From Tony Perkins, President
Family Research Council
The Air Force brass maybe experts at flying planes,
but they need to go back to basic training when it comes to fulfilling their
oath to defend the Constitution. They should pay particular attention to the
First Amendment, which guarantees the free exercise of religion. TSgt. Layne
Wilson, a 27-year service member of the Utah Air National Guard, is finding out that reporting a violation of the law is enough
to ruin a career if that report should be deemed politically incorrect. Last
December, Wilson was reprimanded after writing a letter to West Point
expressing opposition to a same-sex ceremony held in the West Point chapel.
His letter reported a clear violation of DOMA, which was the law of the land at the time and remained so until the Supreme Court's decision two weeks ago. "This is wrong on so many levels," wrote TSgt. Wilson. "If they wanted to get married in a hotel that is one thing. Our base chapels are a place of worship and this is a mockery to God and our military core values. I have proudly served 27 years and this is a slap in the face to us who have put our lives on the line for this country. I hope sir that you will take appropriate action so this does not happen again."
Instead of responding to his valid concerns, the commandant filed a complaint with TSgt. Wilson's superiors. He then received a reprimand letter and was told that his six-year contract would be canceled. The Air Force instead gave him a one year extension and let him know that his views on homosexuality were incompatible with military service. Lt. Col. Kevin Tobias said in a memo, "I'm not comfortable reenlisting him with his strong feelings about this matter." Unfortunately, these threats are becoming all too common in the all-volunteer armed forces. On May 2nd, an Air Force spokesperson told Fox News that "Air Force members are free to express their personal religious beliefs as long as it does not make others uncomfortable." The chilling effect of this "uncomfortable" standard is undeniable.
Sharing one's faith not only invites discrimination
but is also potentially career ending. This is why FRC and our allies
announced earlier this week the formation of a coalition dedicated to
protecting the freedom of the men and women who guard ours. As part of this new
effort, FRC released a special report documenting how pervasive religious
hostility has become in the military. Sadly, the dozens of examples cited in
the report are only a sampling of this campaign to scrub faith from our troops.
The coalition also unveiled a new website, MilitaryFreedom.org, to provide a place for service members
to receive legal help as they face violations of their God-given,
constitutional rights. There, you can watch the video from Tuesday's news
conference and read our special publication, "A Clear and Present Danger:
The Threat to Religious Liberty in the Military."
Thankfully, we are encouraged that Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle are growing increasingly frustrated and are lining up to support U.S. Rep. John Fleming's (R-La.) amendment to the Defense Authorization bill which will help end the wave of anti-Christian attacks by protecting the right of service members to not only hold religious beliefs but to act on them and freely practice those beliefs. If you haven't already done so, please contact your senators and ask them to adopt the House language in the Defense bill.
The vision of Family Research Council is a culture in which human life is valued, families flourish, and religious liberty thrives.
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