Army Stops Distributing “Christian” Medals
WBIR, in Tennessee reports that a local man who distributes commemorative medals for fallen service members will no longer receive support from the U.S. Army.
Bob Parker, founder of Fallen Friend used to receive the names and ranks of servicemen and women directly from the Army so he could distribute his medals. The reason the Army has discontinued its support for the program is because the medals are engraved with “John 15:13”, a reference to a Christian bible verse.
You can imagine the controversy surrounding this issue. While I personally wouldn’t want one sent to my family (because of the Christian reference), Mr. Parker is plainly doing this out of respect for the troops and I can respect that. The other services still distribute the medals, but offer the families the choice of whether to receive one or not.
Since we would be a prime group that the Army is trying to respect in a decision like this, what’s your opinion on the matter? Leave a comment below.
I just checked out the website and found absolutely no reference to Christianity. I am the first person to stand up for the separation of church and state, but I didn’t find anything about this medal offensive or Christian. And the medal is only as valid/important as you make it. I think it is a nice gesture that could bring happiness to a family. To know that one more person honored my husband, if I Gd forbid I was in the situation to receive such a medal, would probably make me smile. Nothing about the citation of a verse offends me.
On the other hand, the website specifically mentions diversity several times. If they care so much about respecting diversity, and truly respecting our fallen service members, why not remove the possibly offensive verse?