Tag Archives: isis

Report: Awesome KC-135 Tanker Crew Saves Helpless Fighter Pilot

A news release from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing spiraled into infamy as it highlighted how a KC-135 Stratotanker crew “saved” an F-16 pilot:

“The lead F-16 came up first and then had a pressure disconnect after about 500 pounds of fuel. We were expecting to offload about 2,500 pounds.”

After the F-16 disconnected a second time, the pilot went through his checklists and told the crew he had a fuel system emergency. Over 80 percent of his total fuel capability was trapped and unusable.

Since the F-16 could take some gas, he stayed with the tanker and flew back to his base along side the tanker, taking gas every 15 minutes or so.

Then he landed. And the tanker went back to his orbit. And life went on.

There are a variety of things that could go wrong to make a fighter experience “trapped fuel” or a similar fuel system malfunction. The standard thing to do when that happens is land — or, if unable to land, find a tanker, and then top-off with the tanker every few minutes on the way home.  That’s what they did.

The crew’s squadron commander put an interesting spin on it, though:  Read more

Ed Brayton Schools Ted Cruz on Military. And Gets It Wrong.

braytonEd Brayton is a prolific and progressive atheistic blogger who is also a longtime ally of Michael “Mikey” Weinstein and his research assistant, Chris Rodda. Unlike Rodda, Brayton occasionally shows a rare streak of principle and holds his own ideologues to the same standards he demands of the “right wing fundamentalists” he so often mocks.  Still, like Rodda and Weinstein, he is often blind to the traits he shares with those he ridicules.

On Monday, Brayton wrote a blog at the pay-per-click Patheos entitled “Cruz Shows He Has No Clue About the Military” in which he mocks presidential candidate and US Senator Ted Cruz for his statement saying of ISIS “we will carpet bomb them into oblivion.” Speaking to Cruz, Brayton says:

Do you or do you not know what carpet bombing is? He makes clear that he does not.

Brayton quotes Cruz waxing political in pivoting to Operation Desert Storm and the military draw down that has occurred since then:  Read more

USAFA Cadets Defy Mikey Weinstein, Pray in End Zone Before Game

Before the Mountain West Conference championship game this past weekend, US Air Force Academy cadet football players defied the invective and threats of Michael “Mikey” Weinstein — and prayed in the end zone.  As captured on video by NBC San Diego:

Mikey Weinstein’s criticism has been called petty even by his supporters, yet he is claiming these cadets taking a knee in the end zone prior to the game violates Air Force instructions, the US Constitution, and the law:  Read more

Mikey Weinstein Rapidly Responds to ChristianFighterPilot.com

Update: As expected, Weinstein has expanded his attacks to other “crusader” imagery in the military, though unlike the sign below, the US Army has not responded to Weinstein’s demands.

It was a test, and Michael “Mikey” Weinstein passed with flying colors.

Yesterday’s article on Weinstein and ISIS included a gratuitous picture of a sign in front of the 8th Special Troops Battalion Warrior Training Center in Fort Shafter, Hawaii:

The context was Weinstein’s obsession with the hurt feelings of Islamic extremists — including his claim that they’re motivated to attack the United States because of Crusader imagery.

Mikey did not disappoint.

The sign was erected on a remote portion of the base “far from most of the installation’s foot or motor traffic,” and it had been on the internet for a couple of weeks.

But within just a few hours of the article going up at ChristianFighterPilot.com, Weinstein sent a “demand email” to Major General Edward Dorman claiming Read more

US Fight Against ISIS: Military Bible Sticks in Demand

With the 101st Airborne Division deploying soon in the fight against ISIS, Faith Comes by Hearing is now ramping up to support their chaplain’s request for their mp3 player Bible Stick:

As the War on ISIS escalates, Troy Carl with Faith Comes by Hearing says a chaplain at the 101st Airborne has requested 10,000 Military Bible Sticks – the digital audio player designed specifically for deployed troops. Carl tells OneNewsNow monetary donations are needed to fulfill this request.

The request appears to be for the Division in general, though it seems only the Division HQ is actually deploying — for the time being.  Read more

Mikey Weinstein thinks ISIS Attacks over Christianity

Michael “Mikey” Weinstein has famously claimed that Islamic militants are motivated to attack because they feel they are fighting a crusading Christianity. For example, while military imagery has historically been rife with references to knighthood, Weinstein has focused particular energy on military units with things that he declares will be perceived as “crusading,” not unlike the 8th Special Troops Battalion Warrior Training Center in Fort Shafter, Hawaii:

More recently, he said ISIS received a “propaganda bonanza” when a uniformed US military officer spoke of the influence of God in his life.

Weinstein needs this narrative because his foundation is Read more

Mikey Weinstein’s Bad Reputation Grows

When the Ten Commandments monument was removed from the Oklahoma State Capitol a few weeks ago, Franklin Graham lamented the attacks on any public reference to God or Jesus Christ:

We have been appalled at news reports of ISIS and the Islamic State tearing down all symbols of Christianity in the Middle East; but think about it–we’re doing it to ourselves here in the U.S. Atheists, activists, and anti-God groups like the ACLU, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the Military Freedom of Religion Foundation are on a quest to erase or tear down anything associated with the Name of Jesus Christ.

Graham was referring to Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s awkwardly-named Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which was in the news recently demanding Read more

Army Secretary Nominee Eric Fanning and the Military Culture

A large swath of news outlets and activist organizations have reported on the previously predicted nomination by President Obama of Eric Fanning to the role of Secretary of the Army. As each and every media report headlines, if confirmed, Fanning would be the first openly homosexual military Service Secretary (not counting his own stint as the acting Secretary of the Air Force in 2013).

With even some homosexual activists concerned that Fanning’s sexuality is leading the news, others have wondered aloud if Obama’s choice was an indication he was more focused on making an impact on military culture and life than promoting military effectiveness. From the Christian Science Monitor:

Obama critics framed Fanning’s nomination as evidence of a key flaw of the President’s military policy – focusing on identity sensitivities while military threats brew around the world, particularly from ISIS.

“Hopefully [Fanning’s nomination] will distract people from the fact that we’re losing the war,” wrote University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Reynolds on his conservative InstaPundit blog.

The emphasis on style seems to be furthered by an “anonymous administration official”, who focused on sexuality in the Read more

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