he chose to characterize that fight against religion:

There’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school…

Governor Perry associated the open service of Read more