The only thing missing in action at an Ohio military base is the POW/MIA Bible! After Youngstown and Akron VAs knuckled under to bullies, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base has fallen prey to the same threats. Officials caved to demands of the far-Left extremists of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), who insist on desecrating the memory of the fallen to satisfy their politically correct agenda.
The "Missing Man" table is a common display at military functions and installations across the country with the express purposes of honoring those who never returned from war. To rob those families of this display to make a political point is both disturbing and disgraceful. Still, a Wright-Patt spokeswoman insisted the base had "thoroughly assessed" the situation. "Mutual respect is an essential part of the Air Force culture, and we must ensure we create an environment in which people can realize their highest potential, regardless of one's personal, religious, or other beliefs."
Nonsense, says FRC's Chris Gacek. "We think it's a clear First Amendment violation. We don't see how anyone would mistake the table for representing the government... We think that this action is vile to both the expressive and religious rights of the people there." As our own Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin has said before, U.S. servicemen and women know the enemy -- and the Bible isn't it! Today, the Military Religious Freedom Coalition, led by FRC, sent a letter to VA Secretary Robert McDonald urging him to intervene and return the Bible to its rightful place at the Akron and Youngstown "Missing Man Tables." Actions like these, the groups write, "clearly represents a government intrusion into the religious and expressive rights of the staff and patients at the VA facility... A Bible resting passively along with other tradition elements of this display does not promote any single religion... Please recall that our country was founded, in part, upon the realization that all people are endowed with God-given rights that include free expression and freedom of religion." The 64,000 people who signed FRC and American Family Association petitions calling for the reinstatement of the Bible understand that. Let's hope the Air Force and VA aren't far behind.
