Privileges, Not Rights

Jeremy was born in Richlands, N.C. He was baptized Baptist. He entered the Army in April 2004. He plans to go to college when he separates from the Army this spring.


Jeremy Hall is the second recipient of the Foundation’s Atheist in Foxhole Award–an award suggested by Foundation Lifetime Member and Board Member Steve Trunk, himself a Vietnam War veteran who is now the plaintiff in a major state/church battle.


Jeremy is a young Foundation member who first contacted the Foundation office about a year and a half ago–calling from his base in Iraq and wondering if the Foundation could spare some of its literature, because he wanted to form a freethought meeting on his base and he wanted something that he and his other atheist in foxhole buddies could enjoy. He went through the proper channels but his first freethought meeting was disrupted and he was threatened with reprisal, and those threats have only grown as Jeremy, with the help of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, has sued the military for discrimination against freethinkers.


Threats of fragging, forced the military to inaugurate around the clock security on his Iraq base, and then to send him to Ft. Riley, Kansas, shortly after the lawsuit began a year ago last fall.


Steve Trunk presented Jeremy with a plaque and a medal on behalf of the membership of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.


Steve Trunk, in presenting the award: “A couple of years ago, I was working with a good friend of mine, Phil Paulson, a Vietnam veteran, two tours, and he sued for the removal of a cross off a mountain in San Diego, a case which now probably most of you are familiar with. Phil died a couple years ago, and I took over. This case has been going on for 20 years. And I thought that it would be important for the Foundation to begin to recognize atheists in foxholes, because we’ve all heard there aren’t any.


“But there’s a lot of us out here who are proving that not only are there atheists in foxholes, there are atheists on ships, there are atheists in fighter jets, and there are atheists driving tanks. Now, when you join the military, you sign an oath, you swear an oath, to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. It’s not to defend the CIC, Exxon Mobile, or Wall Street, it’s the Constitution. And some of us took that seriously. Jeremy Hall is one of those guys, and I am very, very proud, very honored, and very humbled to be able to present to him the second Atheist In Foxhole Award. So like the commercial says, there’s strong, and then there’s Army Strong.
”

Jeremy Hall’s acceptance speech was delivered on Oct. 10 at the 31st annual convention of the Freedom From Religion Foundation at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

Thank you for this post!

It's time to get real. Thanks for that post seamonster.

Any chance you've got a copy of his acceptance speech?

Although not a formal member of that organization I was literally and atheist in a foxhole and endured harassment from all quarters when I was in the Army. My heart goes out to all those soldiers that aren't allowed freedom from religion

Hear Ye, Hear Ye.

I think only atheists should be let into fox holes.

(As in sex vixen.)

I appreciate we are talking about a different type of foxy hole.

But I find it very sad that atheists are not allowed to find peer support and an obvious spiritual (consciousness) peace and calming when they need it the most. Harassing them in such difficult times in their lives scrapes the inhumane.

we anostics are always left out. i dug deep foxholes in vietnam ya know.

Agnostics... hell, what do they know.



()

Seriously though, I had no idea that this was such a problem in the armed forces....thanks for shedding some light.

what we know cannot be known.