Recent Comments
Re: “AFA explores religious respect”
Regarding Air Force over zealous Officers infiltration- Marine F-4 pilot- Sioux Indiam- 110 combat missions Vietnam. Korea was Marine enlisted. Neither theatre did we go to Church- the vast majority of us. Pilots or enlisted. Never had to worry about a religious Loonie superior rating me negatively because I was a Sioux Indian uninterested in the Dominant Society's major religion- Christianity. My fellow peers likewise. My Sioux Spirituality was banned back on my reservation by over zealous Xtian Missionaries lobbying a naieve Congress during both wars. Like Jewish people I remain severely cognizant of what super zealous Religious can conceive to vilify non-believers of their views. I believe in a Higher Power- did 6 annual Sun dances to my Creator for allowing me to comeback unharmed. 4 days w/o eating, no water under a hot August Sun. Sioux Sun dance which was banned also but we dared the govt and missionaries to stop us. Bit more focussed than what the White Xtian man does. It was a black man however, Martin Luther King who finally spurred Congress to unanimously vote to repeal the unconstitutional religion ban cast upon us. This was 1975 when it finally was removed. Yes- over zealous, especially Xtians and Islam can be dangerous to innocent people. Marine Major Ed McGaa, Oglala Sioux
Posted by
Ed McGaa
on 10/29/2012 at 8:49 PM
Re: “UPDATE (No. 2): Academy dean of faculty to retire”
I was a Combat Marine Corps F-4 Phantom Pilot, 110 missions, mostly tree top level. protecting Marines under enemy fire. (Vietnam- Chu Lai MAB.) I have read both sides of the Air Force Religious Issue and have come to the belief that the Air Force in General has leaned too far to the Right in its support of Religion. Academy Officers go on and it is the Track Record of Organized Religion to overly support those of like belief vs those who are quite neutral. This characteristic has no doubt led to numerous 'Good Men' talented in their military fields to leave in disgust and resultant loss of millions of dollars in wasted training, let alone the ruthless damage to loyal lives. Highly un-democratic and extremely harmful to a military branch. In Nam, very few of us attended any church services, earlier in Korea when I was but an enlisted Marine carrying an M-1 it was the same. None of my Marine Superiors ever encouraged or promoted a religious faith. As an officer pilot, I never worried about my being a non- Christian believing in my Sioux beliefs. Maybe that was one of the reasons why I flew 5 bombing missions, Back to Back; an afternoon into the night to attempt to save 2 downed CH-46' Chopper' loads of Marines knocked down in the Highlands by an enemy battalion attempting capture. My unbiased, totally focused commander had my loyalty and gave me the strength, the honor, the duty to fulfill what I had taken an oath to do. The last two missions under flares was extreme fatigue but being treated fairly spurred my resolve. Major Ed McGaa, Oglala Sioux