Tag Archives: USAFA

Cadets, Faculty Criticize USAFA General

Recently, the Colorado Springs Gazette highlighted the “leaked” results of the USAFA climate survey, which Academy superintendent Lt Gen Michael Gould had clearly said he was not going to release.  As expected (and as the Academy likely expected), much ado was made of numbers indicating cadets had been subject to “unwanted proselytizing” or had been “approached” about their faith.

More disturbing, however, is the internal reaction and external response that seems to be becoming increasingly common:  Read more

MRFF Expresses Support for Ground Zero Mosque

In response to an inquiry, Michael Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation expressed his support for what has been dubbed the “Ground Zero Mosque” in New York City.  Notably, he criticized those who oppose the mosque/community center because…their criticism offends “jihadists.”  Interestingly, Weinstein did not reserve his invective purely for Christians:

This [opposition to the mosque] is the work of fundamentalist Christians and ultra-extreme, rightwing Jews.

Apparently, the man who believes Christians are planning to exterminate Jews believes “rightwing Jews” are now helping them.  The cognitive dissonance continues below.

For those keeping track:  Read more

Forbes Ranks USAFA at #11

Forbes Magazine’s 2010 list of America’s Best Colleges, which assessed 600 undergraduate programs nationwide, ranked the US Air Force Academy at #11 in the nation.  Other military academies also fared well in a list that equated the service academies with other highly recognized institutions:

These rankings put service academies in the same tier as Ivy League colleges. The Air Force Academy placed at No. 16 in 2008 and No. 7 in 2009.

For the 2010 rankings, the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., ranked fourth on the list, while the U.S. Naval Academy came in at 29th, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy ranked No. 105, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy earned the No. 165 ranking.

US Air Force Academy Reports Improved Climate

The US Air Force Academy recently reported some of the results from its 2009 climate survey.  The survey is similar to those given to other military units in order to assess everything from racial relations to quality of life.

The superintendent, LtGen Mike Gould, is reportedly focused on instilling an atmosphere of respect for human dignity, and he has seen some success:

In many ways, the climate has shifted toward greater respect for all Airmen here regardless of their race, gender, religious beliefs or socioeconomic backgrounds.  Read more

Military Academies Top University Rankings

It should be common knowledge by now that the US military academies routinely rank among the best colleges in the country by a variety of standards.  The academies routinely top the Princeton Review’s Best Value Colleges, and all the military academies were on it.  Of course, having a quality education with zero tuition does much for the value calculation.

The academies also top the 2011 Best Colleges pubished by the Princeton Review (see the 2010 list), which includes relative ranking criteria on a variety of “interesting” subjects.  The Air Force Academy again rises to the top on most conservative and most religious students.  The other academies were also consistently near the top on conservative, politically active, and “least happy” students, with slight variations.  (One unusual hit was at the Merchant Marine Academy, which took low marks on its professors.)  Other rankings:  Read more

Colorado Post Hosts Native American “Chapel”

In the wake of the article highlighting the Christian perspective on a neo-pagan congregation site at the Air Force Academy, a local military paper notes the presence of a Native American sweat lodge on Turkey Creek Ranch, an MWR facility of Fort Carson.  (Fort Carson was recently threatened over the cross on its hospital patch.)

Here, Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines, their families and supporters come to pray in a traditional Native American purification ceremony.

The religious site has been at the military facility since the 1990s:

The Turkey Creek Ranch sweat lodge was started in 1994 by two Native American military members who wanted a traditional place to pray. Fort Carson Army Installation gave them a permanent spot inside its Turkey Creek Ranch…

Though the military is sometimes accused of trying to Read more

Weinstein Conspiracy Theories Get More “Creative”

Michael Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation may have finally proven his reliance on conspiracy theories to advance his cause.  He recently gave an interview to American Muslims Today, broadcasting in Nebraska, which headlined the interview thusly:

Who would Jesus bust a cap on?
In this part of the series we discuss The New Crusade. We explore how the fundamentalist Christians have fully infiltrated and some say taken over the US military.

(Apparently the impending repeal of DADT is actually an elaborate diversion by fundamentalist Christians in the military…)

In the interview, Weinstein says he can “basically trace the start Read more

Christian Military Perspective: Pagans, Religious Freedom, and Officership

Recent articles have highlighted the moral struggle faced by Christian men and women in the US military.  When the US Air Force Academy established an official area for pagan congregation, it aroused a wide variety of emotions, from those who found the pagan belief system repulsive to those who felt anyone should be free to do as they please.  Military Christians, too, experienced tension between the tenets of their faith and the dictates of their profession.

Following an article documenting the creation of the Academy pagan area, a commenter highlighted this very conflict (as she intended) when she asked:

That’s great news…It shows a willingness to be accepting of “other” faiths. Don’t you think it’s great news?

Is the creation of a pagan circle at the US Air Force Academy “great news?”  There are two distinct perspectives at issue, that of a Christian and that of a member of the military.  Ultimately, they form the perspective of a military Christian.  Read more

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