Comment on Our March 30, 2011 Meeting

General Gamble,

The following message will be sent to the 236 USAFA clients and other supporters of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.

In the morning of March 30, 2011, I entered the law department front office of the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). Accompanying me was my trusted friend Bruce Linster, a 1975 distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), a C-130 command pilot, and a USAFA faculty member for 23 years.

In the corner office I could see retired General Patrick Gamble standing and looking out the window where the Terrazzo spread out and touched the Academy’s cavernous cadet dining facility; Mitchell Hall. It’s a place where the cadets get nourishment; it’s named for a court-marshaled general who dared to speak the truth.

Before entering the office, I looked out the same window. I prayed that retired Gen Gamble could see the lowered wingtip of the nightingale, pointing to Sijan and Vandenberg Halls where several cadets shed tears in solitude. Would he hear the cry of the nightingale tell him how the manner in which his team has come to USAFA reopened wounds of the victims of religious discrimination?

Once we were seated in the office, retired Gen Gamble stated that the Board of Visitors of the USAFA has several politically sensitive members. He asked, “. . .then why do they perceive that there are few problems of religious intolerance, if in fact, there really are big problems?”

I explained that the victims of religious discrimination were terrified of going forward with their stories of abuse to the conventional communication channels: their chains of command, inspector general, equal employment opportunity office, the chaplains, and the judge advocate general. They heard the stories of those USAFA cadets, faculty and staff who tried to speak to these groups with the frequent result of retribution and ridicule.

Once in a while, I said, you will see the overt evidence religious discrimination through the military chain of command. For instance a 2007 video shows a coordinator for Campus Crusade for Christ had sought to transform USAFA cadets into graduates who were “government-paid missionaries for Jesus Christ”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kbpBVyGYBE.

Typically, I stated, an outsider will not see a Bonfire of the Vanities blazing in the Terrazzo and immediately feel the heated hatred of religious oppression. You not will see a current-day version of Florentine friar Savonarola who in the 15th century stoked the bonfire with books and art which were against his beliefs. Instead, the commonplace acts of religious discrimination at USAFA are quiet and subtle. The consequence, though, is still a pervasive feeling among the victims that terror reigns over USAFA. If a victim dared step forward against his or her oppressor, then her or his career would end. Dr Linster said that the fact that I am the only one to come forward publicly in the face of such widespread abuse is strong evidence of the oppression at USAFA.

Retired Gen Gamble acknowledged reading the letter from a cadet who used the analogy of a meth lab to describe religious abuse at USAFA. And I said that it very well explained how cadet discrimination occurs regularly and why cadets are so fearful of speaking out.

I repeated the statistics from the 2009 Cadet Climate Survey. Of those who responded, 141 cadets have been subjected to unwanted proselytizing more than once. There were 23 cadets who “felt in fear” because of their religious beliefs, 13 of whom were Christians. I also stated that the current USAFA Superintendent, Lt Gen Gould tried to suppress the release of these results in August 2010. It took a Freedom of Information Act request to make these data publicly available.

And I told retired Gen Gamble that 236 USAFA cadets, faculty, and staff found that the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) was the one institution where they felt that their anguished stories were heard confidentially and with respect. They felt that MRFF was the only reliable entity that would or could be their advocates.

Retired Gen Gamble stated that there was an attempt in 2004 to institute reforms to lessen religious discrimination. I responded that Lieutenant General Rosa, the USAFA Superintendent at the time, well described those circumstances in a 2005 address to the Anti-Defamation League in Denver, Colorado.

He said, “[When I came to USAFA I] found. . .that USAFA operated like a cold war institution. In our Air Force — our militaries are transforming into the expeditionary Air Force, if you will. [For] the Air Force Group I was in, before 1990, only twelve percent of us deployed. Twelve percent went forward to fight the wars. In the Air Force [in 2005], approximately 87 percent of our Air Force goes forward to fight. We have skiny’d down and we deploy forward. We opened upwards of 100 different installations in Iraq.”

This means that our men and women in military service have a much stronger likelihood to interact with indigenous peoples in combat zones. So to get their jobs done, those in military service need to have cultural and religious awareness and sensitivity to avoid needless animosities and to solicit cooperation.

Lt Gen Rosa stated, “Culture change experts around the country — and trust me, we brought many of them to the Academy — if everything goes well, you are talking about probably six years. And normally, it is six to eight years. You obviously make improvements in the first couple years, but to get to the end of that red line, it takes time. If we all sit in this room and think if we do one session of a 50-minute training and the problems we face are cured, then we are fooling ourselves in every aspect.”

Lt Gen Rosa was prescient: the ball was dropped by his successor in November 2005. So the pressure to keep in place the reforms relented. Also, in April the USAFA faculty will attend mandatory one-period training sessions on how to deal with the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

Retired Gen Gamble agreed with the comments of Lt Gen Rosa. Retired Gen Gamble likened changing an institution’s culture to bending a steel bar. If the force is only temporary, the bar will bounce back.

I was glad that retired Gen Gamble understood this. But I also expressed sadness that by not providing sufficient confidentiality, by not having truly independent team members, by not having a real investigation staff, and by not issuing a final and comprehensive public report caused great distress among the 236 USASFA MRFF clients that their concerns would not be heard. Rather they believed that most of the members of the team were seeking to whitewash the problems and endorse the USAFA leadership.

