“Full Frontal Assault Mode”

Dear MRFF,

I am a cadet at the Air Force Academy. I am using an anonymous e-mail, so please do not try to find me nor quote me as you will be incorrect. I merely desire to ask you a question.
At what point did you become the voice of “religious intoleration” at the Air Force Academy? Have you even talked with the actual cadets at the Academy to see how they feel about your “crusade”? Have cadets or graduates come forward to telling you about the atrocities the Academy committed against them? If so, then I believe you have a just foundation for your cause. But I doubt that it is true. From where I sit, you have embarked on a mission to “save” the cadets of the Academy from Christian oppression without a cry for help.
Personally, as a not-very-religious Christian, I have never felt pressured to go to church or ashamed of not going. I have never had cadets or faculty talk with me about my faith without my instigating the conversation. During our Basic Cadet Training, we spend an entire day learning about religious tolerance and about the diversity we have here at the Academy. We have a wonderful Chaplain staff that caters to all of the cadets’ religious needs. So I am offended by the things you say about the Academy, such as “We want to make it very clear that USAFA is completely in violation of the body of the Constitution”, or “The United States Air Force Academy has become a fundamentalist Christian military ministry”. Having sworn an oath “to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States”, I do not appreciate being told by an outsider that I am doing the very opposite. Furthermore, if either of these statements were true, I assure you that I would be not attending this school, nor would a large percent of our 4,000 cadets. I would also like to point out that all of our cadets are between the ages of 18-27, a large number of whom come from prior enlisted service. If we have a problem with our Chapel and its policies, we are more than capable of handling it internally by ourselves.
If you have perceived a gross injustice in the military in religious matters, you have every right to address it. But please do not use the Air Force Academy, an institution that I love and have dedicated my life getting into, as your battlefield. At the very least, talk with the cadets here. ASK them if there is problem with religion here at the school. I personally do not like having someone fight a battle for me that I do not want fought.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration. I hope that nothing that I said offended or angered you, as that was not my purpose. I was simply trying to point out that the cadet side of this issue has not been shown.

Sincerely,

A Concerned Cadet

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……..Hi “Concerned Cadet,” or whatever your real name is……I asked a MRFF client at USAFA (one of the 435 we have there, of whom 372 are practicing Protestants or Roman Catholics) to take a look at your e-mail to me and to reply……read and learn perhaps?….you might also consider purchasing the 2 books I’ve written about this and doing a tad more homework (reviewing our website) before vomiting your ignorance in my direction again………your refusal to allow your real name to be known speaks volumes…all you had to do was to ask that your identity be kept private and that would have been fully honored……I have 2 sons (Jewish like me), 1 daughter-in-law and 1 son-in law (both Christians) who are grads…’04, ’04, ’07,’10…..I’m ’77 and my Christian bro-in-law is ’76…..with all due respect, you don’t have a freaking idea what you’re talking about……it has been said, “Jacob”, that “civilization is a constant race between education and catastrophe”…..plz consider getting more “educated” before making the accusatory and baseless assertions you made below…catastrophe is the result……be well, Mikey W….……

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Dear Concerned Cadet –

I think that you may have already received some responses from others to your email, but I would like to toss in my 2 cents, too. First, I want to thank you for taking the time to write and express your concerns. I’m especially grateful that you’ve done so in a very appropriate and eloquent way. If you’ve spent any time at the MRFF website, you’ve had an opportunity to see just a sampling of another type of message – vile, nasty, profane and inappropriate. To see input from a current cadet that is very professional and straightforward is encouraging to me.

You see, I’m a USAFA grad myself – Class of 1985 (member of Barnstormin’ 23 and Stalag 17). Like many grads, USAFA remains very close to my heart even after nearly 30 years. I’m an AOG lifetime member and a longtime Sabre Society donor. My youngest son, currently a high school junior, is considering USAFA as the next step in his educational path. A large number of my classmates have children who are current cadets or graduates. I hope you’d agree that those of us who came before you still have a vested interest in what goes on at USAFA, and that our interest is reasonable and justifiable.

I’m also an active and devout Christian who has only recently become a supporter of MRFF – didn’t even know of its existence until this year, while reading news reports about the honor oath kerfuffle. As a committed Christian, my first inclination was to disagree and dismiss its efforts. Only after a good amount of research did I reach the conclusion that the mission of MRFF is valid, important, and deserves my support. If you’ve not done much research yet about what has transpired at USAFA over the past 8-9 years, I’d strongly encourage you to do so. It may not change your opinion as it did mine, but it might – and in any case, it never hurts us to become better informed.

