Walter B. Jones: “prior to the break I came on the floor and announced that we had sent a letter in October of this past year to the…”

“prior to the break I came on the floor and announced that we had sent a letter in October of this past year to the President of the United States signed by 76 Members of the House, 3 United States Senators asking the President of the United States to use his constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief to guarantee the first amendment rights of our chaplains in the military, whether they be Muslim, Jewish or Christian, to pray in their faith and their tradition. Tonight, I am on the floor to give an example of what is happening in our military. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, in the 3 years that I have talked to chaplains from the Navy, from the Marine Corps, from the Army, Air Force, that there is a prohibited rule that they should not pray in the name of Jesus, if they happen to be of the Christian faith, outside of their church. Give you two examples. Last year, I spoke to a Navy chaplain in Hawaii who had been asked to pray at a remembrance service for Marines killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. At the close of his prayer, he closed in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. About an hour later, he got a phone call from a Marine Major that asked him to please, in the future, outside of his church not to pray in the name of Jesus Christ. He was so upset, Mr. Speaker, that he went to a Jewish rabbi who was a friend of his, and he asked the Jewish rabbi, are you offended when I pray in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?…”