Major General Olson

If this is so why is it so wrong that this good man needs to be court marshaled , ruining his name for life just for thanking God for his good life? Embarrass him in front of the world? Military men do this everyday. Be Christian, Jew, Muslim, or what ever, you should be able to pray anytime, anyplace, it is our constitutional right as free me, in a free nation. If someone is offended by people praying, leave the area. If you have a movie showing in your community that you don’t like, don’t go see it. A politician you don’t like, don’t vote for him/her.

You should be ashamed of yourself for even suggesting such a thing. Have we become so troubled by someone praying at a prayer breakfast that we call for his head on a platter? if so then we are destined to fall apart as a free society. What happened to this great Country that it has come to this? I was a member of the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam conflict and our boys fought and died for our right to Religious freedom, among other things. We prayed everyday that they come home safe. I do not remember anyone getting offended by that, asking for their head on a platter. My father fought in WW2 for the right to pray in public and in private. You are truly confused and ignorant about what the founding fathers were referring to by (Church and State)  You people will one day answer to the Lord for your denial and pay the price for your stupidity. May God have some mercy on your poor souls. I will pray for you, out loud and in public, and you can forget getting a dime from me for your group riddled with this type of mind set. That choice is also a right I have as a free American citizen. Please go get a real job, organize a community or something, but leave those brave Military men and women alone. They are trying to protect your right to be stupid, and are willing to die for that. Go figure.

(name withheld)

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Dear (name withheld),

I am writing in response to your May 20, 2015 email to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (“MRFF”).  Before I address your stated concerns, I would like to thank you for your service in the U.S. Marine Corps.  I truly respect and appreciate the dedication and sacrifice required of all those who choose to serve our country.  I would have addressed you by your proper rank, but it was not included in your email.

 

It is apparent from your email that you are misinformed regarding the mission of MRFF, which is devoted to protecting the religious freedom of all soldiers, sailors, Marines, cadets, and veterans and it has assisted thousands of service members who have suffered from religious discrimination or persecution at the hands of their superiors.  It may surprise you that over 95% of MRFF clients are Christians!  MRFF works tirelessly to correct the Constitutional injustices inflicted on these individuals.

 

You are correct that all U.S. citizens have the right to pray to the deity of their choice.  MRFF would never seek discipline against a service member for simply “thanking God for his good life” or “praying at a prayer breakfast.”  MRFF does not oppose Maj. Gen. Olson’s religious beliefs or his right to express them.

 

However, Major General Olson did not simply thank or refer to God while attending a prayer breakfast.  The totality of his actions amounted to violations of the Establishment Clause, Air Force Regulations, and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, all of which provide a legal basis for the demand letter sent by MRFF.  Allow me to share some additional information about this situation:

 

Maj. Gen. Olson is the Program Executive Officer for C31 and Networks at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts.  He is also the highest-ranking officer there, leading 2,200 subordinate Air Force personnel.  In his speech, he admitted that he has neither the ability nor the training to perform his job:

 

He put me in charge of failing programs worth billions of dollars.  I have no ability to do that – NO TRAINING TO DO THAT – God did all of that.

 

“He sent me to Iraq to negotiate foreign military sales; deals through an Arabic interpreter.  I have no ability to do that – I WAS NOT TRAINED TO DO THAT – God did all of that.

 

“I also went in as a very self-sufficient person.  I thought if you work hard you’ll do fine and that was working great in high school.  Did not work very well at the Air Force Academy.  That’s where I realized I had a very limited intellectual ability.

 

“I still carry in this pocket my transcript from the Air Force Academy – as Exhibit A in the court of law – that you’re not a gifted intellect; you have no real academic skills.

 

If Maj. Gen. Olson admits that he is unqualified for the position he holds, why should he be allowed to continue holding that position?  I have never been terminated from a job, but I can guarantee that if I made a public announcement declaring that I lacked the capability to perform my job duties – whether as military leader commanding over 2,000 people or a burger-flipper with no authority whatsoever – I would lose that job faster than bacon disappears from the breakfast table.

 

In addition to confessing that he is not qualified for his own job, Maj. Gen. Olson requested that the audience pray for Defense Department leaders and for troops preparing to re-deploy.  While this request might be a perfectly acceptable expression of religion under some circumstances, he specifically stated that Defense Department leaders “need to humbly depend on Christ” and requested prayers for the troops so they can “bear through that by depending on Christ.”  Moreover, he made these statements in his official capacity as a military leader while wearing his uniform, thus giving the impression that his statements clearly endorsing Christianity over other religious beliefs were made on behalf of the Air Force.

 

It should also be noted that Maj. Gen. Olson was speaking at a National Day of Prayer Task Force event.  The mission of the National Day of Prayer Task Force is to mobilize the Christian Community “to intercede for America and its leadership in the seven centers of power: government, military, media, business, education, church, and family.”  Therefore, he was speaking in his official capacity for a group whose sole purpose is to inject its own Christian beliefs into all areas of government, in direct violation of the Establishment Clause.

 

Maj. Gen. not only violated the Establishment Clause, he also violated USAF Instruction 1-1, Sec. 2.12: “Leaders at all levels…must ensure their words and actions cannot reasonably be construed to be officially endorsing or disapproving of, or extending preferential treatment for any faith, belief, or absence of belief.”  Pursuant to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the violation of a lawful regulation “shall be punished as a court martial may direct” (emphasis added).

 

You state:

 

If someone is offended by people praying, leave the area.  If you have a movie showing in your community that you don’t like, don’t go see it.  A politician you don’t like, don’t vote for him/her.

 

Your statement may be correct under many circumstances, but given you have served in the military, you should know that this philosophy cannot survive in the context of the military.  If a service member is “offended” by the religious proselytizing of a superior, he/she cannot simply leave the area.  Nor does he/she have the opportunity to vote for the best superior officer the way we vote for politicians running for office.  This is one of the many reasons military leaders are required by the Constitution and military regulations to ensure that any expression of religious belief be made in the appropriate time, place, and manner.  Please understand that MRFF does not oppose prayer or religious expression of any other kind, but only seeks to ensure that such expression conforms to the mandates of the Constitution and military regulations.

 

You certainly have the right to believe that we “will one day answer to the Lord for [our] stupidity,” as well as the right to express that opinion.  However, the military does not fight on behalf of the Lord, but on behalf of the Constitution.  MRFF fights to ensure that the brave men and women who sacrifice so much to defend our rights are also free to exercise those same rights.  It cannot “leave those brave Military men and women alone” because to do so would allow religious persecution within the military.

 

I hope I have addressed your concerns and shed some light on the mission of MRFF and the legal basis for its demand concerning Maj. Gen. Olson.

 

Blessed be,

 

Tobanna Barker

MRFF Volunteer