It seems that Spc. Dustin Chalker isn't any closer to settling his suit against U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
Chalker, a soldier stationed at Fort Riley, originally charged that he'd been forced to attend events that paid special attention to prayers from his battalion chaplain. Chalker claimed he'd asked for exemption from these events on the grounds that he wasn't religious, but was forced to attend anyway. Now he's ramping up the attack with new charges alleging that he has video proof of soldiers trying to evangelize each other during combat.
The videos reportedly show Christian missionaries and soldiers talking about their hopes of converting Muslims, and missionaries handing out Bibles.
Chalker is the second atheist soldier based at Fort Riley to file suit this year over the military's endorsement of religion and treatment of non-believers. Both suits are filed in conjuction with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which has done an impressive job of keeping the controversy in the media, acting as a mouthpiece for soldiers to the Washington Post, New York Times and BBC News, among other outlets.
Chalker's amended complaint, including the video evidence, will be filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan. -- Peter Rugg
Comments (0)