San Antonio VAMC Removes Proselytizing ‘Sunday School’ Easter Decorations After Demand by MRFF

April 3, 2024

As is traditional, MRFF is often called upon for assistance during holidays to assist clients attempting to respond to ‘over-the-top’ attempts at sectarian religious proselytizing within U.S. Military related installations and facilities. MRFF President/Founder Mikey Weinstein was contacted via email on April 3, 2024 by one of 44 MRFF clients who are patients at the Audie L. Murphy Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) located in San Antonio, TX.  The email included numerous photos detailing recently installed ‘Sunday School like Easter Decorations” in the waiting area of the San Antonio VAMC.  This large group of MRFF clients represents a religiously diverse group including many Christians:

• 32 are practicing Christians (both Protestant and Roman Catholic),
• 3 practice the Jewish faith,
• 2 practice Native American faith traditions,
• 2 practice the Islamic faith,
• 1 practices the Hindu faith,
• 1 practices the Buddhist faith, and
• 3 follow non-faith traditions.

After reviewing photos provided by our clients, MRFF Senior Research Director Chris Rodda noted in Daily Kos that the photos provided by MRFF clients showed decorations that “…wouldn’t even be allowed in a VA medical center chapel, which are required to be “religiously neutral” at all times when there is not an actual service taking place for a particular faith group, let alone a public lobby, as it is at the Audie L. Murphy VA Medical Center.”

After receiving this request for assistance on behalf of our 44 clients, Mikey immediately contacted Julianne Flynn, MD, Executive Director of the Veterans Affairs South Texas Health Care System on behalf of our 44 honorable American military veteran patients/MRFF clients.  In his email to Exec. Dir. Flynn, Mikey demanded that the identified decorations be removed immediately from the San Antonio VAMC in compliance with existing VA Regulations on religious neutrality within all VA facilities.

Mikey’s demands on behalf of our clients were met with a somewhat petulant response:

Mr. Weinstein;
Thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention. The tree display was taken down this week, following the conclusion of the Easter holiday.
Sincerely,
-J Flynn

This response followed what Mikey described as the Audie L. Murphy VA Medical Center stubbornly refusing to tell MRFF exactly when they took down their outrageously offensive Easter display after a number of phone calls.  Mikey also noted the response vaguely saying it was “taken down this week,” although we know from our MRFF clients that it was still up as of yesterday afternoon when MRFF sent its demand letter on April 3, 2024. 

Based upon the flippant response from Exec. Dir. Flynn in regards to compliance with existing VA Regulations on Religious Neutrality, MRFF will continue to monitor this facility’s lack of transparency and responsiveness regarding this issue.