[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 162 (Thursday, November 14, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H7097-H7103]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THE MILITARY
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Collins of Georgia). Under the Speaker's
announced policy of January 3, 2013, the gentlewoman from Missouri
(Mrs. Hartzler) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the
majority leader.
General Leave
Mrs. HARTZLER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Missouri?
There was no objection.
Mrs. HARTZLER. Mr. Speaker and my fellow colleagues, I wanted to
share with you a picture that I have in my office, and it is my
favorite picture. It is the famous picture of President and then-
General George Washington on his knees praying at Valley Forge.
Of course, we all remember from our history lessons the story of what
happened during that time. But the winter at Valley Forge was a
terribly, terribly trying time for the Continental Army. They had
suffered a lot of defeats that fall, and they went into a very cold,
harsh winter with very, very limited supplies, and the stories that
come from that are just heartbreaking.
There were 12,000 men that were encamped. Many of them did not even
have a tent or a shelter. Several of them did not even have a blanket.
And as you know, here in Washington, D.C., and back home in Missouri,
the weather has started to turn cold. I think it was about 30 degrees
this morning. And to think about what it would have been like to have
to sleep out in the cold with no blanket during that time. And of
course, snow came along.
We have heard stories about how many of the men did not even have
shoes. They had marched so much that fall and had gone through such
harsh battles that their shoes had fallen apart. And we have all seen
pictures and heard stories of how their feet bled. Even in the snow,
there were foot tracks like that. And what is worse, many of them
didn't even have food.
This was the situation of 12,000 men. The conditions were so bad that
they ruled at one time that a third of them, almost 4,000 men, were
unfit for battle. And then 2,000, over the course of those winter
months, died as a result of disease and dysentery and other things that
occurred during those very harsh conditions.
And during that time, we have learned a story that George Washington,
the commander of this ragtag but yet valiant group of men, went to the
woods and got down on his knees and prayed. And the reason we know this
is because of the story of Isaac Potts who later shared the account
that was later recorded.
He was a local Quaker farmer. He was riding his horse through the
woods, and he heard a sound that was strange, as if a man was crying
out in plaintiff prayer. So he quietly got off his horse and wrapped
the reins around a sapling tree, snuck through the woods to get closer,
and as came into an opening, he could see something that shocked him.
{time} 1745
He said it like this:
I saw the great George Washington on his knees, alone, with
a sword on one side and his cocked hat on the other. He was
at prayer to the God of the Armies, beseeching to interpose
with his Divine aid.
We know what happened later--and, I believe, as a result of those
prayers. That ragtag group of army over the winter gained courage and
strength. Supplies started to come in. General Baron Von Steuben was
sent by Benjamin Franklin from the Prussian Army to start drilling the
men and turn this ragtag but courageous group into a major, strong
fighting force, and they came out that next spring a force ready to
meet the British Army, and they did.
That was a turning point in the war. It wasn't to be decided for
years to come, but at Valley Forge the whole outcome of not just the
war, but of our country, was turned, and I believe it was because of
the prayer of the general of the Army.
Faith has been important to the armed services and to the people of
this country from the beginning, and it is just as important now to our
men and women in uniform as it was back at the beginning of our
country. Yet their ability to express their religious beliefs is being
attacked from forces outside and forces within.
It has been discouraging the last few years to hear accounts of some
of these infringements on the basic religious rights and freedoms of
our men and women in uniform. So that is why my colleagues and I are
here for the next hour. We are here to, first of all, stand up for the
religious rights and freedoms that are guaranteed in our Constitution.
I think it is very fitting and appropriate to remember that George
Washington was there and helped craft that Bill of Rights, and what is
the first right? The freedom of expression of religion.
We want to not only celebrate that and stand up for that but to also
raise awareness of the concerns that we have and to implore the
Department of Defense to push back on some of the negative policies
that have been coming out that infringe on their rights, and to change
course and to continue to remain strong as a country, preserving those
basic freedoms so that we can continue to be strong in the future as we
have in the past.
So now I want to invite someone who knows from very personal
experience and can speak to this issue, my friend from Georgia,
Representative Doug Collins, who is still an active member of the Air
Force Reserves, not only serving his country in many ways, but also
serving his God by being a chaplain.
Representative Collins, I would like to hear what you have to say
about this very important issue.
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. I appreciate the gentlelady yielding and
being a part of this tonight and really bringing something to the
forefront that we need to discuss. It is a part of our foundation. It
is a part, as you have so rightly shown by that wonderful reproduction
of a painting there, that--our values and our founding were founded
really on a sense of prayer, and not from a prayer that led to an
exclusive Nation, but a prayer that led to an inclusive Nation. I think
that is something that we often many times have forgotten in this
process.
Tonight, as we talk about this, I want to discuss that on Veterans
Day, the President laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solder in
Arlington National Cemetery. As the final resting place for so many men
and women of faith, Arlington is, understandably, full of religious
symbolism. It is considered this country's most hallowed ground.
Veterans Day gives Americans an opportunity to honor those laid to
rest at
[[Page H7098]]
Arlington Cemetery, along with those continuing to serve our great
Nation. Those interred in Arlington's soil gave their lives to uphold
the rights we are blessed to enjoy today.
