By U.S. Sen. John Kennedy
WASHINGTON (LBM) – For me, the definition of marriage is pretty simple. It’s the union of a man and a woman. It’s what the Bible teaches us, and it’s what I believe.
Air Force Col. Leland B. H. Bohannon also believes marriage is a union between a man and a woman. Unfortunately, he’s paying a heavy price for that belief. He lost his command position at Kirkland Air Force Base and a promotion.
Our nation was founded by people fleeing religious persecution. They left their homes and crossed an ocean in search of religious tolerance. Now we’ve become a nation intolerant of religious tolerance. We’ve forgotten the principles that form the bedrock of our democracy.
Here’s what happened to Col. Bohannon.
Col. Bohannon was commander of the Air Force Inspection Agency at Kirkland Air Force
Base. He holds the Bronze Star for his services in Afghanistan, making him an American hero.
Last year, Col. Bohannon signed a series of certificates for a retiring master sergeant. One certificate troubled him. It was a certificate of spouse appreciation for the same sex spouse of the retiring master sergeant.
Col. Bohannon is a religious man and a respectful man. The certificate – which wasn’t mandatory – conflicted with his religious beliefs. He consulted a military chaplain who advised him to request a religious accommodation from the military.
The request for a religious accommodation didn’t get much of a response. However, Col. Bohannon was able to achieve a compromise. A higher-ranking officer signed the spouse appreciation certificate.
The matter should have been settled right then and there. But the retiring master sergeant objected and complained. He claimed discrimination against his sexual orientation.
What happened next is disheartening for all of us who go to church every Sunday and use the Bible as our beacon. Col. Bohannon respectfully stood up for his religious beliefs. He didn’t denounce the retiring master sergeant. He simply declined to sign a piece of paper that conflicted with his beliefs and reached a compromise. For that, he was stripped of his command while his military career was left in tatters.
The irony is that in embracing the retiring master sergeant’s discrimination claims, the military trampled on Col. Bohannon’s own choices and beliefs. Col. Bohannon is being discriminated against for not believing in same sex marriage.
That’s not how things are supposed to work in this country. The U.S. Supreme Court summed it up pretty well in 1943: “(I)f there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion or other matters of opinion, or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.”
In today’s world, though, alternative choices are celebrated and traditional family values are all too often mocked. I refuse to accept that you can dishonor the National Anthem, but you must be mute about your religious beliefs. I refuse to accept the trampling of Christian values.
As an American, I am proud that our country is rooted in religious freedom. I am proud that I can worship in church every Sunday with my family and that I can bow my head in prayer before every meal.
Men like Col. Bohannon sacrifice their lives for us. Members of the military are on the front lines of defending this great democracy. We cannot punish Col. Bohannon for upholding the very principles that he would lay his life down to defend.
I, along with other senators, have asked the Air Force to rectify this injustice and to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
Religious freedom is a fundamental right in the U.S. It’s as much a part of our fabric as the election booth, and I’ll fight until my dying day to protect it.
John Neely Kennedy is the junior U.S. Senator from Louisiana, serving since 2017. He and his wife Becky are founding members of North Cross United Methodist Church, and, they and their son Preston live in Madisonville, Louisiana.
