Air Force weighs e-mail’s religious neutrality
The Air Force is investigating whether an e-mail sent by a commander in England to airmen under her command violated the military’s stance of religious neutrality, officials confirmed Monday.
The e-mail, sent Jan. 16 by Col. Kimberly Toney, commander of the 501st Combat Support Wing at RAF Mildenhall, referred airmen to an "inspirational" video on a Catholic Web site.
The video featured the life of Nick Vujicic, who was born without arms or legs. In the video, Vujicic says he finds his "greatest joy in this life is to introduce Jesus to those he meets and tell them of his (Jesus’) great desire to get to know them personally by allowing him to become their Lord and Savior."
As first reported by online news magazine The Public Record, some Air Force personnel who watched the video said they believed it violated the military’s ban on endorsing particular religious views. Some said they were even more bothered by other things on the Catholic Web site, 4marks.com, such as an image illustrating President Barack Obama’s support for abortion rights by showing the president in a Nazi uniform and waving a flag with a swastika on it.
The investigation, officially called an "equal opportunity treatment incident clarification," should be completed in a period ranging from a few days to a couple of weeks.
"The Third Air Force Commander (Lt. Gen. Philip Breedlove) will review all information presented to him and determine what action, if any, is warranted," said Darlene Cowsert, a U.S. Air Forces in Europe spokeswoman.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit group that monitors possible religious bias in the military, said it had received about 60 complaints from military personnel regarding Toney’s e-mail, according to a Monday New York Times report.
Stars and Stripes also received letters to the editor criticizing Toney’s message as well as letters in support of the commander.
Master Sgt. Jeffrey L. Thompson, who is a member of Toney’s command, was among those who objected to the e-mail. Although Thompson said he was prevented from filing a formal complaint because the Air Force said he had not suffered any personal harm, officials said Friday that the Third Air Force Command in Europe has opened a broader investigation into the episode, the Times reported.
Thompson was given the opportunity to file an equal opportunity complaint, Cowsert said. Because Thompson did not file a complaint, an equal opportunity treatment incident clarification was initiated, Cowsert said.
Mikey Weinstein, head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said the incident represented a "textbook case" of improper religious influence, according to the Times report.