Sadly, I have become concerned about our servicemembers' ability to
exercise their freedoms. Over the past year, a number of incidents have
caused many to question if the Pentagon and the VA no longer embrace
the religious freedoms its soldiers and patients have bled to defend.
A news report came to light just a few days ago of two military
chaplains being harassed in a Veterans Affairs chaplain training
program in 2012. The VA health programs employ chaplains to minister to
patients receiving care, and these two seasoned officers were looking
to attend to the needs of those in VA care.
I want you to understand these are not new chaplains. These are not
new to the military environment. They were two who had admirably served
in the military as chaplains and gone through this training, which
should have been easy because it had been something they had been doing
their entire career.
However, their suit claims a VA supervisor repeatedly harassed the
chaplains about their Christian beliefs. The supervisor instructed the
chaplains not to pray in the name of Jesus, which is an integral
component of the Christian faith. Even in the context of a group
discussion on faith-based topics, the two chaplains were chastised for
reciting Scripture.
As a chaplain myself, I am just amazed at this process at this
point--chaplains not able to use Scripture of any faith group. That is
the very basis of who we are, no matter what faith background that we
come from, and in ministering to those with faith or without faith, it
is a structural part of who we are.
The chaplains' spiritual beliefs were belittled on multiple
occasions. The harassment by the chaplain's supervisor was so filled
with vitriol that one of them withdrew from the program.
The VA is designed to serve members of the Armed Forces during
periods of need and hardship. If the VA bars chaplains from expressing
themselves, how can we expect servicemembers suffering from private
illnesses to come forward?
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated event. There are numerous
reports of the DOD and VA permitting open hostility to Christian
organizations and those practicing the faith in uniform.
In April, media sources reported that Army soldiers were being
briefed that Christian Evangelicals were to be considered extremist
organizations in the vein of al Qaeda. Similar briefings have
apparently continued, with a similar incident at Camp Shelby in
Alabama--get this, not a few months ago, not when this was first done--
last month. As one who is a Christian Evangelical, to be described with
those in a terrorist organization in the vein of al Qaeda is despicable
and should be stopped.
Earlier this year, the Southern Baptist Convention's Web site had
issues at Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine bases. The Pentagon has
subsequently apologized for the issues, and they said there was never
an intent to restrict servicemembers' access to the Web site, but when
you look at it from an overall perspective, this still continues to be
a concern.
Then we have a gentleman named Mikey Weinstein, who is an ardent
critic of Christians practicing in the military. Mr. Weinstein heads
the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Don't let the title of his
organization fool you. That is what they want you to think.
Mr. Weinstein believes the phrase ``so help me God'' should be
removed from the Air Force Academy's honor oath. This same man
requested and received time to speak with top military brass to discuss
religious freedom in the military. At what point in time should someone
who wants to take away freedom be given the opportunity to go before
our highest military officials to plead a case to remove a very
constitutional right without the benefit of others getting the same
courtesy?
As I continue reflecting on the meeting of Veterans Day, it troubles
my spirit to think that leading military personnel may be targeting
Christian organizations as a part of a personal agenda.
This country has fought such tyrants. Freedom of religion has been
upheld with the blood, sweat, and tears of the U.S. military. Now there
appears to be a strain inside the Pentagon and VA whose mission it is
to take away the soul of our fighting force.
Are we now to tiptoe on the very soil that entombs the brave men and
women who gave their lives for religious liberties and our other
constitutional rights? As a military chaplain myself, I pray not.
Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you very much, Representative Collins. Well
said.
The oath that you talked about, I want to expound on it a little bit
so people understood that what Mikey Weinstein did has had an effect.
The Air Force Academy actually removed a poster portraying the words of
the Academy oath, and the committee is considered removing the phrase
``so help me God'' from the honor oath recited by all incoming cadets.
This is the same oath. Let me read it. This is the oath that every
cadet gives when they come into the Air Force Academy. It is also the
same oath of office for officers and the same oath that Members of
Congress say. This is what they want to remove the ``so help me God''
from:
Having been appointed as an Air Force Cadet in the United
States Air Force, do solemnly swear or affirm that I will
support and defend the Constitution of the United States
against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear
true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this
obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose
of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the
duties of the office of which I am about to enter. So help me
God.
It is a time-honored oath.
This is a serious decision to enter the service of the country,
whether it is in the military or whether it is as a Member of Congress,
and to have them question whether we should remove that or not is
despicable.
Now I would like to turn to a champion on these issues, and that is
my friend from Colorado, Representative Doug Lamborn. I appreciate the
letters that he has authored to push back on many of these attacks on
our religious freedoms.
Representative Lamborn.
Mr. LAMBORN. I thank the gentlelady from Missouri. I know that she is
a leader on military issues. We serve together on the Armed Services
Committee, and she is becoming known as a leader on military issues.
Her passion on religious freedom is also evident through her getting
this time here today. So I appreciate that.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today again in support of religious freedom in
our military. I am honored to represent tens of thousands of men and
women in uniform who serve at the five military installations in my
district in Colorado. Our military is made up of brave and dedicated
men and women of all faiths who deserve to practice their respective
religion free from harassment and malicious attacks.