While MRFF figures very prominently in the ongoing debate about church/state separation at USAFA, it is not a sole voice as you would suggest. There are actually many voices, including my own. I support the mission of MRFF, but I still speak for myself. All of us who love USAFA must use our voice anytime we have concerns, questions, suggestions or ideas on any topic. We should all keep in mind that USAFA is more than just the 4,000 cadets currently in attendance. It’s also the active duty and civilian personnel who work there, as well as the more than 40,000 graduates who earlier made a commitment to support and defend the US Constitution.

It’s good to hear that you’ve never felt the sort of pressure or unwelcome intrusion that others have reported in this area, but that does not invalidate their experiences. Your assumption that no one has expressed concern is inaccurate. Not only have many cadets and graduates spoken up, but permanent party have raised the issue, too, as have the parents of current cadets.

Even more tellingly, USAFA’s own surveys have shown the need for significant improvement in this area. From a news release on the USAFA website is this statement about the 2010 climate survey — “In the first area of concern, despite an improving trend since 1998, 48 percent of religious, non-Christian cadets who responded to the survey said they believe cadets have ‘low tolerance for those who do not follow a religion or believe in a divine being.’ This is approximately a 20-percent increase from the 2007 climate assessment survey.” The same survey reported that 41 percent of academy cadets who identified themselves as non-Christian reported they were subjected to unwanted religious proselytizing at least once or twice during the previous year.

Information such as this, along with more recent reports out of USAFA, tells me that this Constitutional issue continues to exist and has yet to be fully and adequately addressed. For that reason, I think it is vitally important for concerned individuals such as me and the folks at MRFF to speak up. One of the first lessons I learned at USAFA, way back in the summer of 1981, was to stand up for my classmates. I know today that the larger lesson is to stand up for anyone who needs my support.

Wishing you all the best in your studies,

Mike Challman

USAFA ‘85

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Concerned Cadet,

As a grad and a parent of a grad, please let me respond to your comments below…

“Dear MRFF,

I am a cadet at the Air Force Academy. I am using an anonymous e-mail, so please do not try to find me nor quote me as you will be incorrect. I merely desire to ask you a question.
At what point did you become the voice of “religious intoleration” at the Air Force Academy?”

In 2004–when a detailed climate survey conducted by the Superintendent showed deep-seeded and widespread discrimination against cadets and faculty at USAFA based upon religious belief and non-belief, and when his sons (and mine) were victims of this intolerance. He stood up and organized others to do the same. You were probably in what? 2nd grade then? Look it up.

“Have you even talked with the actual cadets at the Academy to see how they feel about your “crusade”? Have cadets or graduates come forward to telling you about the atrocities the Academy committed against them?”

Yes^squared. He’s been an NCLS speaker (if you’re a cadet you know what that is). I have. My son has. I personally know dozens of cadets and staff that have.

“If so, then I believe you have a just foundation for your cause.”

Thank You.

“But I doubt that it is true.”

Based upon what? Your extensive research and years of experience?

“From where I sit, you have embarked on a mission to “save” the cadets of the Academy from Christian oppression without a cry for help”

Not true

“Personally, as a not-very-religious Christian, I have never felt pressured to go to church or ashamed of not going. “

Good for you.

“I have never had cadets or faculty talk with me about my faith without my instigating the conversation. During our Basic Cadet Training, we spend an entire day learning about religious tolerance and about the diversity we have here at the Academy. We have a wonderful Chaplain staff that caters to all of the cadets’ religious needs. “

Really? Do you know that’s the case for all cadets?

“So I am offended by the things you say about the Academy, such as “We want to make it very clear that USAFA is completely in violation of the body of the Constitution”, or “The United States Air Force Academy has become a fundamentalist Christian military ministry”. Having sworn an oath “to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States”, I do not appreciate being told by an outsider”

(See above–he’s not an outsider at all and neither am I. We’re more insiders with more invested in USAFA than you by decades)

” that I am doing the very opposite. Furthermore, if either of these statements were true, I assure you that I would be not attending this school, nor would a large percent of our 4,000 cadets. I would also like to point out that all of our cadets are between the ages of 18-27, a large number of whom come from prior enlisted service. If we have a problem with our Chapel and its policies, we are more than capable of handling it internally by ourselves. “

Really? Give me an example? When my son was a cadet just a few years ago, he was made to march with the “Heathen Flight” when he didn’t go to chapel during basic. It’s largely because of the efforts of the MRFF that you now enjoy freedom from oppression and bigotry like that.

