MRFF Assists Client in Quickly Ending the Practice of Sectarian Religious ‘Territorial Marking’ of a POW/MIA Memorial at a VA Facility
On July 31, 2023, an Air Force veteran (…and MRFF client) receiving care at the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center in Pennsylvania filed a complaint with the facility’s Patient Advocate regarding the conspicuous placement of a Bible on the POW/MIA Table located in the ‘museum display area’. This client had confirmed that this Bible had been removed on a return visit for treatment on August 10, 2023. However, on a subsequent visit to the Wilkes-Barre VAMC on August 23, 2024, our client observed “that a petite book titled “New Testament Psalms Proverbs” with a digitized desert camouflage background was placed on the POW-MIA table display.” These attempts to brand the POW/MIA Table as a sectarian religious memorial were detailed in the client’s following email:
From: [MRFF Client’s name and email withheld]
Subject: THANK YOU / VAHS Wilkes-Barre POW-MIA Table display
Date: August 23, 2023 at 9:37 PM MST
To: Mikey Weinstein <[email protected]>Greetings Mikey:
I can not fully express how much I appreciate your personal assistance and the tremendous work that Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) does to protect the First Amendment rights of U.S. Armed Forces Service Members, Military Veterans and their families. I’ve followed and donated money to support your organization for quite some time now but never thought I’d be asking for your assistance.
I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force (Active) in January 1987, joined the U.S. Air Force Reserve in October 1991 and served until I was medically retired in the rank of Master Sergeant/E-7 in January 2014. Across those 27 years, I received six(6) DD Form 214’s for every period of Active Duty I served and each one of those DD Form 214’s indicate that my Character of Service was HONORABLE. Although my first issued dog-tag stated my faith as “Roman Catholic”, I was already questioning the religious beliefs (indoctrination) of my Catholic upbringing. During my military service, I grew more disillusioned with the overt Christian dogma and hypocrisy professed by Senior Enlisted and Commissioned Leaders whom I served under. By 2000, I insisted that my dog-tags state no faith. In 2008, I opted to AFFIRM, rather than to Swear, my final Oath of Re-Enlistment. I received a lot of flak for that decision, but I knew it was the right time and the best one I could make for my conscience. Since my retirement, I adhere to Secular Humanism and am an avowed Atheist — much more spiritual, far less religious.
In late May 2023, I temporarily relocated from Illinois to Pennsylvania to support my beloved through his personal medical crisis. I am very fortunate that the Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System is nationwide and I was quickly able to establish my eligibility in order to continue my medical care and treatment with the VA Wilkes-Barre Healthcare System.
During my first visit to the main facility in late June 2023, I observed that a Christian Bible was prominently featured on the POW-MIA table display in the Museum area located on the first floor. At that time, I took a picture and quietly inquired about the display; I was told that it was a temporary placement. During my next visit, on 31 July 2023, I took another photo but this time I formally asked that the Bible be removed because the POW-MIA table was not set in accordance with the regulations of the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) nor was it in compliance with the 2018 Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency(DPAA) Toolkit which has very specific guidelines describing the symbolic items which may be included on a POW-MIA table display. I met with one of the VAHS/Wilkes-Barre Patient Advocates, [VA Medical Center Wilkes-Barre Patient Advocate Name Withheld], to express my concerns and lodged a formal complaint about the overt promotion of Christianity over other religious faiths that day. I did get some push-back from her — I was told that the DoD regulation states that a “book of faith” is OPTIONAL. But I stood my ground and before I left the facility that day, I was told that the Christian bible would be removed. I had another medical appointment on 10 August 2023 and I observed that the POW-MIA table display did NOT include a “book of faith”. I took a photo to document it.
