Attorneys for atheist soldier Monday, December 15 2008 By John Milburn TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Attorneys for an atheist soldier at Fort Riley said Monday that they plan to amend their lawsuit against the Department of Defense to include new allegations about evangelizing in combat. The evidence is in videos discovered by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which along with Spc. Dustin Chalker is suing Secretary Robert Gates over alleged violations of religious rights. Chalker, an atheist, claims he has been forced to attend mandatory military formations where Christian prayers are given. The videos show soldiers and Christian missionaries talking about their faith and the desire to spread Christianity to Muslims. The video also shows the missionaries, who were embedded with units, handing out Dari language Bibles. "What we're putting in is shocking," said Mikey Weinstein, president of the foundation. A spokeswoman for the Department of Defense declined to comment about the video, citing policy on pending litigation. Pedro Irigonegaray, a Topeka attorney representing Chalker and the foundation, said the amended complaint against the Defense Department would be filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., in the next couple of weeks. "(The video) has the clear potential to galvanize those who see us as the enemy," he said. "It's against the law. It is inconceivable to see this type of behavior and not assume that significant members of the United States military are aware of this behavior and approve of it." The video was from a Trinity Broadcasting Network program, "Travel the Road," which features missionaries Will Decker and Tim Scott going to remote locations to spread Christianity. The video aired in April 2006 on TBN and was filmed in Afghanistan with members of the Oklahoma National Guard. Weinstein said such activities put the U.S. military in danger of attacks and gives credence to the belief in the Muslim community that the United States is on a crusade to spread Christianity. The military has a standing policy prohibiting U.S. troops from distributing religious materials and proselytizing while in combat, said Maj. Tina Barber-Matthew, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla. Central Command oversees operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Barber-Matthew also said that the military imbeds only "bona fide" journalists, not missionaries or other individuals, with units. "We vet all journalists coming in," she said, adding they must sign a document covering what is allowed while imbedded. Chalker, a combat medic, filed his lawsuit in October, alleging he was required to attend three events from December 2007 to May 2008 at Fort Riley at which Christian prayers were delivered. The lawsuit cited examples of the military's religious discrimination by fundamentalist Christians, including programs for soldiers, presentations by "anti-Muslim activists" and a "spiritual handbook" for soldiers endorsed by Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. Central Command. ------ Military Religious Freedom Foundation video: http://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/media_video/travel_the_road/ Department of Defense: http://www.defenselink.mil SUPPORT MRFF As we continue to fight in the courts, the media,
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