THANK YOU MRFF

Dear Mr. Weinstein,

This week presented one of the most frustrating days of my military career. The occasion to disagree with an order from someone in my chain of command is not an altogether rare occurrence but this is the first time that an order literally turned my stomach. Being ordered to bow my head during the invocation, at a ceremony I was required to attend, was something that I could not do in good conscience. It called to mind silent film I had been shown in college of the compound over which Jim Jones presided. It felt like something required of people in a cult and I felt so sick that I couldn’t see straight.

Please understand that I, in no way, want people to stop praying or bowing their head when they do so if it is part of what they believe. I was raised in a Southern Baptist home and, although I no longer think of the Bible as a historical, literal account of events, going to church and learning the Bible plays a huge part of who I am. My parents still believe in the Bible that way and attend church and I support them 100 percent.

Ordering someone to fake an action of belief seems so contrary to the values with which I grew up. Come to find out, I wasn’t the only one in my unit that had such a strong reaction against that order. I heard of a petition going around in an attempt to change the mind of whomever in our chain of command gave the order but I wasn’t sure if that was an acceptable course of action in terms of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). I did know one thing for sure; that contacting you and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation would bring no retribution my way.

I was very anxious about calling your office. I felt like I was opening Pandora’s Box and that made me doubt myself. I thought that maybe I was making a mountain out of a mole hill and that I should just do what I’m told because it wouldn’t hurt me physically. Still, I knew that it wasn’t right to be given such an order and I thought about all of my shipmates and knew that I had to follow what my heart was telling me. When I called, Ms. Bekki Miller, your personal assistant, she was very helpful and made me feel like my concerns would be swiftly addressed by you and MRFF and that all I needed to do was send an email. I still wondered if my voice would get lost in a ocean of business traffic. I knew there had to be people out there suffering worse persecution than me and I wondered if I would even be a blip on the radar. Thank you so much for responding to my email so quickly and with such aggressive determination and immediate positive effect.

Thankfully, the next day I didn’t have to disobey that order because somehow and in some way,incredibly, you and MRFF had already gone to work! The command had all of a sudden “become aware” of how uncomfortable many of the Sailors in my unit were as a result of being told to bow their heads at the word of the Chaplain. After the ceremony we mustered and were informed that we would never again be ordered to visually support a religious idea despite our individual beliefs. My command made it clear that no retribution would come to anyone who spoke up about an inappropriate order of that nature. I believe that some members of my chain of command might not have even considered what anxiety their actions would create when they gave the order but they definitely know now.

I know for a fact that the ground work that you and MRFF did on our behalf, Mr. Weinstein, resulted in a sea change that will continue to ripple in the coming weeks and years. I have a notion that the type of events which our command supports is going to be looked at more closely in the future and that we may not be forced to take part in some of the ideological services which we have been required to support in the past. It feels like my command and those like mine which are scattered throughout the United States and overseas are waking up to a reality of which they hadn’t been aware. The diversity that we value so much in terms of race and culture is spreading to an appreciation of the the diversity of beliefs that exists in all commands.

I know that, thanks to you, Mr. Weinstein and MRFF, nobody in my unit will be humiliated in the way I and many of my fellow sailors/shipmates felt humiliated. I know for an absolute FACT that change for the better is happening right now totally because of your work at The Military Religious Freedom Foundation. I know that your work is not against religion and that means the world to me because I think that people should believe what ever it is that gives their life meaning and gives them peace of mind. As a unit, our movements during a ceremony are practiced and precise. The act of bowing our heads was to be another of those movements. I do realize the power of uniform movements in a military ceremony but I also realize the power of having this one part be individual. When people see only some heads go down, they will realize the diversity of they Navy. They will know that anyone can serve with pride whatever their beliefs as long as their beliefs are in harmony with the UCMJ. They will know that even someone who only believes in Ships and Shipmates is welcome to serve with honor, courage and commitment. THANK YOU MIKEY AND MRFF!

Very Respectfully,

A Grateful Sailor, on Behalf of Many Other Grateful Sailors Who Wish To Remain Anonymous