To the Editor:

From the time this country’s “founding fathers” composed ‘The Declaration of Independence’ and the Constitution of the United States of America, the belief in God and Christian principles have formed the foundation for our national laws and our principles of fair government of the people, by the people, and for the people throughout this wondrous nation.

General George Washington followed these principles in building the first United States Army. At the same time, he installed chaplains into the Army to provide religious guidance and moral support to the troops. These practices have been continued in the American military forces ever since.

That is, until Barack Obama became President. At that time, President Obama said on more than one occasion that “America is not a Christian nation.” The Obama/Biden Administration then began a policy of banning “religious proselytizing” and/or “religious coercion” in the U.S. military services.

This practice is being reinstated by hold-over Obama bureaucrats who are trying to make the sharing of “faith” in the military a criminal act.

Some examples: (1) The Air Force Academy, under pressure, removed the words “so help me God” from the sacred oath sworn by Academy recruits.

(2) A DoD training directive put Christians in the same category as the Islamist terror group that attacked the US on “9/11” (Sept. 11, 2001).*

(3) that military commanders have been prohibited from informing their units about programs and services offered by Chaplains.

In my 22 years of experience in the USAF, including 100 combat missions, I met a large number of veterans of all our military services; many of them, including my F-105 fighter pilot, expressed a number of religious beliefs.

My opinion is that a belief in a religion, especially Christianity, can have a very beneficial and calming effect for someone who is in a stressful state, such as being in combat.

Richard Grover

Mason Twp

EDITOR’S NOTE: *The DoD Directive 1300.17, dated 9/1/20, states: Establishes DoD policy in furtherance of the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, recognizing that Service members have the right to observe the tenets of their religion, or to observe no religion at all. This allows all religions and beliefs and Implements requirements in Section 2000bb-1 of Title 42, United States Code (U.S.C), also known as “The Religious Freedom Restoration Act” (RFRA), and other laws applicable to the accommodation of religious practices for DoD to provide, in accordance with the RFRA, that DoD Components will normally accommodate practices of a Service member based on a sincerely held religious belief.