But there is a growing and troubling pattern of religious
discrimination against our men and women in arms. Earlier this year, an
Army reserve training brief listed Catholics, Evangelical Christians,
Sunni Muslims, and some Jews as ``religious extremists,'' along with
groups like al Qaeda, Hamas, and the KKK. In response to this troubling
report, I sent a letter, along with 34 of my colleagues, to the
Secretary of the Army to express deep concern and to request
information about what is being done to prevent this sort of offensive
briefing from being given again.
In his response, Secretary of the Army John McHugh assured us the
that this briefing was an isolated incident. Secretary McHugh also made
note of a corrective measure that would require all briefings of this
nature to be vetted with the appropriate unit leaders and subject
matter experts prior to presentation.
Sadly, this past month, reports of additional offensive Army
briefings came to light, first, at Camp Shelby in Mississippi, where an
Army Reserve training briefing listed the American Family Association,
a respected Christian organization, as a domestic hate group alongside
groups like the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis, the Black Panthers, and the
Nation of Islam, and also at a Fort Hood briefing that listed Christian
Evangelical groups as a ``threat''
[[Page H7099]]
to the United States. These disturbing reports have made clear that the
offensive briefing given in April was not an isolated incident. This
pattern must be addressed.
I was encouraged to learn that Secretary McHugh, after learning of
the most recent incidents, issued an order to cease all briefings on
the subject of extremist organizations and activities. Secretary McHugh
rightly described the mislabeling of Christian Evangelical groups as
``inaccurate, objectionable, and otherwise inconsistent with current
Army policy.''
I commend Secretary McHugh's recent action and believe it was a step
in the right direction. However, these Army briefings are small
examples of what I believe is a larger issue, which is a pattern of
intolerance toward people of faith in the military.
In addition to briefings mislabeling Christians, we have also seen a
Christian chaplain ordered to remove a religious column he had written
which simply detailed the history of the phrase ``there are no atheists
in foxholes.'' Active efforts are underway to remove the phrase ``so
help me God'' from the Air Force Academy oath. The President, upon
signing the National Defense Authorization Act, actually called
religious freedom protections for military chaplains and other
servicemembers ``unnecessary and ill-advised.''
I have no idea how he could say this.
Mr. Speaker, this religious intolerance is unacceptable. Our Nation
was founded on Judeo-Christian principles but has always believed in
freedom of self-expression and intolerance. We owe it to our men and
women in uniform to defend these basic rights.
Religious freedom is an integral component of America's greatness and
has been a pillar of our Nation from the very beginning. You can see
the picture that Representative Hartzler showed of George Washington.
It has also been a strong part of our military heritage.
We must remain firmly committed to defending that freedom.
Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you, Representative Lamborn. That was very good.
I appreciate the summary of some of the concerns that we had of the
pattern that has developed of the intolerance in the military of
religious expression. So thank you for your leadership on that.
I would now like to turn to my friend from Texas, Representative
Roger Williams.
{time} 1800
Mr. WILLIAMS. Thank you, Congresswoman. I appreciate your leadership.
Mr. Speaker, in our Nation's 237 years, over 25 million men and women
have served in the Armed Forces. They wear the uniform, fight our
enemies, defend their homeland, protect their fellow man in battle,
honor their fallen comrades, and, perhaps most importantly, they honor
their oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States
against all enemies foreign and domestic.
Mr. Speaker, the First Amendment of the Constitution states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
Freedom of religion is how we live our faith, not just where we
attend worship services. Soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines
stationed domestically are able to attend their religious services; and
for troops overseas who aren't able to walk off base in enemy territory
to attend a service, there are military chaplains who facilitate
services for them. But religious freedom doesn't just cover worship
services; it covers the exercise of religion.
Regrettably, in the last few years, many instances of religious
intolerance in the military have come to light, specifically targeting
Christianity. Soldiers are being told by superiors that they cannot
associate themselves with Christian groups and that evangelical
Christians are a threat to the United States. These soldiers are told
not to associate with, contribute to, or be a part of these Christian
groups.
This is not only an outrage. It is un-American and a direct violation
of the Constitution that these men and women have sworn with their
lives to uphold. Troops do not take an oath to their superiors, the
President, the government or to Congress. They take an oath to defend
the Constitution, which protects their religious liberty.
The Department of Defense's rules and regulations protecting these
rights need to be enforced. As a whole, the military overwhelmingly
respects the rights and religious beliefs of individuals, but these so-
called ``isolated incidents'' of intimidation and coercion must end
now--immediately.
Mr. Speaker, our Armed Forces are willing and ready to answer the
call of duty, and so many have made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve
the freedoms and liberties we as Americans value so dearly. My
district, the 25th District of Texas, is home to Fort Hood, which is
the largest military installation in America. The patriots at Fort Hood
deserve to have someone fighting on their behalf when their rights as
Americans are violated.
Congress must ensure that every time a man or a woman makes the
admirable decision to join the military, he is not signing away his
First Amendment rights. Let's make sure right here, right now that our
policies leave no room for interpretation when it comes to the
military's right to freely practice its religion. After all, we are one
Nation under God. In God, we always trust.
Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you so much, Representative Williams. Well said.
I appreciate it very much.
Now I would like to yield to a real leader on this, one who has been
at the forefront of ensuring that our men and women in uniform are not
discriminated against based on their religious beliefs. He was the
author of the amendment of the National Defense Authorization Act last
year and this year, an amendment which protects those freedoms. I would
now like to turn to John Fleming from Louisiana.
