Tag Archives: USAFA

Crusader Crosses Removed from US Afghan Chapel

NBC reports the US military chapel at Forward Operating Base Orgun-E was improperly displaying Christian crosses, and the Army has ordered them removed and covered over:

U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan on Thursday ordered the removal of a steeple and crucifix erected over a remote American base in the Muslim country after a soldier deployed there noted that the symbols violated Army regulations…

Doors with cross-shaped windows were reportedly boarded up until they can be replaced.

This has happened before, and, as noted previously, it is not really a significant event.  The article accurately notes Army regulations (not DoD regulations) dictate Read more

Prayer in Combat, Michael Weinstein, and Cookies

An LA Times article on the drawdown in Afghanistan had an interesting lede:

Photo at LATimes.com (David S. Cloud / Los Angeles Times / December 9, 2012)

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Fifteen U.S. soldiers huddle in a circle. A blue Toyota packed with explosives has been reported somewhere in the city. The troops bow their heads and clasp hands.

“Dear Lord, protect us and protect those entrusted to us as Read more

Mormon Troops Integrate Missions, Military Service

A Utah paper highlighted the service of local Mormons with the Utah National Guard, which includes arrangements allowing teenagers to enlist, go to boot camp — and then take a two year break for their mission:

“A lot of people told me I couldn’t be both a Marine and a missionary,” [LCpl Brady] Knowles said before he left for the LDS Church’s Indianapolis Mission last year. “But when I talked to the Marine recruiters and told them I was going to serve a mission, they told me it could be worked out. And it was.”

Upon graduating from high school, Knowles enlisted Read more

Important Military Tip: Marijuana Still Illegal

The US Air Force made a point of issuing a press release reminding servicemembers that using marijuana is still illegal for them — even if the state in which they live just legalized it.

The state of Colorado voted to legalize marijuana Nov. 6, but its use is still against federal law and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, even for service members stationed in or visiting the state.

“(Colorado’s) Amendment 64 does not change the UCMJ… Read more

Military Professors Debate Religion in the Military, Part 2

Dr. Don Snider (Col, US Army, Retired), a Political Science instructor at the US Military Academy at West Point, responded to USAFA law instructor David Fitzkee’s (Maj, US Army, Retired) prior Parameters article on religious freedom with a commentary criticizing the analysis of command involvement.  Regarding the memorandum on religious neutrality issued last year, Snider said

It seems fair to say that the Chief of Staff of the US Air Force does not trust some of his Commanders to correctly fulfill their responsibilities to “support individual Airman’s needs and provide opportunities for the free exercise of religion.” So, he has withdrawn autonomy from all of his Commanders to do so, turning it over to their Chaplains.

Snider accurately notes that this singles out issues of religion for separation from command guidance:  Read more

USAFA Building Secret Underground Bunker for Christians

Seriously.

Rick Baker, representing Michael Weinstein’s Military Religious Freedom Foundation, recently expressed incredulity that the $40 million dollar “Center for Character and Leadership Development” being constructed at the US Air Force Academy was really for the stated purpose.  He thinks it is really for the forcible promotion of Christianity:

The 40,000 or so square foot subterranean building soon to be under construction  near the AFA Chapel…seems a bit over-sized for the project and more likely a place where Chrisitan  Dominionist Catachism Read more

USAFA Dean General Born to Retire Next Summer

BrigGen Dana Born, Dean of the US Air Force Academy, has announced her intention to retire in the summer of 2013.

Ordinarily, such a move wouldn’t be newsworthy.  However, Gen Born has been under constant attack by Michael Weinstein — aided by his veritable PR arm, Pam Zubeck of the Colorado Springs Independent — for several years.  Zubeck, who has long had sources on the USAFA faculty eager to undermine their own institution, “scooped” even the official US military announcement of Born’s retirement, and she did so without attempting to hide her bias:

Brig. Gen. Dana Born, one of the most controversial figures Read more

Military Professors Debate Religion in the Military, Part 1

David Fitzkee (Maj, USA, Retired) is a law professor at the US Air Force Academy.  In the fall of 2011 he had an article published in Parameters (vol. 41, no. 3), (“The US Army’s Senior Professional Journal”) entitled “Religious Speech in the Military: Freedoms and Limitations.”

The 14-page essay is an interesting read, and it opens with a strong premise:

It is crucial that military leaders understand and respect the scope of religious speech rights. Honoring the constitutional rights of subordinates is inherently the “right thing to do” in a society and military governed by the rule of law, particularly when all military leaders take an oath to support the Constitution.

Unfortunately, the very next paragraph of the introduction sets a poor tone for the paper:

Failure to understand the rights and limits concerning religious speech can adversely affect the mission…It can result in internal investigations into allegations of violations or even lawsuits against the military, both of which entail substantial time, effort, and distraction from the mission.

Maj Fitzkee aptly notes that “investigations into allegations of violations” can “distract from the mission” — but he illogically assumes Read more

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