“A Defeat for Mikey Weinstein and His Forces of Satan”

Mr. Weinstein and MRFF,
Thank you for taking my phone call yesterday afternoon. It was wonderful to be able to finally talk candidly about the Academy and the religion mess here. And to actually be able to talk with you, sir, yourself! You asked me for a follow up e-mail and here it is, sir. I am USAFA cadet about to finish my third year here (cadet second class) and have not been a MRFF client before today. I am of the Christian faith (Lutheran). I do not have very much time to express my views as we’re at the end of a very demanding semester (my major is xxxxx) and I still have final projects due shortly and then finals week. The report which came out yesterday by the retired general (Gamble) on the USAFA religious climate has been making its way around the Cadet Wing. I was in an informal but serious meeting in my cadet squadron yesterday when the topic of this report came up. There was an Air Force Officer and an Air Force NCO there talking with us as well. A very senior cadet leader (that’s how I will describe him or her) said, “This is a clear victory for the Gospel of our Lord and Savior and just as certain a defeat for Mikey Weinstein and his Forces of Satan.” I was really surprised twice with that mean statement. First, that it was even said like that at all in response to the Gen. Gamble report findings. Second, that nobody, not even the USAF Officer or USAF NCO, said or did anything to oppose that terrible statement. I didn’t either. I didn’t want to get onto the wrong radar screen here at USAFA with regards to religion. I’ve seen what happens if you do. Mr Weinstein, you are RIGHT! In my 3 years here I can tell you that only the most conservative, evangelical Christianity is the “approved solution”. I have had many cadets, faculty and even AOC’s and other USAFA staff constantly solicit me to attend their bible studies and go to their churches and services so that I can “get right with God before it’s too late”. My academic advisor told me that straight out and smiled when he/she did it. They think I won’t be offended because I’m a Christian myself, but I am. Always. I actually read the Gamble report and found it to be so very wrong on almost every point. It made me so angry and disappointed too. I just don’t have the time now, due to final semester projects and prep, and with finals and Ring Dance coming up to counter almost everything he says in it, Mr. Weinstein. I am so sorry I don’t have the right amount of free time but I know you understand as you’re a USAFA grad yourself. But I will tell you that I know two categories of USAFA cadets that are relevant; some of those who I know did speak with Gen. Gamble and his team and some of those who refused to do so. Regarding those who did speak, I know for a FACT that at least some of those cadets who went to speak did so only because they felt it would get them very positive “USAFA institutional support” for many things. Many others who considered it, like me and many of my classmates, feared that if we went and spoke “the truth” we would face very negative “USAFA institutional shall we say lack of support”. It was impossible to speak to this “team” from Gen. Gamble and do so anonymously and, thus, in confidence. The entire process was so biased from the very beginning that why should we even try? The flaws were so obvious. We all knew that it was a sham. Didn’t the Air Force know that too? Gen. Gamble says they spoke to “100 cadets”? And, what’s that, about 2% of the Cadet Wing? And it was only those cadets who decided themselves to go talk to them and many for selfish motives of currying favor by doing so? So many things Gen. Gamble wrote in his report were out and out false and you know it is if you live here at the Academy. Just one example of many I could talk about is Gen. Gamble says in his report that a polite “no thank you” to Christian religious proselytizing is just fine and dandy. It is not for at least two reasons, Mr. Weinstein. First, if you try to be polite and say “no thanks” to them they NEVER stop asking you repeatedly to reconsider. Second, you KNOW that eventually you are going to get “them” mad at you by always “politely declining”. I and many other cadets have seen and experienced this over and over again. This is why there is a large group of USAFA cadets (larger at least than the size of the group that Gen. Gamble says he interviewed) who pretend to be evangelical Christians in order to just be left alone. I was only vaguely familiar with that group and its ties to MRFF until what happened yesterday with that “celebration” statement regarding the Gen. Gamble report being made about you and your “Forces of Satan” in front of all the other cadets and that USAF Officer and NCO with absolutely noone saying a word of protest or discontent. I guess my reaction of shock was picked up by another cadet who is in that “pretend to be an evangelical Christian” group. He or she spoke to me right afterwards and now I, too, am with them. And now I, too, am with MRFF. Or should I say that you and MRFF, Mr. Weinstein, are with me? :) Thank you and the MRFF staff for sticking to your convictions and speaking the truth to everyone for us. You will be hearing much more from me and other cadets like me in the coming days and weeks and months. I hope to meet you when you come to the Academy next time. I have just ordered your book at Amazon and will read it after finals. My older sister’s fiancee, a USAFA grad, says he knew of your daughter-in-law (Amanda?) when she was here as a cadet at the Academy though they were not in the same class (he was an underclassman to her). Thank you so much again, Mr. Weinstein. Back to studying now.

V/R
(USAFA Cadet’s name, Cadet rank, Cadet Squadron, Cadet Job Title Withheld)