Mr. FLEMING. I thank the gentlelady from Missouri.
I thank you for your leadership and also, tonight, for having this
great time for us to come together to talk about a subject that, I
think, is increasingly important.
With great foresight and clarity, the Founding Fathers enshrined
religious liberty as our First Amendment right, stating:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
This is an important constitutional right that is for every American,
including servicemembers who defend those very liberties with their own
lives.
The ability to live one's life informed by one's faith is not just a
protected constitutional right; it is also essential for the individual
well-being of our soldiers. In the uniquely stressful military
environment, Congress must ensure that our men and women in uniform can
access religious support and practice their faith without risking
career reprisals.
Servicemembers increasingly fear even mentioning their faith in the
military because of restrictions, uncertain policies surrounding
religious expression, and a general climate of hostility towards those
with particular religious or moral viewpoints. This is not your
father's military. This is not the military you served in. This is a
different military when it comes to respecting religious rights and
freedoms.
Last year, the House Armed Services Committee adopted an amendment to
the National Defense Authorization Act, section 533, that provided
protections of sincerely held religious beliefs for servicemembers and
chaplains. However, we have yet to see the regulations that should have
been issued in accordance with this amendment.
In a March 2013 JAG memorandum, the Air Force clearly showed that it
is interpreting section 533 as only protecting the religious beliefs of
servicemembers and not the actual expression of those beliefs through
actions and free speech. For heaven's sakes, of course the military
can't say anything about what you believe because nobody knows what you
believe unless you express those beliefs in some way or another.
Just as the First Amendment does not mean just freedom of worship
but, rather, the free exercise of religion, servicemembers are not only
protected in holding a belief but are free to live their lives in
accordance with those beliefs and to give voice to them.
This June, on a bipartisan basis, the House Armed Services Committee
adopted my amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to
[[Page H7100]]
clarify the protections provided for actions and speech that flow from
sincerely held religious and moral convictions.
My amendment provides the Department flexibility to ensure the morale
and readiness needs of servicemembers are met upon the application of
this provision. It clarifies that action and speech, along with the
beliefs of a servicemember, are protected by the First Amendment, and
it requires that the DOD consult with the faith groups, which already
work with the military to endorse military chaplains, when implementing
section 533.
While the military context requires good order and discipline to be
maintained, ``good order and discipline'' cannot be wielded as a club
to stifle the reasonable religious expression of servicemembers.
So what am I really talking about here? Let me give you some
examples:
A servicemember received a severe and possibly career-ending
reprimand from his commanding officer for respectfully expressing his
faith's religious position in a personal religious blog even though the
blog included a disclaimer that his views were not official
military policy;
An Air Force officer kept a Bible on his desk, along with other
personal items, for 18 years. When he transferred to his latest
assignment, he was told by his supervisor that he could not keep his
Bible in public view, that it may offend someone if one actually saw
his Bible;
Walter Reed Hospital briefly prohibited the distribution of religious
materials, i.e., Bibles and scripture of any faith, from being given to
wounded servicemembers;
Thousands of Army Reserve soldiers received equal opportunity
training, labeling evangelical Christians, Catholics, ultra-Orthodox
Jews, and others as ``religious extremists'' who are comparable to the
KKK and al Qaeda. This training, which was memorialized in writing,
further instructed the servicemembers that they may not support such
extremist organizations by attending meetings, fund-raising,
recruiting, helping lead or organize or distributing literature. In
other words, thousands of soldiers were told that they could not go to
church, lead Sunday school, tithe, share their faith or give out
Bibles;
Another series of equal opportunity training sessions held for Army
active components at Camp Shelby in Alabama and again at Fort Hood in
Texas listed a prominent ministry, the American Family Association, as
an extremist group alongside the KKK. I am pleased that Secretary
McHugh, upon being made aware of these particular types of egregious
training materials, canceled all future equal opportunity training
until the DOD gets its act together;
There is the case of Sergeant Monk, a fine young man whom I met
personally, who was relieved of his position after objecting to his
commander's plans to punish an instructor who had expressed religious
objections to gay marriage. When asked about his own support of
traditional marriage, Sergeant Monk was told that he was in violation
of Air Force policy. Yes, because he supported traditional marriage, he
was in violation of Air Force policy, and after 19 years--almost 20
years, almost reaching retirement--he was fired;
In performing his official duties, an Air Force chaplain, Lieutenant
Colonel Reyes, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, wrote a
column on the ``Chaplain's Corner'' Web site, titled ``No Atheists in
Foxholes: Chaplains Gave All in World War II.'' The column traces the
history of the famous phrase used by President Eisenhower, and connects
it to the idea that the military is unique in that servicemembers must
confront the grim reality of death.
He writes:
Everyone expresses some form of faith every day whether it
is religious or secular. Some express faith by believing,
when they get up in the morning, they will arrive at work in
one piece . . . What is the root or object of your faith? Is
it something you can count on in times of plenty or loss?
peace or chaos? joy or sorrow? success or failure? What is
``faith'' to you?
Finally, the column did not speak negatively of people of no faith or
of people of non-faith, though the commander removed the column from
the ``Chaplain's Corner'' Web page. The commander later reposted the
column after media attention and congressional inquiries.
