Billboard Asks Air Force Academy Cadets: Are You Free to Say ‘So Help Me God’?
The Restore Military Religious Freedom Coalition has posted a billboard near the U.S. Air Force Academy supporting the religious freedoms of Academy cadets.
On a background of Mount Rushmore, which depicts four of America’s greatest presidents, the billboard ad reads, “Are you free to say ‘So help me God’? They did.” The ad is in response to recent attempts to curtail religious freedom at the Air Force Academy, including the removal of several occurrences of the phrase “so help me God” from the official cadet handbook as well as the removal of a Bible verse from a cadet leader’s whiteboard.
The billboard ad, referencing the phrase used historically by presidents while taking the oath of office, will remain posted for two months.
“Christian cadets at the Air Force Academy have the constitutional right to express their individual faith,” says retired Family Research Council Executive Vice President Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin. “If such faith scares faculty at the Academy, then it is unlikely they will be very effective when confronted by a committed enemy who is willing to die for his or her beliefs. The Academy should be training warriors who can deal with difficult situations and determined enemies.”
“We at the Restore Military Religious Freedom Coalition are committed to defending the religious freedoms of all cadets, regardless of their faith. This is the least we can do for young men and women who are prepared to die to protect our freedoms. We will not stand by while Air Force officials attack religious expression. We will continue to do everything we can to protect the rights of those serving in the Air Force and in all the uniformed services,” Boykin concludes.
