It really takes a special kind of low-life to desecrate a military
display honoring prisoners of war and those missing in action.
Over the past several months the M
It really takes a special kind of low-life to desecrate a military
display honoring prisoners of war and those missing in action.
Over the past several months the Military Religious
Freedom Foundation has waged a campaign to have Bibles removed from
“Missing Man” displays located on federal property. They claim the
inclusion of the Bible is a violation of federal law.
Click here to join Todd’s American Dispatch: a must-read for Conservatives!
So far at least three VA medical clinics and one Air
Force base have complied with the MRFF’s demands to cleanse the displays
of the Good Book.
I have been reporting on this religious cleansing for
the past two years – and now a group of conservative organizations is
preparing to fight back against the MRFF.
Fox News has exclusively obtained a letter sent to
Robert McDonald, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs –
urging him to reinstate the Bible to the Missing Man displays.
“The removal of the Bible not only violates the
integrity of these displays, but insults those returned POWs who gained
daily strength from their faith in the prisons of our enemies,” they
wrote. “When a governmental agency such as the VA removes any part of
the display, it is a grave insult to the nation’s veterans who often
gather together to honor those who have not returned, while also
interfering with the message being expressed.”
The letter was signed by representatives from Family
Research Council, American Family Association, First Liberty Institute,
Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, Center for Military Readiness,
Freedom Alliance, Liberty Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom, Freedom
X, Judicial Watch, LION Associates, Military-Veterans Advocacy, Stand Up
America US and the International Conference of Evangelical Chaplain
Endorsers.
Secretary McDonald did not return my telephone calls or emails.
“There is definitely an all-out assault on the
Christian faith within our military today,” said Lt. Gen. (Ret.) William
Boykin, executive vice president of the Family Research Council and one
of the signers.
Boykin accused the VA of having a “knee-jerk” reaction to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.
“It’s a sad situation that a guy would actually try
to destroy the traditions of our military and the basic values of our
country,” he told me.
The Missing Man Table was established during the
Vietnam era. It was a solemn reminder of those who were Prisoners of War
or Missing in Action.
The tables are typically displayed on military bases
and VA clinics – and they are steeped in tradition. There are empty
chairs for each of the five services, a red rose, an inverted glass, a
yellow ribbon, salt sprinkled on a plate, a lemon slice, a candle – and a
Bible.
“The Bible represents the strength gained through
faith to sustain us and those lost from our country, founded as one
nation under God,” reads the official ceremony script.
But the Military Religious Freedom Foundation
believes the Bible’s presence on the Missing Man table represents a
violation of the law.
Mikey Weinstein, the founder and president of the
MRFF, demanded VA clinics in Youngstown, Ohio and Akron, Ohio remove the
Bibles from the displays.
In a disgusting act of cowardice, VA officials in
Youngstown and Akron obeyed Weinstein’s demands and removed the Bibles.
The MRFF also reports that a VA clinic in Houston got rid of the Bible,
too.
The Youngstown clinic replaced the Bible with a
“generic book” – a prop - “One whose symbolism can be individualized by
each of our veterans as they pay their respects,” a VA official told
Vindy.com.
In a separate incident, the Bible was also removed from a display at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
“This is not persecution or victimization of
Christianity,” Weinstein told the Air Force Times. “This is simply an
example where the Air Force should have a policy that makes it
absolutely clear that nobody’s religious affiliation is on (exclusive)
display.”
A base spokesperson confirmed to the newspaper that the Bible had been stripped from the display.
“Mutual respect is an essential part of the Air Force
culture and we must ensure we create an environment in which people can
realize their highest potential, regardless of one’s personal religious
or other beliefs,” spokesperson Marie Vanover told the Times.
And by mutual respect – they mean anything remotely
related to the Christian faith must be cleansed from the United States
military.
I hope Secretary McDonald follows the wise counsel of conservative leaders like Gen. Boykin.
And I also hope he listens to the words of people
like Ann Mills-Griffiths, the chairman of the board for the National
League of POW/MIA Families.
Her brother, Commander James B. Mills, disappeared
somewhere over North Vietnam on Sept. 21, 1966. The 26-year-old naval
aviator remains classified as missing in action.
“The Bible kept many of our POWs alive and sustained
their families through decades of uncertainty,” she told me. “The Bible
has always been a part of the tradition. Until now – no one has ever
suggested the Bible should be removed from the table.”
Mikey Weinstein and the Military Religious Freedom
Foundation should be ashamed – declaring war on such a revered military
tradition.
