November 2, 2005
A letter sent to President Bush with 69 signatures of members of the U.S. House of Representatives explained that Christian military chaplains are being told not to mention the Name of Jesus when they pray publicly. The representatives wrote, “We are gravely concerned to learn that the Christian military chaplains are under direct attack and that their right to pray according to their faith is in jeopardy. As you may know, the Air Force leadership recently released proposed guidelines that will restrict how Air Force chaplains can pray, and, if approved, those guidelines may well be implemented throughout the entire Department of Defense. We believe that the Air Force's suppression of religious freedom is a pervasive problem throughout our nation's Armed Forces.” The letter requested that Bush, as commander-in-chief, protect by executive order the constitutional right of military chaplains to pray according to their faith.
Another letter, signed by 35 members of the House of Representatives, was sent to Acting Secretary of the Air Force Pete Geren expressing “serious reservations” with the Air Force's “Interim Guidelines Concerning Free Exercise of Religion in the Air Force.” Congressman Todd Akin, who has two sons at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, said, “We're seeing . . . a pattern of hostility to freedom of speech [that is] not only limited to the Air Force.”