[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 156 (Monday, October 26, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H11766-H11767]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   H.R. 268--MILITARY CHAPLAINS BILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, it is a sad day in America when our 
chaplains in the military cannot pray according to their faiths and 
consciences. Our troops are risking their lives in dangerous countries 
to protect the religious freedoms of others, but our own military does 
not always permit that our military chaplains can pray according to his 
or her faith.
  For this reason, I have introduced H.R. 268, which is a bill to 
ensure that every military chaplain has the prerogative to close a 
prayer outside of a religious service according to the dictates of the 
chaplain's own conscience.
  I have spoken with many, many chaplains who have served in conflicts 
from Vietnam to Desert Storm, and there never was any restriction on 
chaplains and on how they prayed until the mid-1990s. This suppression 
of religious freedom, the very principle on which this country was 
founded, is a pervasive problem that is affecting every branch of our 
Armed Forces and that is affecting chaplains of every denomination. As 
of 2008, 76 percent of the chaplains were Protestant, 9 percent 
Catholic, 1 percent Jewish, and 14.1 percent were of some other faith.
  About 5 years ago, I was introduced to the case of Army Captain 
Chaplain

[[Page H11767]]

Jonathan Stertzbach, an independent Baptist by training. Chaplain 
Stertzbach was called to perform a memorial service for a fallen 
soldier. In that division, he had to e-mail his prayer to the 
divisional chaplain. In the prayer, the divisional chaplain struck 
through the words ``Jesus Christ.'' He sent back the prayer with the 
strike-through of ``Jesus Christ'' to Jonathan Stertzbach. Chaplain 
Stertzbach went to the company commander, and asked permission not to 
pray.
  The company commander says, Why not?
  He says, Because I've been ordered not to close my prayer as I see 
fit, based on my conscience, and knowing that the deceased soldier had 
attended his chapel, a Christian chapel.
  So the company commander said to Chaplain Stertzbach, You will pray, 
and you will pray as you see fit.
  He did, and he closed his prayer in the name of his Savior, the Lord 
Jesus Christ. From that, the divisional chaplain removed Chaplain 
Stertzbach from his chapel.
  In 2005, when I heard this story, I wrote a letter to Lieutenant 
General Stanley Green, the inspector general of the United States Army, 
and I asked for an investigation into this case involving Chaplain 
Stertzbach. I am pleased to say, Madam Speaker, that Chaplain 
Stertzbach was returned to his chapel. The inspector general found that 
he should never have been removed.
  Madam Speaker, very briefly, I just want to read the bill, which is 
so simple. This is what it says: to ensure that every military chaplain 
has the prerogative to close a prayer outside of a religious service 
according to the dictates of the chaplain's own conscience.
  Madam Speaker, this is a sad day in America. I would be on this floor 
for a Jewish rabbi. I would be on this floor for a Muslim who happened 
to be a chaplain in the military. I hope that my colleagues on both 
sides of the aisle will look at this bill, because all it says is that 
you can close your prayer based on your heart, based on the dictates of 
your faith outside the church on base, even over the body of a dead 
soldier.

                              {time}  1945

  Madam Speaker, as I close, I want to make it clear, because I see my 
friend on the floor who is of the Muslim faith, that I would be on this 
floor tonight for a Muslim chaplain who was told that he, an imam, 
could not close a prayer based on their faith.
  Madam Speaker, I close by asking God to please bless our men and 
women in uniform. I ask God to please bless the families of our men and 
women in our uniform. I ask God in His loving arms to hold the families 
who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq.
  Madam Speaker, I ask God to give wisdom, strength and courage to the 
President of the United States. And I ask three times, God, please, 
God, please, God, please continue to bless America.
                                                 February 6, 2005.
     Department of the Army,
     The Inspector General, 1700 Army Pentagon, Washington, DC.
       Dear LTG Stanley Green: It has come to my attention that in 
     all branches of the military it is increasingly difficult for 
     chaplains to pray in adherence to their faith. I have read 
     reports, received letters, and seen documentation which 
     verifies that suppression of religious freedom throughout our 
     Armed Forces is a pervasive problem, affecting military 
     chaplains from all denominations and religions. Of particular 
     concern is an incident involving Army Captain Chaplain 
     Jonathon Stertzbach of the 3-6 FA HHB in Iraq. I am writing 
     to request that the Army Inspector General investigate 
     whether Chaplain Stertzbach was illegally removed from his 
     chapel.
       This chaplain who is serving our troops in harm's way in 
     Iraq was asked by another unit, whose chaplain had to return 
     home to start chemotherapy after cancer was discovered, to 
     serve the spiritual needs of the unit's soldiers in weekly 
     movement to an undisclosed FOB (Forward Operating Base) as 
     well as his own battalion. During one of the missions, 
     tragically, one of the soldiers was killed in action. The 
     unit's Commanding Officer asked this chaplain to perform the 
     memorial ceremony because he had bravely served the soldiers, 
     and gone to the risk of convoying to the FOB (Forward 
     Operating Base) weekly.
       Before the memorial ceremony, the chaplain submitted two 
     prayers and a meditation for the Division Chaplain and his 
     direct supervising chaplain to review and was approved. The 
     Brigade Chaplain, having just arrived from Fort Drum, 
     attempted to remove the chaplain from administering the 
     prayers of the memorial ceremony because he concluded his 
     prayer in the name of Jesus Christ in a public forum. The 
     chaplain, adhering to his conscience and faith tradition, 
     said he would not strike the words Jesus Christ.
       The unit's Commanding Officer intervened, explaining that 
     Chaplain Stertzbach volunteered to serve a different unit 
     outside of his assigned unit and placed his life in harm's 
     way to provide for the needs of the unit's soldiers. The 
     Commanding Officer instructed that Chaplain Stertzbach would 
     pray according to his faith tradition and the prayers that he 
     had already submitted. The Brigade Chaplain told him to 
     qualify his prayer at the beginning with ``Please pray 
     according to your faith tradition, as I pray according to 
     mine'' and then close the prayer with ``in thy name we pray, 
     and in Jesus' name I pray.'' Chaplain Stertzbach delivered 
     the memorial meditation and prayers for the fallen hero, but 
     still followed orders with the `qualifier' remaining in 
     place.
       After the incident, Chaplain Stertzbach's story reached the 
     media. The Chaplain was directly contacted by the Washington 
     Times and referenced in a Washington Times January story. 
     Chaplain Stertzbach's incident was not printed, but he was 
     quoted as saying the following:
       ``You need to allow people to pray according to their faith 
     group. Many faith groups do not pray in general and generic 
     terms. . . . For Christian groups, the name of Jesus is from 
     where all the power comes.''
       I believe Chaplain Stertzbach answered questions fairly, 
     accurately, and within his legal rights. Consequently, his 
     answers to the media and the incident surrounding the 
     memorial ceremony resulted in Chaplain Stertzbach's removal 
     from his chapel.
       I am concerned that Chaplain Stertzbach was removed without 
     justification. Again, I am requesting that you investigate 
     this incident and provide an explanation.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Walter B. Jones,
     Member of Congress.

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