The Missing Man table is not about you, Mr.
Weinstein. It’s about brave patriots like Commander James B. Mills and
their families.
Never forget that.
has waged a campaign to have Bibles removed from
“Missing Man” displays located on federal property. They claim the
inclusion of the Bible is a violation of federal law.
Click here to join Todd’s American Dispatch: a must-read for Conservatives!
So far at least three VA medical clinics and one Air
Force base have complied with the MRFF’s demands to cleanse the displays
of the Good Book.
I have been reporting on this religious cleansing for
the past two years – and now a group of conservative organizations is
preparing to fight back against the MRFF.
Fox News has exclusively obtained a letter sent to
Robert McDonald, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs –
urging him to reinstate the Bible to the Missing Man displays.
“The removal of the Bible not only violates the
integrity of these displays, but insults those returned POWs who gained
daily strength from their faith in the prisons of our enemies,” they
wrote. “When a governmental agency such as the VA removes any part of
the display, it is a grave insult to the nation’s veterans who often
gather together to honor those who have not returned, while also
interfering with the message being expressed.”
The letter was signed by representatives from Family
Research Council, American Family Association, First Liberty Institute,
Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, Center for Military Readiness,
Freedom Alliance, Liberty Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom, Freedom
X, Judicial Watch, LION Associates, Military-Veterans Advocacy, Stand Up
America US and the International Conference of Evangelical Chaplain
Endorsers.
Secretary McDonald did not return my telephone calls or emails.
“There is definitely an all-out assault on the
Christian faith within our military today,” said Lt. Gen. (Ret.) William
Boykin, executive vice president of the Family Research Council and one
of the signers.
Boykin accused the VA of having a “knee-jerk” reaction to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.
“It’s a sad situation that a guy would actually try
to destroy the traditions of our military and the basic values of our
country,” he told me.
The Missing Man Table was established during the
Vietnam era. It was a solemn reminder of those who were Prisoners of War
or Missing in Action.
The tables are typically displayed on military bases
and VA clinics – and they are steeped in tradition. There are empty
chairs for each of the five services, a red rose, an inverted glass, a
yellow ribbon, salt sprinkled on a plate, a lemon slice, a candle – and a
Bible.
“The Bible represents the strength gained through
faith to sustain us and those lost from our country, founded as one
nation under God,” reads the official ceremony script.
But the Military Religious Freedom Foundation
believes the Bible’s presence on the Missing Man table represents a
violation of the law.
Mikey Weinstein, the founder and president of the
MRFF, demanded VA clinics in Youngstown, Ohio and Akron, Ohio remove the
Bibles from the displays.
In a disgusting act of cowardice, VA officials in
Youngstown and Akron obeyed Weinstein’s demands and removed the Bibles.
The MRFF also reports that a VA clinic in Houston got rid of the Bible,
too.
The Youngstown clinic replaced the Bible with a
“generic book” – a prop - “One whose symbolism can be individualized by
each of our veterans as they pay their respects,” a VA official told
Vindy.com.
In a separate incident, the Bible was also removed from a display at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
“This is not persecution or victimization of
Christianity,” Weinstein told the Air Force Times. “This is simply an
example where the Air Force should have a policy that makes it
absolutely clear that nobody’s religious affiliation is on (exclusive)
display.”
A base spokesperson confirmed to the newspaper that the Bible had been stripped from the display.
“Mutual respect is an essential part of the Air Force
culture and we must ensure we create an environment in which people can
realize their highest potential, regardless of one’s personal religious
or other beliefs,” spokesperson Marie Vanover told the Times.
And by mutual respect – they mean anything remotely
related to the Christian faith must be cleansed from the United States
military.
I hope Secretary McDonald follows the wise counsel of conservative leaders like Gen. Boykin.
And I also hope he listens to the words of people
like Ann Mills-Griffiths, the chairman of the board for the National
League of POW/MIA Families.
Her brother, Commander James B. Mills, disappeared
somewhere over North Vietnam on Sept. 21, 1966. The 26-year-old naval
aviator remains classified as missing in action.
“The Bible kept many of our POWs alive and sustained
their families through decades of uncertainty,” she told me. “The Bible
has always been a part of the tradition. Until now – no one has ever
suggested the Bible should be removed from the table.”
Mikey Weinstein and the Military Religious Freedom
Foundation should be ashamed – declaring war on such a revered military
tradition.
The Missing Man table is not about you, Mr.
Weinstein. It’s about brave patriots like Commander James B. Mills and
their families.
Never forget that.