"...do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..."
"For the good of the Air Force, for the good of the armed services and for the good of our country, I urge you to reject convention and careerism..." - Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Maxwell AFB, April 21, 2008 "You will need to challenge conventional wisdom and call things like you see them to subordinates and superiors alike." - Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, United States Air Force Academy, March 4, 2011
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Secret Drone Memo on Treasonous Murder of Awlaki Released
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the release of the memo and it was produced yesterday. The court's opinion and the memo can both be viewed on the ACLU website here.
More commentary on this historical low point, shortly.
My name is Rick Rynearson. I was an Air Force command pilot & field grade officer and am now retired. I grew up an Air Force dependent (my father retired a CMSgt). I have eight deployments to OEF/OIF as a close air support attack pilot, more than one thousand combat flight hours, seven Air Medals and a Distinguished Flying Cross for valor. At 15 years into my career I resigned my commission & refused an order to assassinate an American citizen without charge or trial -- an order issued by the Obama/Biden administration; my resignation was not accepted & I was ultimately vindicated by the Air Force. I have a B.A. in religion from the Florida State University. My wife is a Harvard educated former Air Force intelligence officer turned civilian lawyer, former clerk for the Supreme Court of the United States, and Air Force Reserve JAG.
There are several reasons for this blog. First, I believe I have something to contribute to an important discussion. Second, traditional military avenues of discussion (PME) have proven ineffective methods for dialogue. Third, the Air Force "Emerging Technologies" division of Public Affairs released instructional guidance for "each Airman to act as a communicator to be the voice of the Air Force in the blogosphere" while noting "there are movements within DoD to explore a broader, more aggressive and holistic approach... to integrate communicators" and stating, "the rules of the game have clearly changed." Finally, this blog served as a sounding board for a master's thesis I have completed entitled, "The Smartest Guys in the Room and the Best of the Best." The thesis examines the culture of Enron and Air Force fighter pilot culture, finds similarities, and makes recommendations.
In accordance with the PA guidelines mentioned above, this blog seeks to provide one personal, transparent, credible perspective -- among other perspectives online -- with the goal of furthering conversation to help foster a stronger, more relevant Air Force. The intent of this blog is to be transparent and is not used to hide identity. Readers are encouraged to post comments or email me if they think form or substance in this blog is an issue. All criticism is welcomed. For more info on blogging and the Air Force please see my first blog post.
Note: As Tony Carr (despite claims otherwise), FlyingSquadron.Com and MilitaryTimes.Com all share an affinity for banning those who present unpopular viewpoints (ie disagreeing with them), I have created a Facebook page to share such banned opinions. Please visit Martial Matters if you are interested in that less civil discussion.
The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent Air Force positions, strategies or opinions.
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