Alaska Dispatch – by Jerzy Shedlock
The U.S. Army has ordered soldiers at Fort Wainwright, an Army post in Interior Alaska adjacent to Fairbanks, to remove references to two Bible verses on their weapon scopes.
Michigan-based defense contractor Trijicom supplied the scopes, which referenced two New Testament passages, John 8:12 and Second Corinthians 4:6. The references appeared at the end of the scopes’ serial numbers, Fox News reported.
Trijicom manufactures the scopes as part of a $660 million contract with the U.S. government, according to independent media site Opposing Views. Army spokesman Matthew Bourke told Fox News the inscriptions were added to the scopes without Army approval. Consequently, the scopes didn’t meet the contract’s requirements, he added. Bourke said the vendor agreed to remove all Bible references from future deliveries.
Soldiers at Fort Wainwright told Fox News they were ordered to hand over their scopes. Military personnel will file off the inscriptions and cover the area with black paint.
John 8:12 and Second Corinthians 4:6 respectively read:
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
The Bible passages break a government rule that bars proselytizing by American troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan, among other predominantly Muslim countries.
The controversial “Jesus Rifles” raised concerns in 2010 when Trijicom initially delivered scopes to the Army as well as the U.S. Marine Corps. At that time, officials said they were unaware of the Biblical markings, and the vendor defended itself, stating the inscriptions had always been on the sights and there was nothing wrong or illegal about including them.
Nonetheless, the vendor agreed to voluntarily stop stamping the references on the scopes, Huffington Post reported. A spokesman for U.S. Central Command said in 2010 that the Trijicon sights didn’t violate the government’s rule and compared the citations on the sights to the “In God We Trust” inscription printed on U.S. currency.
Former Army Gen. David Petraeus disagreed and called the practice “disturbing.”
“This is a serious concern to me and the other commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Petraeus told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Later, in a prepared statement, Petraeus said, “cultural and religious sensitivities are important considerations in the conduct of military operations.”
Contact Jerzy Shedlock at jerzy(at)alaskadispatch.com
I know all too well that this is BS. If one has ever been through the government procurement process, these minor details of marking MilSpec products is called out for in the contract & specifications. Nothing gets added on without approval from the purchasing agency. Any deviation from the specifications results in voiding the contract & prime vendor either has the opportunity to replace/repair the materials. Trijicon just didn’t up & out of the blue put Biblical references on MilSpec products.
As a former American Fighting Man, I could care less what’s stamped on my weapon as long as it functions properly and furthers my cause to send my enemy to his god. I demand the same from my troopers. Picking through chicken sh!t is a useless endeavor.
If this is true, it’s a clear indication as to what side the Army’s on. Or what side the Army is being TOLD to be on.
. . .
Who cares? The Bible references aren’t printed in large, flashing neon. These scopes are pretty small and the serial numbers are engraved even smaller. Also, when actually mounted on a weapon they are even harder to see because of their location in relation to the mounting surface and retaining hardware. As for cultural sensitivity, BRING THE TROOPS HOME!! Petraeus is a turd.
Using their logic, there are three VZ24/Mauser 98’s sitting in the my shop with Nazi markings; makes them “evil”? Or the Israeli re-worked ’98 with markings “Good”?
Let’s go with Matthew 5:21 and Mark 10:19 if we are going to put Bible versus on weapons.
Sean Now thats about the first response I have heard thatMAKES ANY SENSE AT ALL,CHRIST said “love your fellow man as you love yourself which is the hardest thing to do but all these innocents being attacked were NEVER OUR ENEMIES to start with ,the ones pretending to be our protectors are the REAL ENEMY OF MANKIND.evil son’s of satan are about to reap what they have sown.
Steve
Wasn’t an issue until someone with an agenda made it one. Now, I wonder, just who could that be?
Radical Muzzies or Zioturds?? Don’t think the Monkey King would be offended. He’s too hard at work making bushmeat out of Americans.
Kill for Jesus.
The military industrial complex and the Rothschild banks thank you.
Testify, my brother!
Why is Petraeus still talking? Isn’t he barred from the CIA and military since his scandal ? Why is he talking? Who cares what he says. He’s a joke.
Maybe they should replace the Bible references with “Kill a Commie for mommy.”?
Hmm….Somehow I don’t think Obama and the elite would go for it, but it’s worth a shot. lol