The US Air Force is already preparing for their celebration of "Pride Month" amidst their worst recruiting crisis in modern history.
The Federalist says, "As Joe Biden’s reckless foreign policy puts the world on the edge of catastrophe with conflicts already raging in Ukraine and the Middle East, the Air Force is directing its focus toward the biggest issue implicating U.S. national security: LGBT 'pride.'"
What's the matter with us? Have we lost our minds?
Be informed, not misled.
In an under-the-radar maneuver, Marianne Malizia, the Air Force’s chief diversity officer, issued a memo Monday informing service members that the Department of the Air Force recognizes June as “LGBTQ+ Pride Month 2024.” In doing so, she claimed the month represents “a time to celebrate the diversity and inclusivity of our force and to honor the contributions of our LGBTQ+ Airmen, Guardians, and dependents.”
"Our Air and Space Forces are stronger because of the unique backgrounds and experiences of our Total Force that engender a more inclusive, and ultimately more effective, team,” Malizia wrote.
An Air Force representative confirmed the authenticity of the memo. It was initially posted on X by former Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier, who was relieved of command in 2021 after publicly discussing the increasing pervasiveness of leftism in the military.
The Air Force memo’s contents are hardly just celebratory, however. In fact, the communique advances core tenets of neo-Marxist ideology, such as so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).” Employing an “oppressed versus oppressor” dynamic, Malizia contended: “While we acknowledge the progress we have made, we are also mindful that real challenges persist for members of the LGBTQ+ community.”
This, while our nation is more deeply divided than at any time since the Civil War and certainly more vulnerable to attacks from within and from without.
Malizia concluded her diatribe by notifying military base commanders they were authorized to “organize and execute appropriate activities to commemorate Pride Month.”
Republicans are getting concerned. And they should be.
The Air Force received much-deserved scrutiny from GOP lawmakers last year for hosting LGBT-related events on its bases in commemoration of “pride” month. In one instance, Republican pressure prompted Pentagon leadership to cancel an all-ages drag show at Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Base. The incident came months after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin claimed under oath that “drag shows … are not something that the Department of Defense supports or funds.”
The Air Force has also previously authorized U.S. taxpayer dollars to transport airmen to such “festivities.” Last June, Malizia issued a memo permitting branch commanders to utilize “unit funds” to pay for service members under their command to “travel to, and participate in … DAF Pride events if approved by their individual supervisory authority.”
Recruiting Targets
Military Times also notes that "The Army's recruiting of white soldiers has dropped significantly in the last half-decade, according to internal data reviewed by Military.com, a decline that accounts for much of the service's historic recruitment slump that has become the subject of increasing concern for Army leadership and Capitol Hill."
The shift in demographics for incoming recruits would be irrelevant to war planners, except it coincides with an overall shortfall of about 10,000 recruits for the Army in 2023 as the service missed its target of 65,000 new soldiers. That deficit is straining the force as it has ramped up its presence in the Pacific and Europe: A smaller Army is taking on a larger mission and training workload than during the peak of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- leading to soldiers being away from home now more than ever.
Thomas Spoehr, a senior adviser for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, previously described the recruiting crisis as “the worst since the institution of the all-volunteer force in 1973.”
Takeaway
It has been said, "Nothing clarifies a man’s thoughts like staking his life on them."
"When what you believe threatens to deliver death and danger to your door, you think again – hard – about those beliefs. This is the moment of truth when casual opinions dissolve and only convictions backed with soul-searching can stand. It's what made the American Founders special, and what made their thoughts more valuable than the pontifications of subsequent experts and elites: They were forced to risk their lives on their ideas, and the dross was burned away."
John Adams said, “You will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve YOUR freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.”
And Thomas Jefferson said, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”
Our Leftist leaders, it appears, are vigilant regarding the matters for which our military was established.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Prayerful.