On The Front Lines
The Rutherford Institute Urges President Bush to Take a Stand for American Veterans, Patrick Cubbage & 'God Bless America'
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--In a recent letter to President George W. Bush, John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute, urged him to require Veterans Administration Cemetery grant recipients to recognize and respect the wishes of veterans' survivors concerning the religious flag blessing component of a military honors ceremony that includes the simple phrase, "God Bless you and this family and God bless the United States of America." To sign an online petition asking President Bush to urge the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enforce federal Department of Defense Military Funeral Honors protocol, particularly with regard to the flag blessing, Click here.With the deaths of an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 World War II veterans every day, the issue of how they are laid to rest is particularly timely and relevant. The case of Staff Sergeant Patrick Cubbage is a particularly egregious example of how members of our military are being penalized for following federal protocol and respecting the wishes of deceased veterans' families regarding the flag blessing. SSgt. Cubbage, a Vietnam combat veteran, was fired from his job as an honor guardsman at Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Burlington County, New Jersey, a federally funded Department of Veterans' Affairs state cemetery, for accompanying the presentation of the flag at the religious funeral of a deceased Army veteran with the words, "This flag is presented on behalf of a grateful nation and the United States Army as a token of appreciation for your loved one's honorable and faithful service. God bless you and this family, and God bless the United States of America." Despite the fact that SSgt. Cubbage's actions and words were in accordance with Department of Defense protocol for military funeral honors "where the next of kin has expressed a religious preference or belief," the cemetery's Honor Guard coordinator ordered him not to offer the flag blessing--even when requested to do so by a family member, stating that it might "offend" veterans' families and other guardsmen. While The Rutherford Institute has been successful in securing SSgt. Cubbage's return to work at Doyle Cemetery, the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMAVA) remains determined to prohibit honor guardsmen from offering the flag blessing as part of the funeral honors, even when veterans' families specifically request it.
"To continue to deny a veteran and his or her family the right to have their most cherished beliefs acknowledged at their military burial services is to demonstrate a flagrant disrespect for the servicemen and women who put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms, including our religious freedom," said John W. Whitehead, president and founder of The Rutherford Institute. "To continue to prohibit the saying of the flag blessing at military honors ceremonies would threaten to put an end to a time-honored military tradition and replace the military's reverence for religious beliefs and expressions with an environment of hostility toward the free exercise of religion. It is critical that President Bush takes a stand in defense of the right of these brave soldiers to have their most cherished beliefs acknowledged in life and in death."
The Rutherford Institute is an international, nonprofit civil liberties organization committed to defending constitutional and human rights.
Press Contact
Nisha N. MohammedPh: (434) 978-3888, ext. 604; Pager: 800-946-4646, Pin #: 1478257
Email: Nisha N. Mohammed