I would just like to say in conclusion, Mr. Speaker, that we are
seeing an assault on religious liberty, not just on religion--not just
on Christianity--but on religious liberty in a way this Nation has
never seen before. Bear in mind, why did our forefathers--why did our
ancestors--come to this Nation? They came for different reasons--
economic freedom, freedom of speech and other things--but primarily for
religious freedom.
That is the one freedom that appears to be slipping away in the most
important venue that we have, and that is in the military, because who
pays a heavier price for that freedom than our uniformed members who
stand in the gap, who protect us each and every day in our own
freedoms?
Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you so much Representative Fleming. Your
leadership has really made a difference and appreciate your comments.
I know another colleague from Texas who is a captain in the Army
probably has a few things to share about this so I would like to hear
from my friend Louie Gohmert.
Mr. GOHMERT. I thank my friend from Missouri for yielding and for
setting up this time that we could share about what is going on.
Just in contrast to my friend from Louisiana's examples of the abuses
of military members' First Amendment rights, the government is not
supposed to prohibit the free exercise of religion. Of course, we know
in the military--I knew--that there are some things you give up when
you are in the military. You can't assemble when you want to, and you
can't speak when you want to, but Commanders in Chief have always known
that when it comes to religious liberty, you should not infringe upon
people's religious beliefs, especially when they believe they are
fighting for a country in which people could have First Amendment
rights to utilize and to worship God.
In fact, of course, in my 4 years in the Army, we didn't have a
Commander in Chief who had issued an order--attributed to George
Washington--that people should not take the name of the Lord in vain,
because how can we ask God's blessing on our military at the same time
and in the same mouth as one's taking God's name in vain? That was not
the order of the day when I was in the Army; but by the same token, you
saw crosses at chapels on military installations. You saw crosses
inside of chapels and outside of chapels. Now they have been removed,
we have been told, from the insides and outsides of chapels on military
installations. It is outrageous.
We hear people call the generation in America that won World War II--
making the world safer for democracy--the Greatest Generation. Yet, if
you look at what occurred during World War II, you had a President of
the United States who went on national radio on D-day and prayed about
the evil forces that our troops were trying to defeat. He prayed God's
blessing openly for several minutes on national radio.
I was given by my aunt a New Testament with a metal cover. There are
all kinds of stories about these metal covers actually stopping bullets
when they were placed in pockets, but on this metal cover, it says,
``May the Lord be with you.''
Under the new rules, I haven't seen anything that this Commander in
Chief has signed or said of ``you can't practice your Christian
beliefs'' or ``we are not going to afford you conscience exemptions''
like have always been provided throughout our country. I haven't seen
that.
{time} 1815
But as Harry Truman said, the buck stops with the Commander in Chief.
Whether it is actually stopping with Valerie Jarrett, or wherever it is
stopping, the Commander in Chief has the power to get the buck, bring
it to his desk, and make these decisions.
Well, here is what Franklin D. Roosevelt did. Here in this New
Testament, it says, ``May the Lord be with you on the front.'' Inside,
at the top, it says, ``The White House, Washington.''
As Commander in Chief, I take pleasure in commending the
reading of the Bible to all who serve in the Armed Forces of
the United States. Throughout the centuries, men of many
faiths and diverse origins have found
[[Page H7101]]
in the Sacred Book words of wisdom, counsel, and inspiration.
It is a fountain of strength, and now, as always, an aid in
attaining the highest aspirations of the human soul.
Signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt.
I have been trying to find a Bible in recent days that has an
inscription or signature from the current Commander in Chief who has
said he takes such great inspiration from Franklin Roosevelt. Instead,
not only do we not find Bibles being encouraged and handed out, we see
crosses being taken back, people being told they can't even have their
own Bible where people might see it. It is an outrage.
I worry for our Nation, just as George Washington did. How can we
expect God to bless a nation that is not being allowed to even praise
God publicly in our military? It is a sad day. But what is more, if
George Washington is right, we are stripping our Nation of the
opportunity to have our military blessed because of what was done in
prior militaries that brought about blessings.
Even if you don't believe in God whatsoever, why wouldn't you want to
at least have an insurance policy that maybe the reason they were
blessed was because of things like this done for our military in our
military, signed by the President of the United States? Obviously, this
is a stamp of the President's signature.
But again, I appreciate my friend from Missouri. #MilitaryFreedom--we
encourage people, Mr. Speaker, to utilize that, to get us information,
because we want to help our military protect us.
I thank so much Mrs. Hartzler for this effort and for this hour and
encourage all of our colleagues, Mr. Speaker, to stand up for what is
right for our military--their freedom of religion.
Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you. I really appreciate you bringing your Bible
and sharing that story. I think that really brings home how things have
changed and how we need to go back to having an administration and a
Department of Defense that protects and preserves and promotes the
exercise of religion among our troops for the protection and blessing
of not only them, but our country.
Now I would like to turn to my friend from Illinois, just a little
ways to the east here, Randy Hultgren, to share on this important
topic.
Mr. HULTGREN. Thank you, Congresswoman Hartzler, for putting this
together. I appreciate your important work on this. This is such an
important subject for us to be talking about.
Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight troubled by what appears to be growing
attacks on the religious freedom of those serving in our military. Our
great Nation, as you all know, was founded on the principle that all
men and women have a natural right to freely practice their respective
faiths. These rights extend equally to the brave men and women who
serve in our Armed Forces. Our founding documents were written with the
express purpose of protecting the inalienable rights of American
citizens, including that of religious liberties. The First Amendment
states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
In 1785, the father of the Constitution, James Madison, said:
The religion then of every man must be left to the
conviction of conscience of every man, and it is the right of
every man to exercise it as these may dictate.
He recognized that one's faith contains dictates that, barring harm
to others, demand obedience from adherents. And obedience not only in
thought and behavior, but also by speech and action as well. An
individual's faith is inseparable from the way in which he or she lives
and acts.
If the Federal Government would curtail the religious speech and
action of military members, they would be clearly overstepping the
bounds of the Constitution. Unfortunately, over the past several years,
a string of aggressive government actions has chilled the religious
practice of members of our Armed Forces. These soldiers defend our
freedoms abroad but did not expect to lose those freedoms at home.
Earlier this year, an officer in the Air Force was asked to remove
the Bible he kept on his desk. He was told his displaying his Bible
made others uncomfortable and that he could, as a superior, be seen as
forcing his religion on others.
Does this mean that President Obama has forced his religion on others
when he put his hand on President Lincoln's Bible as he swore the oath
of office on inauguration day? When did freedom for religion become
conflated with freedom from religion?
While attempting to avoid elevating one faith above the rest--an
admirable goal--the government has stifled all religion. The so-called
``protection'' from religious expression extends further into
servicemembers' personal lives.
An Army chaplain's assistant was reprimanded for expressing her views
informed by her faith regarding human sexuality on her own private
Facebook profile. Her post was created in her free time and was only
visible to her friends and family. Yet, once the post was discovered, a
superior demanded she remove it or potentially face disciplinary
action, including loss of rank and pay. She eventually was forced to
acquiesce and remove the post.
These are not isolated incidents, but reflect an institutionwide
problem.
Take, for example, a memo released September 14, 2011, to Walter Reed
National Military Medical Center. Here is an excerpt from a section
regarding visits by religious leaders:
No religious items (i.e. Bibles, reading material, and/or
artifacts) are allowed to be given away or used during a
visit.
So the memo prevented a priest visiting an ailing parishioner from
bringing his Bible--or imam, his Koran--with him to the hospital. This
sparked a national outcry and the memo was quickly rescinded under the
claim that it was an ``accident.'' So the memo was ``accidental.''
But what about military briefings? Are they ``accidental'' as well?
Last month, several dozen U.S. Army Active and Reserve troops were
advised to treat the American Family Association as a hate group.
Apparently, the Christian ministry's support for traditional marriage
was enough for the instructor to slap on the ``hate group'' label.
Fortunately, again under public pressure, the Pentagon later retracted
the label.
Similarly, a West Point think tank released a report at the beginning
of the year labeling ``far right'' conservative groups, specifically
those holding pro-life values, as extremists and domestic terrorists.
Because a few radical and disturbed activists have used violence to
further their cause, the report lumped in everyone who believed in the
sanctity of all life as terrorists. It is dangerous and disingenuous to
paint with such broad strokes, blaming entire groups for the terrible
actions of a few individuals.
These stories are just a few examples of rising sentiment that
attacks the expression of religion in our military first and then asks
questions later. Taken individually, these incidents are cause for
concern. Taken together, we must wonder whether this widespread
activity is more than just coincidence.
We must also wonder why a distinguished institution has taken a
political position in opposition and opposing those who have long
championed the very values the military purports to uphold. Soldiers
are being told with more frequency that religion has no place in the
military. If they hope to rise in the ranks or escape punishment, they
must leave their faith at the door.
The military is unique in its power to make broad demands over
individual servicemembers, demands that can't be made over civilians.
No one should be forced to choose between service to country and his or
her faith. We must ensure that men and women in uniform have the
ability to practice that faith without fear of reprimand.
The First Amendment secures the freedom of religious expression for
all Americans, including those who protect our freedoms. How could we
allow this liberty to be stripped away from our soldiers, our sailors,
our pilots? Our brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers in the Armed
Forces all deserve the same rights and liberties that we enjoy--the
very ones that they fought to protect. Let's defend them at home as
they defend us abroad.
Again, thank you Congresswoman Hartzler for doing this.
Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you, Congressman Hultgren.
I think that is a very good point--that we should defend their rights
as they are defending us.
[[Page H7102]]
I am looking forward and very much appreciate my colleague from
Michigan, who is here tonight as well, because he has put his life on
the line, starting after high school, going to serve in Vietnam--I
believe you were an infantry rifleman to start off with--and then ended
up all the way serving with the military police over in Iraq.
First of all, thank you for your service. Thank you for what you are
doing to defend freedoms even today as we talk about this important
issue. So I yield time to you.
Mr. BENTIVOLIO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlewoman
from Missouri for the opportunity to speak on this very important
topic.
Mr. Speaker, a few months ago, I read a report that really bothered
me. The story said that Army briefs labeled Evangelical Christians and
Catholics as ``extremists.'' That really disturbs me, and it should
disturb everyone in this room--in fact, everyone in this country.
