Sixty-six members of Congress sent a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Friday urging him to issue guidance to counter an “alarming pattern of attacks on faith in the Air Force.”
In their letter, the lawmakers blame Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz for cultivating a crackdown on religion within the service.
The letter blasts the Air Force for removing Latin references to God in a unit patch, removing religious references in missile training, removing bibles from Air Force Inn checklists and barring commanders from telling airmen about Chaplain Corps programs.
“When our sons and daughters join the military, they are not signing away their First Amendment right to religious liberty,” the letter states. “Unfortunately it seems that some parts of the military are intent on prohibiting religious expressions rather than protecting it.”
The 66 signatures are led by a trio of lawmakers: Reps. Randy Forbes, R-Va.; Diane Black, R-Tenn.; and Todd Akin, R-Mo.
“The Air Force has repeatedly capitulated to demands from groups that seek to remove all traces of faith from the military and the public square. … Those who sacrifice so much for our nation must be assured that they need not leave their faith at home when they volunteer to serve,” Forbes said in a statement.
In the letter, the lawmakers say Schwartz is most responsible for what they say is a continuing pattern of anti-religious bias. They said a Sept. 1, 2011, memo issued by Schwartz imposed a “stringent policy with regards to religion”
“The memo stated that Gen. Schwartz expected ‘chaplains, not commanders, to notify Airmen of Chaplain Corps programs,’ suggesting that the mere mention of these programs is impermissible,” the congressmen’s letter stated.
“We believe this statement exemplifies the troubling ‘complete separation’ approach that is creating a chilling effect down the chain of command as airmen attempt to comply.”
Individual moves taken within Air Force circles since Schwartz’s guidance go beyond the requirements of the U.S. Constitution, lawmakers wrote. “The changes lend credence to the notion that the Air Force will remove any references to God or faith that an outside organization brings to its attention.”
Attempts to reach Schwartz’s office on Friday morning for comment were unsuccessful.
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