Senior Master Sergeant Phillip Monk has 19 years in the Air Force, with a clean record. He returned, after a deployment, to Lackland Air Force Base in San
Antonio, Texas where there was a new commander, Major Elisa Valenzuela. Sergeant Monk is part of the 326th Training Squadron. One of his duties was to
advise the commander on training matters. In one their first meetings, she expressed concern regarding the chaplain who would offer the benediction at her
promotion ceremony. She critiqued one chaplain in particular because he had preached that homosexual behavior is sinful, making him, in her words, “a bigot.”
She is a lesbian.
That statement was Sergeant Monk’s first clue that his strong Christian beliefs just might not be warmly received by his boss. Sergeant Monk is a dignified
and reserved man, careful in speech. He was quite careful in his interactions with his commander, but it didn’t matter?
In one episode, after an Air Force trainer expressed how gay marriage could be detrimental to a society, Sergeant Monk was asked by Major Valenzuela how
to respond to the remark. Her first inclination was to impose a harsh punishment. But Sgt. Monk suggested using the incident as sort of a teachable moment,
an opportunity to teach tolerance and respect for diversity.
The commander would have none of it. She told Sgt. Monk to get on the same page with her or he would not be allowed to continue in his current position. She
ordered Sgt. Monk to tell her whether, in his opinion, opposing gay marriage is an act of discrimination against homosexuals. He offered his typically careful
response. He told Major Valenzuela he could not answer in the way she wanted because he feared expressing his true beliefs would put him in legal jeopardy.
But, it didn’t matter. Sgt. Monk was relieved of his duties. Given a sudden, early transfer.
Liberty Institute now represents Sgt. Monk. They have filed a religious discrimination suit on his behalf. Last week, he was read his Miranda rights and
accused of providing false information regarding his situation to the media.
Sgt. Monk told FOX reporter Todd Starnes, “I was relieved of my position because I don’t agree with my commander’s position on gay marriage. We’ve been
told that if you publicly say that homosexuality is wrong, you are in violation of Air Force policy.”
I met Sergeant Monk. I sat next to his wife at a dinner. These are humble Air Force people. Both their fathers were career Air Force. They are a gracious
couple with three teenaged boys.
Sgt. Monk could have accepted his punishment quietly and slid into his eligibility for retirement next year.
But in family devotions, Sgt. Monk instructs his sons regarding the importance of standing up for ones beliefs. How could he not speak against this egregious
retaliation and discrimination against Christian belief in the military? He’s one brave warrior.