We have to remember that the men and women in our Armed Forces
represent a microcosm of America. Although they have a variety of
beliefs, they work together to defend us. On the battlefield, the enemy
doesn't care what you look like or what God you worship. I serve God
and country in that order, as did many of my fellow soldiers.
It was the greatest honor of my life to serve my country, first as an
infantryman, as you said, and later in the Michigan Army National Guard
for more than 20 years. I can say without a doubt that the soldiers I
served with represented the best America had to offer. That is still
true today as well. Millions of them are Christians. It is wrong and
disrespectful to equate those who believe in traditional values with
members of a hate group. Our military should grant mutual respect to
everyone in the armed services, because that diversity is what makes
America great.
Before I close, I would like to remind everyone about that famous
prayer that was addressed or mentioned in the gentleman from Texas'
speech. A great general said before the soldiers embarked on that
great, great battle on D-day:
Good luck. And let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty
God upon this great and noble undertaking.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you.
We have another friend from California here, Representative Doug
LaMalfa. We are so glad that he is here, and I want to yield time to
you to hear what your thoughts are on this very important topic of
religious freedom in our military.
Mr. LaMALFA Thank you, Mrs. Hartzler. I really, really appreciate you
leading the charge on this very important issue that is probably not
noticed by a lot of Americans these days, but is certainly being
noticed by those members of the military that wish to express their
religious freedoms as they see fit.
Indeed, that was really one of the cornerstone issues of the Founders
on several items: on taxation, of course, on private property and
private property rights, and very importantly, the ability of Americans
in the new country to express their religious views as they see fit, to
have the freedom to do that.
So it is rather amazing, and certainly appalling, that in our own
military we see this going on where those rights are being suppressed,
especially what we are hearing tonight with some of my previous
colleagues' speeches about Christianity. Having a Bible on a desk
somehow is a problem for somebody? How have we gotten to this point
here? How can people be labeled somehow as part of a terrorist
organization when actually these are peaceful enterprises where you are
trying to bring people together under the grace of God?
{time} 1830
I have, in my Washington, D.C., office and in one of my district
offices, this portrait here of General Washington as a reminder, as a
way for me to continue to seek humility myself. General Washington,
Valley Forge, what a man of principle, of humility, of grace. This
picture captures so much. He knew it was important that he bow to God,
and it certainly served him well and served the founding of this
country at a very perilous time when the fledgling Revolutionary War
could have gone either way at the time. He is an example for all of us
back then and right now. That is why I like that portrait so much, and
I am glad you brought it here tonight.
The reasons, as put by the Founders for our religious freedom, have
been mentioned here. It is a right guaranteed by the First Amendment.
Those who were willing to lay down their lives for us fought for that
for all Americans, and we should be guaranteed this right without any
questions asked.
So I feel it is a duty for me, as one Member of Congress, and my
colleagues here tonight in speaking about this to work to fight to
uphold that right. Who has taken over in our military that thinks that
this is acceptable, to suppress this freedom of expression of religion?
I don't understand it. So we are here to protect those servicemembers
as well and that ability to have that freedom.
We know that the chaplaincy was formed in 1775 at the behest of
General Washington, who knew and acknowledged at that time how
important religious freedom was to our soldiers. The chaplains exist to
facilitate the free exercise of religion under the First Amendment for
servicemembers, and they faithfully administer to servicemembers of all
faith, or of no faith. I think that is a key thing to mention here.
We have all heard the story mentioned earlier as well about ``there
are no atheists in foxholes.'' You may have heard that phrase. It goes
back to a story by Father Cummings, who was a civilian Catholic priest
in the Philippines. The phrase was coined during the Japanese attack at
Corregidor. During the siege, Cummings had noticed that non-Catholics
were attending his services. Some he knew were not Catholic; some were
not religious. Some he knew were atheists. Christ just brings out a
desire for something greater than ourselves and a need to look within
or above. With the pending surrender of Allied forces to the Japanese,
Cummings began calming men down by reciting The Lord's Prayer and
offering up prayers on their behalf. He then uttered the famous phrase,
``there's no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole.''
Well, we all know there are all different types of religions in this
Nation and people who practice no religion. They choose to have their
own way of looking at things. And we embrace all that. Everybody has
that right. Everybody has that ability.
So atheists are still allowed to be atheists, but to have a group of
people dictate to everybody else--how many times have we seen these
battles, such as a high school graduation, somebody wants to sue to
stop a prayer or a nativity scene? If you don't like it, don't pay
attention to it, because the rest of us sure see a lot of offensive
things in TV and commercials and the T-shirts people wear, even
people's hygiene, and we don't go around being able to stop them from
expressing themselves that way.
So it certainly goes against the founding of this country to be
oppressing people's views; and, indeed, it is contributing to, I think,
a breaking down of our military and its strength to have this kind of
oppression going on.
So being able to join Mrs. Hartzler tonight here and my other
colleagues and pointing this out to the American public and then doing
something about it here in these Halls of Congress is a necessary
thing. I thank my colleague for bringing this topic up tonight and
allowing me to speak.
Mrs. HARTZLER. I thank you for your kind words expressing how
important it is we stand strong for our military. We want our military
to be strong, and their ability to be able to pray and hold on to their
faith, to express their faith is what makes them strong. It is part of
it, so we don't want to undermine that. Thank you for those words.
