It is unfortunate to see that individuals truly felt they were doing the right thing by not rocking the boat…
Standing up for your Airmen, or even for yourself, when you see wrongdoings should not be viewed as defiance. We have the authority Read more
Update 2: General Umbarger has issued an apology, saying
I apologize for and regret the negative attention my well-meaning endorsement of an organization which so generously offered to help our Soldiers, Airmen, and their families. As I have done so many times before, I instinctively advocated on behalf of my service members.
This situation underscores the enduring need for all of us to pursue every possible avenue in providing services to our faithful military families.
It is my earnest desire and sincere hope that my comments will not detract from the professionalism and dedication of the extraordinary men and women who serve and sacrifice every day in defense of our communities, State, and Nation.
Governor Mitch Daniels, who is responsible for appointing the Guard Adjutant General, has defended the General. That’s pin #1 for Weinstein’s promised lawsuit. The Army Inspector General is reportedly looking into the complaint.
Update: Weinstein said he plans to file a “class-action lawsuit” if no action is taken against the General.
As is his common practice, Michael Weinstein has called for the court-martial of Major General R. Martin Umbarger, the Adjutant General of Indiana, making him the point man for “the Indiana Army and Air National Guard, the Indiana Guard Reserve and State employees, totaling more than 15,800 personnel.”
General Umbarger had appeared in a short video, in uniform, requesting support for a charity called Centurion’s Watch. His comments included:
“Centurion’s Watch is a wonderful way that you can help. Any donation or resource that you can give this organization…I can’t think of a better organization that you can support. So if you want to give back, if you want to have some way you can help, I would highly encourage that you support this organization.”
Weinstein’s response:
“Maj. General Umbarger is incontrovertibly endorsing…a private sector entity which is clearly a comprehensively sectarian, proselytizing, fundamentalist, evangelical Christian parachurch organization…”
As support for his claim, Weinstein cites Read more
In December of last year a group called on Congress to investigate the relationship of the US Air Force with Michael Weinstein, the President of his self-founded Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Weinstein has shown an ability to access private military records, apparently through his “high ranking” contacts, and his public statements seemed to indicate he was given unusually unfettered access to senior leadership.
A portion of Weinstein’s relationship with the USAF was revealed as recently as the blurb on Weinstein’s newest book, when the newly retired Air Force Judge Advocate General, three-star LtGen Jack Rives, “came out” as a strong cheerleader for Weinstein’s cause. Gen Rives had been charged with advising the Air Force in its dealings with Weinstein’s continuous complaints — while he simultaneously supported Weinstein’s “tireless civil rights fight against fundamentalist religious predators in our nation’s armed forces.”
Weinstein has now published a 2,000-word diatribe admitting to Read more
Michael Weinstein and his cohorts make frequent use of the US Air Force Inspector General complaint system. As noted previously, its win-win for Weinstein, as he’s immune to any stigma should it go awry and he can cry foul whether the IG validates his complaint or not.
Weinstein also hammers the Air Force with Freedom of Information Act requests. Again, for him they’re a win-win. He gets to harass the Air Force, as the Air Force is required by law to dedicate precious and scarce resources to answer his every call, which also has the effect of distracting from the military’s mission.
Weinstein also gets access to information he normally wouldn’t. While the Air Force tries to cull private and restricted information from Read more
The Air Force Times notes that in Congressional testimony, Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz said the Air Force did not blame Capt Jeff Haney, pilot of the F-22 that crashed in Alaska — despite the public report apparently to the contrary.
Schwartz [said] the Air Force did not blame Capt. Jeff Haney for the…crash in Alaska, despite the service’s own report that said Haney was at fault.
“We did not assign blame to the pilot,” Schwartz said Read more
The Air Force Inspector General has determined two US Air Force Academy officials were “negligent” when they made “absolute statements” about the Academy. The IG’s conclusions:
The investigation was the result of a complaint lodged by MRFF-associate R. David Mullin, an Academy instructor who apparently lost his teaching position (apparently due to “performance issues“) around the same time he went public with various criticisms of the Academy. That has led to speculation on both sides — that Mullin has been targeted for mistreatment, and that Mullin is trying to exact revenge Read more
The Pentagon IG is reportedly reviewing the Accident Investigation Board from the November 2010 crash that killed F-22 pilot Capt Jeffrey Haney in Alaska. The crash was attributed to pilot error.
An IG official wrote that the agency will “focus on the adherence of the AIB to the procedures set forth in Air Force Instruction (AFI) 51-503…
“Our assessment will also verify that AIB conclusions are supported by evidence of record consistent with standards of proof established by AFI 51-503,” he wrote.
While some reports of the investigation last fall expressed skepticism Read more
The Associated Press has distributed an article indicating the military is “investigating” the US Air Force Academy for issues with its accreditation.
A document obtained by AP says the Air Force inspector general ordered a formal investigation into complaints that the academy’s dean and vice dean of faculty gave incorrect information to the Higher Education Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
The document says the vice dean was accused of making “a false official statement” and the dean was accused of “inaccurately portraying” faculty credentials.
“The document” appears to be the response by the Inspector General to the two complainants. The two are reportedly anonymous, though one self-identifies as an Air Force officer, faculty member, and Academy graduate.
In the Inspector General’s letter Read more