Comments on: Sir, I Don't Believe, Sir http://www.popehat.com/2008/04/28/sir-i-dont-believe-sir/ A Group Complaint about Law, Liberty, and Leisure Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:39:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: OO Brian http://www.popehat.com/2008/04/28/sir-i-dont-believe-sir/comment-page-1/#comment-3030 OO Brian Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:43:55 +0000 http://www.popehat.com/?p=847#comment-3030 Mere days before graduating from Navy Boot Camp my entire company was attending a briefing given by the Command Master Chief on our imipending duties and responsibilities once we were "in the fleet." The CMC asked us as a group if we believed in God. The entire company responded with a resounding "Yes Sir!" with one person remaining silent. The CMC singled me out and asked why I didn't answer. I replied that I didn't believe in God. What followed was a tirade of verbal abuse that questioned my upbringing, the improbable sexual habits and gender of my parents, and sundry vitriol that ended in my being accused of being an ungodly communist. When the tirade was over I was asked if I wanted to be summarily discharged from service because somebody like me was not fit to serve. I replied that I did not wish to be discharged as the very same Constitution which both he and I swore to uphold and protect promised religious freedom which included the freedom to choose not to follow a religion and that if he failed to see that then perhaps he needed to rethink whether he was faithfully serving the ideals laid forth in that document. I was not discharged from the Navy and did go on to graduate and serve a six year enlistment. However, I did get assigned to a "Marching Party" that evening due to "unkempt appearance." Mere days before graduating from Navy Boot Camp my entire company was attending a briefing given by the Command Master Chief on our imipending duties and responsibilities once we were "in the fleet." The CMC asked us as a group if we believed in God. The entire company responded with a resounding "Yes Sir!" with one person remaining silent.

The CMC singled me out and asked why I didn't answer. I replied that I didn't believe in God.

What followed was a tirade of verbal abuse that questioned my upbringing, the improbable sexual habits and gender of my parents, and sundry vitriol that ended in my being accused of being an ungodly communist.

When the tirade was over I was asked if I wanted to be summarily discharged from service because somebody like me was not fit to serve.

I replied that I did not wish to be discharged as the very same Constitution which both he and I swore to uphold and protect promised religious freedom which included the freedom to choose not to follow a religion and that if he failed to see that then perhaps he needed to rethink whether he was faithfully serving the ideals laid forth in that document.

I was not discharged from the Navy and did go on to graduate and serve a six year enlistment. However, I did get assigned to a "Marching Party" that evening due to "unkempt appearance."

]]> By: Brian Dunbar http://www.popehat.com/2008/04/28/sir-i-dont-believe-sir/comment-page-1/#comment-3028 Brian Dunbar Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:32:15 +0000 http://www.popehat.com/?p=847#comment-3028 A lot of the abuse noted can be stopped cold by a reasonable command staff; if the CO is an asshat or sends a message at odds with the minority - it opens up the minority soldier to unsanctioned abuse. This is called Bad Leadership; having had my share of goofball commanding officers, I sympathize. <I>They have no business hectoring anyone to follow their beliefs. To do so reflects badly both on the military and on the faith.</i> Agreed. I don't recall seeing or hearing anything like this - but I left the service way back in 1993 so .. who knows. A lot of the abuse noted can be stopped cold by a reasonable command staff; if the CO is an asshat or sends a message at odds with the minority – it opens up the minority soldier to unsanctioned abuse.

This is called Bad Leadership; having had my share of goofball commanding officers, I sympathize.

They have no business hectoring anyone to follow their beliefs. To do so reflects badly both on the military and on the faith.

Agreed. I don't recall seeing or hearing anything like this – but I left the service way back in 1993 so .. who knows.

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