There are no atheists in foxholes. Soon, there won't be any Wiccans, Rosicrucianism, shamanic faiths, Troth, Unitarian Universalists, Humanists, Heathens, or Astaru and a whole lotta Protestant denominations, either. According to Military.com, Whiskey Pete Hegseth has ordered the number of religions recognized by the Department of War brutally slashed from just over 200 to 31. This theocratic bullshit reverses changes made to the DoW's religious affiliation codes. In 2017, the Chaplaincy's recognized religions were massively expanded as an exercise of the rights the United States once stood for: if you're willing to serve and potentially die for your country, you should be able to practice the freedom of belief enshrined in its constitution.
I guess that was too much to ask for from an ass with a $300 haircut and Deus Volt tattooed on his chest.
Per a memo from Under Secretary of War Tata, the revision is meant to "streamline" religious preference data for "targeted religious support." Tata wrote:
"The new list will provide chaplains with clear, readily available information that will better enable them to anticipate the religious support needs of service members and to provide religious support activities that align with service members' personal faith and practices."
Most of the groups still recognized are Christian — Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, and Catholic. Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus, and Agnostics still get Chaplaincy consideration. But if you joined the Air Force and you're faithful to The All Father? Screw you. Are you an Army Ranger who finds the divine in every rock and blade of grass, but doesn't dig on Saint Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Sun? Pound sand. Are you seeking self-mastery as a Rosicrucian while you work on logistics for the Marines? Not happening, Devil Dog. But hey, good news: the Hegseth-nixed religions may no longer have an entry in the religious affiliation codes, but you can still get whatever the hell you want stamped on your dog tags.
So you might not be worth counseling according to the tenets of your faith — but if you're KIA, they'll know what to put on your paperwork before you're flown home to Dover.
Previously:
