Corps refuses to remove ‘God Bless the Military’ Sign
By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – A Marine Corps base in Hawaii has refused to remove a sign that asks for God’s blessing following a complaint from a group that seeks to separate Him from the military.
As reported last month by Christian News, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation had complained to Col. Sean Killeen, the commanding officer of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, about a sign that read: “God bless the military, their families, and the civilians who work with them.”
MRFF claimed the sign violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution and demanded that it either be moved to the chapel, or removed altogether. But the religious liberties group, Alliance Defending Freedom, asserted that MRFF’s demands were unconstitutional.
“As it stands, the sign is not grounds for an Establishment Clause violation,” wrote Director of Military Affairs Daniel Briggs. However, removal of the sign would certainly be in violation of the Establishment Clause, showing preference for no religion over religion….”
So far, Killeen has refused to relocate, or remove the sign.
“To date, we have not received any direct complaints concerning this sign from service members or reports of service member complaints through any official chain of command,” said Killeen. “We will always support all service members’ rights to pursue and practice their own belief sets, whether religious or not.”
The sign was erected following the Sept. 11 attack.