Michael “Mikey” Weinstein might have manufactured a controversy over “Jesus rifles,” but in World War II, there was a Mormon Mustang. From the 151st Air Refueling Wing in Utah:
Roland R. Wright stands next to the P-51 “Mormon Mustang” he made his name flying in over Europe in WWII. Wright shot down three enemy aircraft during the war.
The Utah Air National Guard is stationed Read more
The recent dismissal of the lawsuit filed by US Air Force TSgt Layne Wilson against the Air Force revealed some interesting details about how and why he was disciplined for expressing opposition to same-sex marriage.
As noted previously, the ruling (PDF) indicated the controversy started with an email:
On December 2, 2012, Plaintiff Layne Wilson…sent an email, using his military email account, to an official at the United States Military Academy at West Point objecting to a same-sex wedding held at the military academy’s chapel…
As quoted in the ruling, the email said: Read more
US Air Force TSgt Layne Wilson, a Mormon member of the Utah Air National Guard, sued the US Air Force after he was disciplined for expressing opposition to same-sex marriage two years ago. The lawsuit was dismissed earlier this month at the DC District Court.
The ruling (PDF) is an interesting read that at times seems obvious, at others contradictory, and in the end rather confusing. This much appears to be undisputed:
On December 2, 2012, Plaintiff Layne Wilson…sent an email, using his military email account, to an official at the United States Military Academy at West Point objecting to a same-sex wedding held at the military academy’s chapel…
As a result: Read more
“There’s a saying that ‘there’s no atheists in foxholes,'” Staff Sgt. Matt Jensen said. “And perhaps the reason why religion is so central to the military is because many face their deaths on the battlefield. So providing a venue for them to continue to worship their God is, I think, the responsibility of the U.S. military.”
According to an ongoing story covered at FoxNews, Utah Air National Guard TSgt Layne Wilson was reprimanded after writing a letter to a West Point chaplain regarding a post-DADT chapel ceremony, which presumably occurred last December. The text of his letter does not appear to be completely available, but it said in part
Our base chapels are a place of worship and this is a mockery to God and our military core values. I have proudly served 27 years and this is a slap in the face to us who have put our lives on the line for this country. I hope sir that you will take appropriate action so this does not happen again.
Apparently, West Point complained to the Utah Air National Guard, and Wilson’s supervisor gave him a Letter of Reprimand because he
“failed to render the proper respect to a commissioned officer.”
Given that only part of the story is public, it is difficult to fully discuss. On the other hand, another part of the conversation is public and may stand on its own. As noted in a memo from LtCol Kevin Tobias, 130th Engineering Installation Squadron commander, following this incident [emphasis added]:
“We talked about his feelings about DADT and Read more