Mikey Weinstein shared your email and asked if I’d be interested in sending you a personal note, which I’m more than happy to do. Sorry that I’ve taken so long to respond — I’ve had a number of challenges arise in the past few weeks. Still, the time and effort that I invest as a volunteer supporter of the MRFF is an important priority to me, so I always return to it as soon as I can.
Like you, I’m a zoomie (CS-17, class of ’85). I separated from the USAF shortly after the completion of my commitment. For the past 25 years I’ve been in supply chain management, where today I’m a senior executive with a global chemical logistics company. I’m also a lifelong, committed, and active Christian.
I think it’s safe to say that an email such as yours offers a tremendous boost of encouragement to Mikey, so I am very, very grateful to you for sending it. I continue to be amazed at the unbelievable level of hate, nastiness, vitriol, and threats that are leveled and Mikey and his family. The fact that he continues to stay in the fight is testament to the strength of his character.
A few years ago, I sent a note of my own to the MRFF, after learning about the organization through media reports about the “so help me God” controversy at USAFA. To be frank, my initial engagement was not as supportive as your own… although to be fair, my approach was still pretty open-minded, even if it leaned toward the critical. More importantly, I was quite ignorant at the time as to all of the issues, and was pretty complacent in my comfort with the notion that Christianity should be prominent in American society and the military. It didn’t take long, though, to do a bit of independent research and begin to see that the threats opposed by MRFF are very real, and that the stance taken by Mikey and MRFF, with respect to the Constitution and religious freedom in the military, is both principled and appropriate.
Since that time, I’ve done what I can to support the organizations efforts. I think it’s especially important that grads like you and me, Christians who recognize the validity of MRFF’s mission, are as vocal as possible… particularly within the graduate community but even beyond that constituency.
If you’ve not already considered the following, I’d like to make a request of you….
Consider making yourself available to Mikey as a resource and an advocate, as I have done, to help take the MRFF message both to our fellow grads and to the larger military community. If you and Mikey have not spoken yet, I’d also encourage you to arrange a phone call with him. At a minimum, you’ll gain a new appreciation for the force-of-nature that is Mikey Weinstein. Your support of MRFF’s efforts might be one of the most important contributions you can make to today’s US military… I know that it is for me.
Also, if you’d like to discuss anything I’ve shared here, or any other topic, please drop me a note. I’d welcome the opportunity.
Peace,
Mike Challman
Christian, USAF veteran, MRFF supporter
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