Today, 23 August 2023, at approximately 0740 hours EDT, I observed that a petite book titled “New Testament Psalms Proverbs” with a digitized desert camouflage background was placed on the POW-MIA table display. Once again, I took a photo to document the situation. I then sent an email to [VA Medical Center Wilkes-Barre Patient Advocate Name Withheld], which I cc’d MRFF on, to ask that “book of faith” be removed. By the time I left the facility at approximately 1130 hours EDT, the “book of faith” was removed from the POW-MIA table display.
I’m incredibly grateful that you responded so quickly to advocate on my behalf, to protect my freedom from religion.
Especially since I’m aware that MRFF is currently being attacked by many Republican / Conservative / GQP (not a typo — Q for QAnon) Christian nationalist members of Congress for the vital advocacy that MRFF provides in support of those wearing the uniform who CAN NOT advocate for themselves without severe repercussions to their careers! Of particular concern to me is the reprehensible amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act which would make “it ILLEGAL for members of the military to communicate with or respond to MRFF” which is sponsored by Representative Michael TURNER (R-OH/10th Congressional District). I was absolutely outraged and I’ve already contacted Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Representative Mike BOST (R-IL/12th Congressional District) asking them to OPPOSE this heinous effort.
As I stated earlier, I’ve been following and supporting the extraordinary efforts which you and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) staff undertake to ensure “the Constitutional guarantee of religious freedom” for every U.S. Armed Forces Service Member, Military Veteran and their families. It’s become increasingly obvious to me, that MRFF is a bulwark not just in the fight for religious freedom but also the fight to protect our fragile democracy and to keep our republic.
In closing, all I can say Mikey, is please “AIM HIGH” and “FLY. FIGHT. WIN.” this battle on behalf of all Americans.
Thank you, Sir!
[Emphasis added by MRFF]Respectfully
(U.S. Air Force Veteran/MRFF Client Name Withheld)
These ongoing attempts at divisive sectarian religious branding of POW/MIA Tables within federal installations have been successfully challenge by MRFF and our clients for quite some time:
7/19/18 – MRFF Momentum Results in Second Bible Removal Victory in Two Days!
11/3/17 – Denver VA Medical Center promptly removes Unconstitutional Bible from “Missing Man Table!”
9/16/16 – New Testament Bible Removed from Eglin AFB, FL Allergy Clinic Table
4/19/16 – New Testament Bible Removed from Tobyhanna, PA VA POW/MIA Table
4/11/16 – New Testament Bible Removed from Houston, TX VA POW/MIA Table
4/8/16 – New Testament Bible Removed from Wright Patterson AFB, OH POW/MIA Table
4/4/16 – New Testament Bible Removed from Youngstown, OH VA POW/MIA Table
2/25/16 – New Testament Bible Removed from Akron, OH VA POW/MIA Table
Extremely dishonest (and legally vacuous) objections have been thrown up by the nakedly ‘Christian Nationalist’ First Liberty Institute…
Since the Vietnam War, the military has maintained the sacred tradition of setting a separate table in its dining facilities to honor POW/MIAs. The table is decorated with several items, each carrying symbolic meaning used to help remember those who were captured or declared missing. Traditionally [sic], as a common [sic] symbol of faith, one of those items is a Bible. [emphasis added]
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/leave-pow-remembrance-tables-alone
The blatant dishonesty of this ridiculous statement was exposed swiftly dismantled by MRFF Senior Research Director Chris Rodda…
–The original POW/MIA table items did not include a Bible. And neither does the American Legion’s version. The American Legion, which adopted a resolution in 1985 calling for a POW/MIA table at all of its official meetings, includes in its official Chaplain’s Manual a list of the items to be included on the table and a script explaining the meaning of each item. The Bible is not included among the items.
–After an extensive search of newspapers, books, and other sources going back five decades, the earliest appearance that I’ve found of the Bible being added was in a 1999 issue of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary magazine. And, according to the Wayback Machine on archive.org, which archives previous versions of websites, the script including the Bible didn’t appear on the National League of POW/MIA Families website until early 2000.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/bibles-dont-belong-on-pow-remembrance-tables