Warning: This official US Navy photo may be considered offensive in some US Air Force units…
U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kenneth Abbate
An official DoD article notes the continuing tradition of the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders taking part in USO tours:
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have partnered with the USO for the last 34 years…
Two cheerleaders…[are] currently on a USO overseas Read more
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General (Retired) Peter Pace recently spoke at Principia College on a variety of topics, including global security and the need for individuals to stand by their moral compass:
[Pace] warned that everyone should set their own moral compass and stick to it, whether on the battlefield, in a business situation or in their personal lives.
“Your integrity is sacrosanct,” Pace said. “It’s 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
General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave the “keynote speech” at a ThanksUSA gala. ThanksUSA was founded by an 8 and 10 year old in 2006 as a means to provide scholarships to children and spouses of US troops.
Never one to let a good deed go unpunished, Michael Weinstein will probably soon be calling for the General’s court-martial for “endorsing a non-Federal entity” — especially when Weinstein finds out who’s on their board of directors.
Even better, General Dempsey — widely known for his public singing — concluded the presentation by bringing the entire event to its feet when he led them in “God Bless America,” and chided those who didn’t know the words: Read more
The Colorado Springs Gazette, local to the US Air Force Academy, noted that religious freedom critic Michael Weinstein apparently bought a billboard ad to publish Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz’s memorandum on religious neutrality, which Chris Rodda says USAFA is “withholding.”
Air Force Academy critic Mikey Weinstein, miffed that a four-star’s memo on religious respect wasn’t e-mailed to cadets at the Air Force Academy, published the 200-word memo himself Tuesday on a Colorado Springs billboard.
Weinstein is apparently relegated to billboards because USAFA won’t answer his voluminous emails or return his phone calls. Publicly, he claims he billboarded the memo because General Gould wouldn’t give in to his demands: Read more
Michael Weinstein and his associates in his self-founded “charity” have a history of being unable to defend an argument by relying on simple truth. Instead, their accusations have to be dramatized with hyperbolic language or, in some cases, the facts simply need to be misrepresented.
And Chris Rodda, Weinstein’s researcher, has done it again. And again, apparently.
Weinstein and Rodda have recently been trying to make hay out of General Norton Schwartz’s recent memorandum on “religious neutrality.” Naturally, they imply it was their eloquent arguments (and senior-leader influence) that convinced General Schwartz to issue the memo. That’s not enough glory, however.
The accusation that US Air Force Academy Superintendent Read more
In a topic related to the prior “moral compass” discussion (in fact, the NDU speech was specifically cited), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen recently said
What I really think it comes down to is accountability. Within the military, we need to be constantly asking ourselves, “Am I holding myself and those I am responsible for to the highest standards?”
Ultimately, our quality of work and our personal conduct will say far more about who we are and what we stand for than any other thing we do.
So, are “quality of work” and “personal conduct” the defining icons of what the military stands for?
If so, what governs “personal conduct” in the US military?
Websites belittling Commandant of the Marine Corps General James Amos are increasingly referring to his religion — some in an “off-hand” manner, others directly, as if it has something to do with current issues.
Interestingly, the “source” for General Amos’ faith is listed as this site. The June 2010 article on his nomination for Commandant noted his speech at the 2009 National Day of Prayer. Since then, that article has been cited in a variety of sources, including the ever reliable Wikipedia, as proof Amos is “born again.” In fact, a web search for Amos’ faith reveals only two sources: this site, and a more recent derogatory citation by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation’s Chris Rodda, with an uncredited copy of a personal photograph of the same event she likely learned about through this site.
Ultimately, however, Amos’ faith is irrelevant. It would be folly to assert Read more