Air Force Refuses To Reenlist Atheist Airman

Creech Air Force Base (courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
Creech Air Force Base (courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

The American Humanist Association has intervened to help an atheist airman who wants to continue serving his country but isn’t able to do so because he isn’t willing to swear a religious oath.

An airman based at Creech Air Force Base near Las Vegas wanted to reenlist after his initial service obligation ended. Since he is an atheist, he crossed out the last four words of the standard enlistment oath–“so help me God”–when he signed his reenlistment contract. However, on August 25, his superiors rejected the contract out of hand and told him that he had to sign the contract without any reservations if he wanted to stay in the Air Force. The airman alerted the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, who sent the case to the AHA’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center.


On Tuesday, the AHLC’s Monica Miller sent a strongly worded letter to the airman’s superiors as well as the inspectors general for both Creech and the Air Force demanding that the airman be allowed to stay in the Air Force by swearing a secular enlistment oath. The letter points out–rightly–that this oath is unconstitutional on several counts. Not only does it violate both First Amendment provisions regarding religious freedom, it also violates Article VI of the Constitution, which bars the federal government or any of its institutions from requiring religious tests for anyone holding a public office or public trust. Unless the airman is allowed the chance to swear a secular oath, the AHLC is prepared to sue the airman’s commanding officers on the airman’s behalf. Miller wrote that the actions of the airman’s commanding officers are so egregious that they could potentially be sued in both their official and individual capacities.

Previously, airmen had the option of taking a secular oath. However, in 2013, a revised Air Force Instruction, or general order, eliminated this option, and airmen are no longer authorized to omit “so help me God” in their oath. Air Force spokeswoman Rose Richeson said this change was made to conform with the statutory requirement that “so help me God” be recited. The Air Force claims its hands are tied unless Congress changes the statute. Last time I checked, the Constitution trumps acts of Congress.

Ian Milhiser of Think Progress notes that while the courts have traditionally given considerable deference to the president and Congress on military matters, they have indicated that at least one bright line is that religious oaths cannot be imposed as a condition of being allowed to fight for this country. Milhiser happened to read Girouard v. United States, a 1946 Supreme Court decision that held pacifism on religious grounds cannot be used to disqualify someone from becoming a naturalized citizen. In his majority opinion, Justice William Douglas wrote that such a requirement was “abhorrent to our tradition” of religious freedom.


This 2013 change appears to be but the latest instance in a disturbing trend in the military–growing hostility against nonreligious soldiers. For a long time, I thought the most egregious example of this hostility came last year, when it emerged that a Marine Corps training document suggested lack of religious belief was a sign that a Marine may be contemplating suicide. This is far worse by a city mile though. This sort of mentality is not just oppressive to the nonreligious. It’s also oppressive to Christians, like yours truly, who have the crazy idea that maybe, just maybe, we need to learn to coexist with those who don’t believe in God.

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edited by h/l


Darrell Lucus.jpg Darrell Lucus, also known as Christian Dem in NC at Daily Kos, is a radical-lefty Jesus-lover who has been blogging for change for a decade. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook.

Darrell is a 30-something graduate of the University of North Carolina who considers himself a journalist of the old school. An attempt to turn him into a member of the religious right in college only succeeded in turning him into the religious right's worst nightmare--a charismatic Christian who is an unapologetic liberal. His desire to stand up for those who have been scared into silence only increased when he survived an abusive three-year marriage. You may know him on Daily Kos as Christian Dem in NC. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook. Click here to buy Darrell a Mello Yello.