A 27-year veteran of the Utah Air National Guard said he was
reprimanded after he wrote a letter objecting to a gay wedding in the
West Point chapel and was later told to prepare for retirement because
his personal beliefs about homosexuality were not compatible with the
military’s policies.
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“The military is trying to make examples of people who have religious
beliefs that homosexual conduct in the military is wrong,” said John
Wells, an attorney representing TSgt. Layne Wilson. “The end game is to
force conservative Christians out of the military.”
Last December Wilson wrote a letter to a person believed to be a
chaplain at West Point. He stated his displeasure at news of a same-sex
ceremony held in the Cadet Chapel.
“This is wrong on so many levels,” Wilson wrote. “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 the private email, the Commandant of Cadets
notified the Utah Air National Guard – leading to an accusation that he
had brought disgrace and discredit upon the Air National Guard and his
conduct was inconsistent with the United States Air Force.
The Air National Guard determined that Wilson’s email “failed to render the proper respect to a commissioned officer.”
“You are hereby reprimanded,” read a letter from Lt. Col. Kevin
Tobias. “As a noncommissioned officer you are expected to maintain a
standard of professional and personal behavior that is above reproach.
You have failed!”
A public affairs officer with the Utah Air National Guard told Fox News they could not comment on pending litigation.
Ironically, Wells pointed out, the Defense of Marriage Act was still
the law of the land and TSgt. Layne was simply reporting “what he
believed was a violation of the law.”
In addition to his reprimand, the Air National Guard terminated a
six-year reenlistment contract. Instead, they gave Layne a one-year
extension.
“Due to the fact that I expressed my views on homosexuality in
uniform; Lt. Col. Tobias stated that I was no longer compatible with
further military service,” Wilson wrote in a letter detailing the
discrimination allegations.
Tobias confirmed Wilson’s allegation in a memorandum dated June 19, 2013 and obtained by Fox News.
“We talked about his feelings about DADT and how he doesn’t agree
with it,” Tobias wrote. “I then told him that maybe this is a good time
for him to move on because we’ve been ordered to not have an opinion
about Gays in the military and we need to treat them as we would treat
anyone else in the service of our country.”
“I also reiterated that I respect his feelings but I’m not
comfortable reenlisting him with his strong feelings about this matter,”
he additionally wrote.
Col. Ronald Blunck concurred with Tobias – noting that “Your right to
practice your religious beliefs does not excuse you from complying with
directives, instructions and lawful orders.”
“Lt. Col. Tobias is correct in demanding that TSgt. Wilson refrain
from expressing opinions contrary to Air Force guidance while in
uniform,” Blunck wrote. “The Repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was directed
by law.”
Wilson also discussed concerns he had about a “Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell,” repeal briefing in 2011. He told his superior officers he found
the briefing to be “very disturbing” and “conflicting with my moral
rights of conscience.”
“My issue is so much about homosexuals serving in the military, but
rather that it is being forced upon as an acceptable lifestyle
abandoning our traditional values,” he wrote.
He said the military has created an atmosphere where those who do not
approve of homosexual conduct “must remain disapprovingly silent or
face reprisal to our careers.”
“It is evident those who refuse to affirm homosexuality and openly oppose it are being severely punished,” he wrote.
Attorney Wells told Fox News he wants the military to rescind the
reprimand and reinstate the original six-year reenlistment contract.
“This was an executed contract,” he said. “But they just went in, tore it up and issued a new one.”
Wells said his client’s only “crime” was registering his opinion that
a gay marriage in a military chapel was a violation of the law that
existed at that time.
“His actions were proper within the scope of the Uniform Code and the
Manual for Courts-Martial,” Wells said. “While his interpretation of
the law may or may not have been correct, his actions should not have
given rise to the firestorm of reprisals that he has suffered.”
Wells said he believes the military is trying to send a message to
other troops- and incidents like this are just the “tip of the iceberg.”
“They’re trying to make examples of people early on who have
religious beliefs that homosexual conduct in the military is wrong,” he
said. “When these people assert their First Amendment rights, they are
getting slapped down and slapped down hard.”
Wells isn’t alone in his fears.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said there is
a clear and present danger to religious liberty within the military.
“Christians who choose to live out their faith find themselves
incompatible with the secular view of this administration,” said
Perkins. “We’re establishing a beach head for religious liberty and the
evidence points to a very deliberate attack.”
Representatives of 14 groups concerned about religious liberty joined
Reps. John Fleming R-La., Jim Bridenstine R-Okla., and Louie Gohmert
R-Tex. on Capitol Hill to urge support for Fleming’s military religious
freedom amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.
The amendment protects the rights of servicemembers to not only hold
religious beliefs but to act on them and speak about them. Fleming’s
amendment has bipartisan support but the Obama Administration issued a
statement “strongly objecting” to the legislation.
The amendment comes as more than 170,000 Americans signed petitions
calling for Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to protect the religious
liberties of military personnel through policies that guarantee those
liberties.
“We want to make this the first key battle to restore religious
liberty back to the American people,” Fleming told Fox News. “It sets
the tone for a broader war to fight back against this government that is
infringing on our religious liberty.”
Perkins and Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Boykin, the FRC’s executive vice
president, released a nine-page document detailing anti-religious
behavior in the military.
“Unfortunately, pressures to impose a secular, anti-religious culture
on our nation’s military services have intensified tremendously during
the Obama Administration,” the FRC report states.
“We will stand with servicemembers who wish to exercise their First
Amendment rights of religious liberty,” Boykin said. ‘We must do all we
can to ensure that our servicemembers have the right to practice the
very freedoms that they risk their lives to defend.”
Bailey Comment: The majority of Americans are really getting tire of being demonized for standing up against a few sick people that want to make all of the weird stupid stuff they do be OK. Well it's not OK and no matter how they try to make it seem like it's natural, only they really believe in the crap they're trying to shove down our throats.