Cadets in the US Air Force Academy Class of 2014 were notified of their career fields on Wednesday.
Most notably, of the 1,011 cadets, 456 were selected to become pilots. (That’s 45% for those who grimace at math in public, which is slightly less than 2011.) 41 will become “cyberspace operators,” and 9 will go on to RPAs (and 4 will become “special agents” for OSI). From the official release, the rest of the list follows: Read more
The US Air Force Academy unapologetically defended its use of cadet confidential informants earlier this week:
The Air Force Academy stood by its use of confidential student informants Tuesday, noting that it’s a practice used across the Air Force that provides what it calls “vital information about criminal activities.”
A couple of days later, USAFA announced the Superintendent would begin having oversight of the program:
Air Force Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson will now exercise oversight of the confidential informant program at the academy…
She will be aware of the operations, but the Office of Special Investigations will still have command and control of the program, an academy spokesman said.
Also at the Air Force Times and the Stars and Stripes, with more here.
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Dr. R. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote in April about “same-sex marriage as a civil right — are wrongs rights?” The article noted that activists decades ago made an intentional effort to move the discussion away from “homosexual sex,” which was considered impolite conversation at best, to “civil rights,” which many supported.
Mohler’s discussion is enlightening:
At this point Christians have to think very carefully. We do not want to deny anyone his or her civil rights. To do so would not only violate the Constitution but also deny the rights that are granted, not by the government, but by the Creator. But is same-sex marriage such a right?
Mohler’s answer: Read more
A few days ago, Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s MRFF research assistant, Chris Rodda, mocked the purchase of an $88,000 Steinway piano for a Fort Riley chapel in a little-noticed piece at the Huffington Post:
Apparently, military cutbacks don’t apply to church music…
I can’t say that I was surprised to hear about this example of outrageously extravagant spending on a military chapel…
She implied, somewhat obtusely, that the Army wouldn’t need such a piano if there was really religious hostility toward Christians in the US military, as some have asserted. Notwithstanding her presumption that only Christians would use a musical instrument, it is worth a reminder that she represents an organization that claims to be defending “religious freedom” in the US military. She later said
While the military is cutting back on necessary services it is sparing no expense on chapels and religious programs.
As a supposed advocate for religious liberty, she considers this a bad thing?
In point of fact, Rodda, Weinstein, and Read more
Congressman Jim Bridenstine (R-Ok), on the recent controversies regarding “So Help Me God” at the US Air Force Academy:
“As a Navy pilot with combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, I know firsthand the importance of faith to many of our service members. When the services are hostile to faith, they are hostile to their members. The Military Religious Freedom Coalition continues to identify instances whereby our men and women in uniform are forced to conceal or deny their deeply held religious beliefs.”
More from Congressman Bridenstine’s statement.
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The US Air Force Academy made several homosexual cadets available to reporters for a conference call last week and subsequently released a summary article:
Carol, Stephanie and William, three cadets in the Academy’s Spectrum club for LGBQ and allied cadets, spoke to reporters with both local and national newspapers and blogs to talk about their experiences and the support they’ve received from the Academy’s senior leaders…
The three cadets were identified only by their first names, and the group generally spoke neutrally or well of Dr. Rosebush:
“Frankly, I didn’t know he existed until his name showed up in the press,” William said. “My personal opinion is that he’s been here long enough, he’s shown he can work here without pressing his views on other people. If he does his job and does it well, and he’s not trying to influence or treat people differently than anybody else, then personally, Read more
A fascinating article by the Colorado Springs Gazette accuses the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) of encouraging misconduct while using cadets to inform on their peers — and then disavowing them when they were no longer useful.
Eric Thomas, 24, was a confidential informant…OSI ordered Thomas to infiltrate academy cliques, wearing recorders, setting up drug buys, tailing suspected rapists and feeding information back to OSI. In pursuit of cases, he was regularly directed by agents to break academy rules…
Through it all, he thought OSI would have his back. But when an operation went wrong, he said, his handlers cut communication and disavowed knowledge of his actions, and watched as he was kicked out of the academy.
The Gazette claims to have obtained documents validating the cadets’ claims.
A lengthy article, but interesting.
Repeated at the Stars and Stripes.
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In a commentary entitled “Every Airman Counts: Treating each other with dignity and respect,” General Larry Spencer, Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, nobly attempted to laud the virtue of respect. He recounts the story of a fellow Airman using the “N word” during a flag football game many years ago:
I was certainly no stranger to harsh language or “trash talk.” However, this was different—and it literally hurt…I was an American Airman and I didn’t expect that kind of verbal attack from a fellow Airman…
Several Airmen, on both sides of the ball, spoke up — forcefully. They chastised the offender and made it clear they did not approve of his outbursts or attitude. The referee, who was an NCO, also stepped forward and not only ejected him from the game, but directed him to report to his first sergeant the following day. The next day, not only did my teammates (on both teams) go out of their way to apologize for this single Airman’s behavior, but the Airman who committed the act also personally apologized.
Gen Spencer later said Read more