Air Force general's statement calls for 'service before self'
The top general in the Air Force issued a servicewide statement on Tuesday warning that mixing religion with the chain of command can break down the teamwork needed for military success.
In his first action since last week's report that the Air Force Academy suffers from religious tensions, Gen. John Jumper told airmen to remember the motto of "service before self," especially chaplains.
"Spiritual strength is what drives us to make sacrifices for others (and) for our nation," Jumper said, adding that the Air Force must recognize that spirituality doesn't reside in one religion.
In the report last week, a team led by the Air Force personnel chief, Lt. Gen. Roger Brady, said evangelical Christians at the Air Force Academy were making non-evangelicals and non-Christians uncomfortable. Brig. Gen. Johnny Weida and football coach Fisher DeBerry released public apologies for using their positions to promote born-again Christian theology.
As Jumper promised more specific guidance soon for the Air Force, a congressional hearing on the report Tuesday showed the tensions between evangelical Christians and those concerned with the evangelical pressure on cadets at the academy.
"I'm a Christian, and Jesus Christ is my personal savior," said Rep. Michael Conaway, R-Texas. "I hope that didn't offend you." Conaway and other Christian conservatives on the committee said the Air Force is going too far if it restricts free religious expression. Cadets are "men and women of strong character" who don't need such coddling, Conaway said.
Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., quoted a constituent's letter referring to "from the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Political Correctness."
Some Republicans on the personnel subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee criticized Brady for saying Air Force chaplains needed to be more neutral in their prayers with cadets.
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