” If you have perceived a gross injustice in the military in religious matters, you have every right to address it. “

Now you’re getting it. He does and… he does. Moreover, the over 400 cadets and staff at USAFA that have contacted MRFF with specific offenses and issues perceive the problem first hand. Many of them BTW, are Christians–probably a lot like you that are either not the right “flavor” or Christian or just don’t think that religion should play an active role in the military hierarchy. (Maybe, again like you). You’ve clearly been lucky not to have seen discrimination and either luckier to have not felt it. I have–as have hundreds. Look around and listen. Pay attention. Check out the hate mail that floods into the MRFF. Ask yourself if this could ALL be made up–from ALL of the clients.

” But please do not use the Air Force Academy, an institution that I love and have dedicated my life getting into, as your battlefield. “

Why not? Don’t you want the rights and freedoms you enjoy for all cadets? Don’t you think wrongs should be corrected? Isn’t that why you’re in the military? Do you think our military should only have Christians of the the right sect or denomination?

“At the very least, talk with the cadets here. “

Again, see above. He has. He’s spoken with them at NCLS, at football games, meetings downtown, etc. Did you know that he’s a grad? So are his sons and a daughter and a daughter-in-law?
Do your research before you question his (or my) love for USAFA. It runs deeper than yours, I assure you.

“ASK them if there is problem with religion here at the school. I personally do not like having someone fight a battle for me that I do not want fought. “

Fine. But I don’t want my Air Force populated by blindly obedient wimps either, who just muddle through the day, happy with their status quo and free education. I want to work with men and women who solve problems–not walk past them assuming someone else will solve them.

Good luck with finals.

A USAFA grad and Father of a USAFA grad

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Hello Cadet X:

I am a USAFA graduate who is close to retiring from the Air Force and an avid supporter of Mikey Weinstein, a fellow grad, and the effort he leads with the courageous members and clients of the MRFF.
I read your letter to Mikey with great interest and was glad to hear you have not noticed any harassment from the fundamentalists that make up about 30% of USAFA.  Did you stop to think why you haven’t been subject to unwanted proselytizing?  The answer is simple – the unwavering efforts from MRFF since its foundation nine years ago.

Let me take you back to the 1990s, when I was a cadet.  During my three-degree year, there was a change in AOCs in my squadron during fall semester.  My AOC introduced himself as an FB-111 weapons officer who “used to party until he became a Christian”.  My initial thought was why you can’t be both at the same time. Upon his arrival, a cadre of cadets started taking about their “personal relationship with Jesus Christ” and started conducting bible studies during ACQ, with the AOC often in attendance.   One of the members approached me and said, “I used to be Catholic like you until I became a Christian.”  I responded by saying, “last time I checked, Catholics were among the early Christians.”  My AOC also interjected by saying Catholics, as well as Protestant denominations, are not real Christians.  This AOC was and continues to be an active leader in the Officers Christian Fellowship (OCF), which I will get to later.  Being a person of thick skin and being focused on surviving the USAFA curriculum, I did not think much of their approaches and rather disrespectful view of Catholicism.  Perhaps I was too immature to reflect and ask myself, “If they feel so negatively about fellow Christians, how do they feel about other religions, or atheists for that matter?”  The next semester during Recognition, one of our exchange cadets, a devout Muslim who was a doolie at the time, followed the rules of Ramadan during the grueling event which started on a Thursday evening and lasted 48 hours until Saturday evening.  I’m assuming you know the rules of Ramadan, so I’ll continue.  The same AOC mentioned to some of us who were running Recognition, “these third-rate religions are crazy”, when opining about this cadet’s dedication to his religion.

During my two-degree year, I met some returning cadets, who had taken two years off for missionary work.  One of them introduced himself and said he had been in Ecuador teaching the people to be Christians.  I politely responded, “What do you mean?  The country is Roman Catholic”.  He rolled his eyes and walked away. During my senior year, another missionary returned to start his two degree year, and when I asked him where he was coming from, he said, “I’ve been in Ukraine the last two years teaching them to be Christians.”  My response: “What do you mean? With the collapse of the U.S.S.R. , Ukrainians have embraced their Christian Orthodox roots.”  Again, eyes roll, and he walks away.  These cadets quickly became followers of the same AOC who was in my squadron from my three-degree year until graduation.

