It doesn’t take much to get on the wrong side of the politically correct military. Just ask Air National Guardsman Layne Wilson. This 27-year veteran wrote a letter to West Point objecting to the lesbian wedding ceremony held in the cadet chapel. At the time he wrote the letter, the Defense of Marriage Act was still in effect. So not only was he defending traditional marriage, he was defending the law of the land.
Nevertheless, he was reprimanded. Lt. Col. Kevin Tobias wrote: “As a noncommissioned officer, you are expected to maintain a standard of professional and personal behavior that is above reproach.” He encouraged Wilson to move on “because we’ve been ordered to not have an opinion about gays in the military.”
It got worse. Wilson’s superiors decided to rescind his six-year contract. That would have ended the health coverage for his wife, who is currently suffering from stage-four breast cancer. Then they stated that Wilson could receive a one-year extension. When he threatened to sue, the military backed down and finally agreed to reinstate his original six-year enlistment contract that included health insurance.
This story is representative of many others in which Christians in the military feel pressured to accept the political correctness that has become part of the armed services. In this case, Layne Wilson was expressing a view that is still held by a majority of Americans. It is the stated policy in a majority of states that have passed an amendment defining traditional marriage. And of course, it is the biblical perspective on marriage.
This story also reminds us that there are consequences to military policies and Supreme Court decisions. When Congress repealed the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military policy, it eventually opened the door for homosexual weddings in military chapels. When the Supreme Court declared that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, it made it even less likely any other officer (like Layne Wilson) would express his or her opinion about gay or lesbian weddings in military chapels. I’m Kerby Anderson, and that’s my point of view