So we’re watching the Air Force Academy lead into the annual National Character and Leadership Symposium in February, whose purpose is to “motivate and equip participants for honorable living and effective leadership.”
They are struggling to find a logical connection to our nation’s future warfighters.
So far they’ve invited the actor who played Ironman in the Marvel movies series:
Air Force Academy invites actor Robert Downey Jr., to be the keynote speaker at annual leadership conference (Colorado Springs Gazette, 9 OCT 23)
. . . . The “Iron Man” and “Sherlock Holmes” star is currently one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood, but this was not always the case. After a promising start to his career, Downey struggled for years with drug and alcohol abuse, resulting in a series of arrests.
Academy officials said that Downey’s prior issues with addiction — and more importantly, his path to sobriety and career resurgence — make him an ideal candidate to speak at the 2023 leadership conference.
“The invitation was extended (to Mr. Downey) in direct alignment with the event’s theme, ‘Valuing Human Conditions, Cultures, and Societies,’” an Academy spokesperson said in a statement.
“Mr. Downey’s walk through life includes addiction, a human condition, and we’ve invited him to speak about the leaders and people in his life who helped him through that, who didn’t count him out, and who continued to see the value he could bring.” . . . .
And a cook-off with a celebrity chef who kept comparing food with diversity:
CELEBRITY CHEF HIGHLIGHTS NCLS KICK-OFF EVENT (USAFA, 12 OCT 23)
. . . The event included a cadet team cooking competition, food preparation demonstrations, cuisine discussions, and a question-and-answer session with the celebrated chef. . . .
. . . . “Some of the food was great. Some of the food needed work, but the stories of how [the cadet teams] came up with the recipes and the dishes were very important to me, because it shows the diversity and inclusion of what we have in our force today,” Chef Irvine said.
. . . ““Chef Robert Irvine’s approach to cooking and his involvement in various culinary and philanthropic endeavors align with the theme of valuing human conditions and cultures by promoting cultural appreciation, inclusive, sustainability and community engagement,” Cadet 1st Class Hilary Nolen said. “He uses food as a medium to showcase the richness and diversity of human conditions and cultures, fostering a greater understanding and respect for these aspects of our world.” (NOTE: Who talks like this?)
The following day, Irvine framed cooking’s ability to connect cultures to three simple statements at his fireside chat with cadets. “Food is culture. Food is hope. Food is diversity,” he told them. . . .
The fall event kicks off the National Character and Leadership Symposium theme for the year, starting the conversation among cadets and preparing them to continue reflecting on it through the February symposium. The 2024 NCLS theme is “Valuing Human Conditions, Cultures, and Societies.”
Apparently the theme was altered because on the main NCLS page, it now says, “Embrace Culture. Empower People.” Perhaps because as warfighters, airmen and guardians may one day have to fight against some other cultures and societies in the future?
You can see the CRT/DEI influence in this description. Did the Cold War Air Force, which fought against Marxist ideology, ever talk like this?
“Our NCLS 2024 theme of “Embrace Culture. Empower People.” explores our understanding of what it is to be human and what qualities good citizens and leaders should have.
Our speakers will focus on the common experiences, emotions, and challenges we all share as humans.
As citizens of unique societies and cultures, we examine how both our commonalities and our different perspectives come together to create effective teams.
In our global and interconnected environment, we must understand that success results from understanding ourselves and others, and that teams work best when all members feel valued and respected.
As leaders of character, we must appreciate viewpoints, experiences, and perspectives other than our own, and use them to live honorably, lift others who share this human experience with us, and elevate the performance of our teams.”
Article about last year’s NCLS:
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