I wonder how many other airlines will accept military propaganda in the coming years?
United Airlines has begun showing an in-flight video about military glamour jobs that was produced and funded by the Department of Defense – a fact passengers do not learn from watching it.
Sandwiched between NBC sitcoms and Discovery Channel previews, “Today’s Military,” as the 13-minute program is called, highlights five jobs that few members of the armed forces could point to as their own.
While hundreds of thousands of men and women serve overseas, many in dangerous places, the video only explicitly shows one soldier beyond U.S. borders: a Hawaii-based Army animal-care specialist doing humanitarian work in Thailand.
Others featured, including an Air Force language instructor and a Navy petty officer who teaches others how to survive ejecting from aircraft, are based in California and Washington.
Also setting apart the program from the usual in-flight fare of ESPN clips and cable news is who foots the bill. The airlines usually pay for the entertainment programs. But the Department of Defense is paying United about $36,000 to run its video from April 17 to May 17, said Lt. Bradley Terrill, project officer for “Today’s Military.”…