Controversy in appointment By William Cole
The selection of a new 25th Infantry Division commander is making waves even before he takes on the Schofield Barracks job. The Pentagon on Thursday announced that Maj. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr., the commandant of cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., will be the new commanding general at Schofield. The Army said no change-of-command date has been set. Caslen's appointment was met with criticism from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. The Defense Department's inspector general last August found that Caslen and six other military officers improperly participated in a promotional video for an evangelical group called Christian Embassy. According to the inspector general's report, the four generals and three other officers violated rules by giving the appearance of governmental sanction to the Christian group, and did so while in uniform. "The officers were filmed during the duty day, in uniform with rank clearly displayed, in official and often identifiable Pentagon locations," the report said. Caslen and another general "accepted full responsibility for their actions and committed to be more alert to ethical issues in the future," the report said. Caslen also testified he agreed to participate in the Christian Embassy video, in part, because other senior personnel had agreed to participate, including Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, who was chief of Army public affairs, according to the report. It also said Caslen believed the project had been "appropriately coordinated." The Associated Press reported that the founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, Mikey Weinstein, said Caslen's new assignment in Hawai'i is further evidence of a pattern by the military to tolerate the promotion of fundamentalist Christianity among its ranks. "And we're going to put this guy in charge of the 25th Infantry Division?" Weinstein said. Army spokesman Paul Boyce said Caslen and Brooks received "written memoranda of concern" from the Army based on the August 2007 inspector general report. The inspector general said Christian Embassy, a non-federal religious organization providing religious instruction and fellowship, had been conducting activities in the Pentagon since 1978. SUPPORT MRFF As we continue to fight in the courts, the media,
Make a secure donation of $25 or more. Both Click and Pledge and PayPal accept most major credit cards. PayPal account not required for donation.  
Your generous tax deductible pledge will help protect religious freedom in America |
