From: (Active Duty Military Member/MRFF Installation Representative’s E-Mail Address Withheld)
Subject: MRFF Stops Mandatory Military Training Titled "Leadership Lessons of the Lord Jesus Christ"
Date: March 2, 2023 at 7:39:35 AM MST
Good morning Mikey and the MRFF Team.
I am an active duty member of the the U.S. military currently serving as 1 of 2 MRFF representatives at my large stateside military installation.
I request that the MRFF redact any and all personal information about my name, rank, MOS/AFSC, unit title and all contact information as my family and I do not wish to face what would be certain reprisal for revealing what follows.
For the record I am a Christian myself and practice my faith actively with my family. I am Protestant.
Here’s what went down and how the MRFF played the key role to stop it in its tracks.
Our large installation is well known as an initial military training base for incoming basic recruits. That is all I will say about that.
Just about 72 hours ago I was contacted by a senior NCO who knows that I am one of the reps for the MRFF here. That senior NCO, who happens to be of the Jewish faith, requested immediate MRFF intervention to stop a planned mandatory training event. The title of this event was billed online as “Leadership Lessons of the Lord Jesus Christ”. The senior NCO advised that there were 112 junior military personnel asking for MRFF’s help here to stop this from happening. The majority of them are either Protestant or Roman Catholic. Others are Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist. Also others are atheist or agnostic or follow some other secularist path.
The senior NCO further advised that he (or she) had attempted to stop this mandatory training but that the OIC (“Officer in Charge”) of the training refused to do so. Apparently the OIC is a well known member of a proselytizing Christian network operating all over the U.S. military (and on our own installation) called “Cadence International” and is also well known for his constant attempts to use his military rank and office to proselytize his subordinates.
The OIC told the senior NCO that there “was absolutely nothing religious” about the planned mandatory training as it would "only focus on Jesus the military leader” and not “Jesus the Son of God”. The senior NCO asked the OIC why he chose Jesus to be the object of this mandatory military training and the OIC said, “because Jesus is respected as a model of Godly leadership by all worldwide even if you’re not yet a Christian”. The senior NCO specifically objected to the OIC about his use of the words “Godly leadership by all worldwide” and “not yet a Christian” as well as “the Lord Jesus Christ” being used in the title of this mandatory training. The OIC told the senior NCO that he would “not debate semantics with you” and that “this matter is now officially closed” and then told the senior NCO that “if you or the other objectors didn’t like it you can complain to my chain of command".
The illegality of this planned military training event was obvious to the senior NCO who did not feel that it was safe to personally go over the OIC’s head up the chain of command to get this mandatory event stopped.
After getting the full story I contacted Mikey Weinstein right away in the late evening. Mikey confirmed the unconstitutionality of this event to me and the senior NCO in a joint call. Mikey focussed on the time, place and manner of the event to illustrate how it would do great damage to the good order, morale, discipline and unit cohesion of our troops being ordered to attend.
Mikey contacted the OIC’s commander the next morning who claimed that he (or she) had not heard anything yet about this planned military training event. Mikey explained to this senior officer that it was essentially impossible to separate the “leadership lessons of the Lord Jesus Christ” from the “religious lessons of the Lord Jesus Christ”. Mikey told the senior officer that this was especially so given the stark context of a mandatory military training event being conducted by a well known officer who has an equally well known reputation for proselytizing his Christian faith while on duty and in uniform to his military subordinates. Mikey explained to the OIC’s commander that such a mandatory training event would destroy the good order, morale, unit cohesion and discipline of the troops who were being forced to attend. Mikey told the commander that this OIC needed to be punished and made an example of. Mikey further explained the UCMJ and regulation violations to the OIC’s commander.
This morning I was contacted by the senior NCO who had the great news that this mandatory training event had been canceled by the OIC’s commander. No reason was given as to why the sudden cancellation.
As the senior NCO said it’s still far too early to see if there will be any retribution fallout from the OIC against the senior NCO and others for reaching out to the MRFF to eliminate this training event. And no one knows if there will be any disciplinary action taken against the OIC as of yet. Mikey had demanded to the OIC’s commander that this OIC be disciplined for his actions here and for his many prior actions of Christian proselytizing while in uniform and on duty.
I advised the senior NCO to let me or Mikey and the MRFF know of any type of such retribution immediately should it ever come to pass.
On behalf of all military personnel involved in this matter we want to thank Mikey and the MRFF for the quick, forceful and successful intervention with our senior military chain of command in this matter to stop this unconstitutional event from ever happening.
(name, rank, MOS/AFSC, unit and all other ID information withheld)
