Tag Archives: moral

Air Force Officer Ponders Moral Fabric as Cause of Military Ills

In a surprisingly frank assessment, LtCol W.E. Gene Mattingly wrote an article entitled “The Elephant in the Room” following the sexual assault scandal and General Welsh’s order for a health and welfare inspection.

LtCol Mattingly becomes one of the few who dares to try to drill down to the root of the problem, rather than settle on addressing symptoms:

I think the problem is related more to our moral fabric than anything else.

As an Air Force, we must remain alert to what is presented as societal norms, which our Airmen may embrace, but that our Air Force simply Read more

Dakota Meyer, Morality and the Medal of Honor



On September 15th, former US Marine Sergeant Dakota Meyer was presented the Medal of Honor for his actions in a pitched battle in Afghanistan.

There has been a frequently mentioned, though just as frequently passed over, detail to Meyer’s story (emphasis added):

Former Marine Corps Cpl. Dakota Meyer was awarded the Medal of Honor…for disregarding orders in Afghanistan. [1]

President Obama…bestowed the nation’s highest military honor on Dakota Meyer, a young and humble Marine who defied orders… [2]

Defying orders, Meyer drove into a firestorm Read more

The US Marine Corps and Opinions on Homosexuality

The text of the briefs given to US servicemembers on the repeal of the policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is publicly available. Notably, it starts out with this phrase:

This brief is NOT an attempt to change anyone’s opinion about the subject of homosexuality. [emphasis original]

Later, the presentation says this:

There Is No Expectation To Change Religious or Moral Views: Soldiers will not be expected to change their personal views and religious beliefs. They must, however, continue to treat all Soldiers with dignity and respect. [formatting original]

With that in mind, the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, SgtMaj Michael Barrett, toured bases in the Pacific with the Commandant of the Marine Corps General James Amos in June. Addressing DADT Read more

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