During my career in the Air Force, I ran into the same type of people, all members of the OCF, who describe themselves as nondenominational Christians.  In some cases I had to take corrective action because some of the younger officers were harassing subordinates and peers with unwanted talk about going to bible study and/or their church.  In other cases, I had to shut up when a higher ranking officer was telling me how great his fundamentalist Christianity was compared to my Catholicism.  Their fervor got out of control after the 9/11 tragedy because from that point, their world view was one of religious war.  No one dared to correct them.

I was doing a one year tour in Korea form 2004 to 2005 when I read a story about how USAFA was highly encouraging everyone to watch Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” and how a concerned Jewish parent, Mr. Mikey Weinstein was publicly expressing his outrage at the treatment of his children attending USAFA during this frenzy.  I closely followed the developments and a year later, I was in the Middle East encountering under a fundamentalist commander who was convinced we were in a holy war.  One of my best troops was being harassed for being an atheist during that time, and I got no support from the top.

A year after that, I arrived at USAFA to teach, which had been a goal of mine.  I arrived with my guard up because after following the cases MRFF was handling, I knew things had deteriorated since my departure fifteen years earlier.  One of the first things I noticed was that my wife was invited by the wives of other faculty for a get to know each other event, which wound up being a bible study, where she was told being Catholic was not Christian enough.  She laughed it off and did not engage with those people again.  I also noticed during faculty orientation, there was a very brief mention of the importance of religious tolerance, but it was half-assed in my opinion, and one of my fellow colleagues said to me, “I will not stop talking about my faith because it is my duty to share it.”  I noticed the evangelizing efforts by members of the OCF and the New Life Church evolved into more of an underground movement, but once in a while there was some code talk, such as “we love the wondrous spirit that drives our cadets” – a direct quotation of fundamentalists references to the Holy Spirit.  I also saw some instances of favoritism, where cadets and instructors from the same church would sit and chat about their religion with the door open, where everyone could hear them.  Don’t get me wrong, my door was always open to my cadets if they wanted EI, or if they just wanted to vent and get something off their chest, but what they did was unacceptable because of the perception it created.  The same chit-chat also involved attacking our President and Commander-in-Chief for not displaying his religion.  Again, think about the message that sends to a passerby.  Some of my cadets asked my about the topic of religious intolerance.  After some “war stories” a fundamentalist cadet said, “if we make up 30% of the Wing, we should have our say.”  My response: “the military is not a democracy”.

I got a chance to participate in a DFsurvey and air out some of these concerns.  I knew my Department Head was a passionate member of the New Life Church, but he assured us all responses would be taken seriously.  To my surprise and disappointment, he talked about the results focusing on the harassment against evangelical Christians among cadets and permanent party, which was completely untrue.  I met Mikey around the same time during NCLS, and shared my observations with him.  During the same NCLS, the wife of the Superintendent, a retired Colonel, also was a speaker, and she told cadets and guests that her priorities in life are faith, family, and work in that order.  Think about how cadets are supposed to interpret that coming from a senior officer.
Toward the end of my tour, I made no effort to hide my association with MRFF, and got to meet other members, some who preferred meeting secretly to avoid retribution.

Recently, one of my former cadets, now an officer, asked me if I thought Mikey Weinstein was making USAFA and the rest of the military irreligious.  My response was in the form of a checklist:
–          ME: Has Mikey Weinstein taken away your right to go to chapel?
–          HIM: No
–          ME: Has Mikey Weinstein prevented you from going to the Chaplain’s Office to meet with your corresponding chaplain(s)?
–          HIM: No
–          ME: Has Mikey Weinstein prohibited discussion about your faith during your religious services and/or meetings?
–          HIM: No
–          ME: So do you think the military is becoming irreligious because of Mikey Weinstein?
–          HIM: I guess not, but I would love to openly debate and debunk a fundamentalist if that person attacks my religion.
–          ME: Do it at a bar or another venue, but never during duty hours in a professional environment.  We simply must emphasize religious neutrality, consistent with the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment.

I’m sure you are familiar with some of the most recent defiance coming out of USAFA.  This fight will continue until Mikey and the MRFF are satisfied that the military is enforcing religious neutrality.  You will never lose access to the chaplain service, rest assured.

Again, I’m happy you have not been harassed by these fundamentalists, but understand that it does not mean there is not a problem.  Your good fortune is a result of the good fight led by Mikey and the MRFF.  Good luck with the rest of your time at USAFA!