Now I turn to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Nunnelee), from
Mississippi's First District, to hear his thoughts on this and thank
him for his letter that he authored to the Secretary of the Army that
got a very positive response. So thank for your leadership.
Mr. NUNNELEE. Thank you, Mrs. Hartzler, and I appreciate your
leadership in this area.
[[Page H7103]]
You know, when the Framers of our Constitution put together this
government and submitted it to the people, the American people looked
at it and said, You did a good job, but it is not perfect. There is
something that is missing, and that something is a Bill of Rights
guaranteeing individual freedoms for all Americans. And so those 10
planks were constructed and added as part of the ratification process.
I am convinced that if those 10 planks had not been added, the
Constitution would not have been ratified. I do not believe it is
insignificant that the first sentence of the First Amendment guarantees
freedom of religion:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
And our men and women in the military take an oath of office to
support and defend that very Constitution, but they do not surrender
that First Amendment right immediately when they put on a uniform.
The trend of military instructors and officers portraying Christians
and socially conservative nonprofit organizations as ``extremists'' and
potential threats to our Nation is unconscionable. Recently, they
labeled the American Family Association, a group in my district that by
their very name indicates that they are committed to the preservation
of the American people. The fact that they are labeled as an extremist
organization, unbelievable.
These developments are part of what appears to be a mounting culture
for religious intolerance and hostility towards Christians within the
military. I do not believe that adequate steps have been taken to
address the root cause of these incidents, and that is why I put
together the letter that Mrs. Hartzler referred to to the Secretary of
the Army, along with a number of my colleagues, to communicate our
concerns regarding these developments and ask for the details on what
the Army is doing to foster a culture of religious liberty among our
men and women in our military.
While our Founding Fathers prohibited the establishment of a State-
established religion, they purposely did not restrict references to God
or personal beliefs in civic dialogue, military service, or everyday
life.
Mr. Speaker, the dais on which you sit, over which you preside this
great House, has behind it the American flag. Above that flag are the
four words of our national motto: ``In God We Trust.''
Congress has a responsibility to fight attempts within our military
to restrict the religious liberty of those who serve our Nation and
work to safeguard these freedoms. It is intolerable for those brave men
and women serving our country to be denied these very freedoms they are
putting their lives on the line to defend.
Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you very much for your leadership, and for
bringing up those excellent points.
Now I would like to turn to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Huelskamp)
to share his thoughts on this important topic, the military and
religions freedom.
Mr. HUELSKAMP. Congresswoman Hartzler, I appreciate your leadership
on this topic. It is so essential, not just to our brave men and women
serving in the military, but also to our foundation as a Nation.
I would like to identify two stories that occurred in the last month
and a half in the military. They are very troubling.
During the government slowdown in October, the administration, it was
reported in some parts of the media, required all chapels that were
serviced by contract chaplains to be closed.
In particular, I visited with Father Ray Leonard, who served a naval
base in South Carolina. He was not informed ahead of time. He showed up
for Saturday evening mass to a locked door at the chapel. Door locked.
It said, Come back. Shut down. Go away. People from his congregation
were pouring into the parking lot and were forbidden, a locked door,
not allowed to enter. He said, I want to volunteer. I want to do it for
free. I want to say mass. The government said no.
Father Ray Leonard had a long history. He just had come back from
serving as a missionary in China. His words were:
I expected that in China. I expected a locked church door
in China, but not in America, not on a military base.
The Department of Defense decided they were going to punish men and
women of faith by locking those doors.
Another case of a chaplain in Texas, the first day of the government
slowdown, he was ordered to come to the office. By 10 a.m., his
BlackBerry was taken from him. All of his contact information was taken
from him, as was his computer. He was forbidden to answer any private
calls. He was forbidden to answer emails. He was forbidden to
communicate with any of the folks he was in the middle of counseling.
Those are folks suffering from PTSD. During the entire shutdown, the
government forbade him to serve as a chaplain.
It is those kinds of things that you are wondering what they are
thinking at the Department of Defense in this administration because,
as James Madison wrote, ``conscience is the most sacred of all
properties''--but if you refuse access to chaplains, the folks who are
putting their lives on the line.
I was in the White House in April when the Congressional Medal of
Honor was granted to Father Emil Kapaun from Kansas, and the President
talked about his great history and how he inspired Catholics and
Protestants and Jews and Muslims at that death camp, and he received an
award and a tremendous honor. He was a tremendous man and a tremendous
leader, but he is the very type of person that I believe today would
not be allowed to serve in our U.S. military. That is a shame. But most
devastating, it is not just a shame; it is a loss to the men and women
who are looking for that type of support, that type of encouragement,
that type of inspiration. This was a Nation founded with his blessings,
and then we turn around and lock the church door. We turn around and
kick chaplains out who actually have views that differ with the
administration. This is an attack on religious liberty in the military.
Who will be there to defend the religious liberty of our members of the
armed services? We are there.
Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you very much. We started off with a poster of
George Washington praying at Valley Forge. We have come a long ways in
this country. You have heard the stories tonight of how that freedom to
express religion is under attack. It is time for the pattern of
intimidation and intolerance and coercion to stop. It is time to
preserve and defend religious freedom to keep America strong and keep
our armed services strong.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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