I told retired Gen Gamble that the USAFA leadership was corrupt. I said that I have been a Certified Public Accountant for over 23 years. If I had similar hard evidence that I have and I were auditing a company, I would go to legal authorities to recommend criminal prosecution of the leadership. I expressed astonishment that the leaders would ignore the findings of the Department of Defense Inspector General of religious discrimination against a faculty member by Colonel Tony McKenzie who clearly engaged in financial malfeasance and who selected a clearly unqualified person to teach mathematics. Instead this officer was promoted to the grade of O-6. His promotion was supported by Brigadier General Born, and he reports directly to Lieutenant General Gould.

To retired Gen Gamble I said that is one example of a collection of corrupt actions by the leadership that constitutes the biggest scandal in the history of USAFA. Yes there have been one-time cheating scandals by cadets. But this leadership scandal has been occurring for many years. The leaders have the hubris to believe that they will suffer no consequences.

As tears started to flow down my cheeks, I told retired Gen Gamble of two instances of abuse out of many by Colonel Richard Fullerton, who is now Vice Dean of Faculty. In 2005, I came into work distraught as I was very painfully dealing with the end of my first marriage of 22 years. Col Fullerton while telling me it was voluntary nonetheless directed me to see an individual for counseling in the Employee Assistance Program at USASA. After a few sessions, the counselor told me that my marriage was an eternal bond in heaven.

In 2007, I decided to remarry. I was living alone at the time. I decided to purchase an expensive engagement ring online. So the package was delivered to my USAFA department for my signature. I never signed for it. Instead Col Fullerton, who was then the department head, without apology handed me the open package. I was offered some excuse that the shipping box was opened mistakenly because it might have been a textbook. But the box shape could not have contained a book. And all of the inner wrappings had been tampered with. I know that the ring is just an object. But each time I think that Col Fullerton saw the ring before my wife and me, my eyes fill with tears.

I couldn’t talk because the pain was so great. But I calm myself by remembering what I once wrote:

Where the broad plains meet the spine of this continent, year after year, our nation’s sons and daughters dedicate new lives to defend the Constitution containing the spirit of freedom.

We meet at the Academy of marble and metal to face a test, at a time when barbarians have breached the harbor of liberty. Freedom is now at war with fear.

While the fortress of our defenders still stands, we must demonstrate the strength to resist using indiscriminate force that comes from raging anger. Rather, we must listen to the angels of our better nature.

Out of the canyons of despair where too many have fallen, echoes speak to our new defenders in refrain after refrain – integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we do.

Listening, new defenders march the marble runways that reach to America’s sky and beyond. They dedicate their lives to act forever more on these values in familiar places at home and in unknown lands abroad.

Under truth, we come together to guide and to serve to meet the challenge of terror with our best exertions, so that freedom of spirit always soars above the shiny spires of faith.

We concluded our conversation with my recommendations that at least one but preferably two of the USAFA generals have their respective commissions from ROTC or OTS. And I also requested that I meet face-to-face with Air Force Secretary Donley, General Schwartz, and/or Air Force Assistant Secretary Ginsberg.
Later that day I was home with my five-year old daughter. She looked into my eyes and saw my tears.

“Why are you crying, Daddy?”
“I’m sad for so many cadets and others who are hurt and feel that the people who should protect them don’t. Emily, you know that when you have an ouchy you can come to Mommy or me to care for you. But these people don’t have someone like that to protect them. They hurt. Some are very sad.”

Emily hugged me tightly. She then ran to a table, quickly drew on a paper, and then ran back to me.

“Daddy, I drew this heart for you.”

As I held her I said, “Thank so much. Would you please write the date too?”
She wrote March 30, 2011.

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Mr. Weinstein, I am a USAFA Faculty member and fairly new client of MRFF. Dr. Mullin’s statement made my spouse and I weep. He spoke the truth for everyone here (and we are numerous now) who feels the “quiet” wrath of not buying into the “right” type of Christianity. I am a modestly observant Methodist which doesn’t cut it around the Academy hierarchy. I ratify all he has said below. I can’t believe that General Gamble thinks that because the USAFA Board of Visitors says there is no problem, then, naturally, it must follow that there must be no problem. FDR once said that “repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.” The truth is that General Gamble and HQ USAF do not care to hear the truth. Dr. Mullin has shouted out the truth and we all thank him for his selfless courage. I thank MRFF for providing the sole vehicle through which we can communicate this abuse and thereby try to live with ourselves. V/R

(USAF Academy faculty member’s name, academic department, rank and faculty position withheld)

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Mikey, please tell Dr. Mullin that I am a USAFA “underground” cadet leader of many MRFF cadet clients. Most of us happen to be Christians like he is too. Please tell him that he is our hero as MRFF is our hero. Perhaps one day we will have his courage to “come out”. But that day is not now for us all. He is an inspiration to us all. General Gamble and his posse are the enemy. We will never have anything to do with him or his group. Thank you MRFF for being the only ones there for us all. Thank you Dr. Mullin for speaking out for all of us into the face of the enemy.

(USAFA Cadet name, rank and Cadet Squadron withheld)