[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17763]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                IN SUPPORT OF MILITARY RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. KERRY L. BENTIVOLIO

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 20, 2013

  Mr. BENTIVOLIO. Mr. Speaker, doing the right thing is a core 
principle for our American soldiers. Doing the right thing for the 
right reason and with the right goal is even better. People of 
character must possess the desire to act ethically in all situations. 
One of our military's primary responsibilities is to maintain an 
ethical climate that supports development of such character. General 
Douglas MacArthur once said, ``No nation can safely trust its martial 
honor to leaders who do not maintain the universal code which 
distinguishes between those things that are right and those things that 
are wrong.''
  Organizations often reinforce its belief system to its members. In 
the United States, our founding documents reflect the fundamental 
principles of our nation.
  The Constitution guarantees the freedom of religion. The military, 
which swears to protect the Constitution, places high value on the 
rights of its personnel to observe tenets of their religious faiths. It 
also demands respect for all individual differences in moral background 
and personal conviction. While religious beliefs and practices remain a 
decision of individual conscience, military commanders are responsible 
for ensuring that their subordinates have the opportunity to practice 
their religion. Under no circumstances can they deny military personnel 
the freedom of religion.
  Military Chaplains are staff officers with specialized training and 
specific responsibilities for ensuring the free exercise of religion. 
They advise and assist leaders and individual personnel on matters of 
faith and conscience, especially in a hostile environment. We must 
support our chaplain corps to help military personnel who desire it to 
achieve a proper faith based mindset.
  The Honorable Representative Sam Johnson of Texas is a former Vietnam 
prisoner of war. He recently mentioned his faith helped him through the 
hardships of his years of captivity. In Vietnam, as a young 
infantryman, I witnessed countless soldiers saying prayers before 
missions. In Iraq, I heard many of our National Guardsman praying 
before performing our Convoy Combat missions. The importance of a faith 
cannot be understated.
  Our country's distinguished military history gives ample testimony to 
the need for a faith-based character. Every combat veteran understands 
the basic requirements for readiness are not only their training and 
their equipment, but also a prepared mind, heart, and soul to face the 
enemy. An individual's beliefs assist our military personnel on the 
battlefield. Faith helps us face the horror and challenges of battle.
  In combat, ethical choices are not always easy. The right thing may 
not only be unpopular, but dangerous as well. Complex and frightening 
situations often reveal a person's character. Faith-based ethical 
behavior helps prevent atrocities during battle and soldiers and 
Marines have demonstrated a duty-consciousness that ultimately enforces 
a standard of moral decency. The moral courage to do the right thing in 
the midst of chaos and violence stems from the belief in a higher 
power.
  Mr. Speaker, living a faith and ethics go hand in hand. Ethical 
decisions are made every day in military organizations throughout the 
world. They include decisions that directly affect the lives of 
military personnel in the field, innocent noncombatants, military 
civilians, and contractors in the theatre of war. I encourage my fellow 
colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to make value 
and faith-based ethical choices for the good of the Nation. As Members 
of Congress it is our duty to have the strength of character to make 
the right choices that ensure the protection of individual natural 
rights rather than taking them away.

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