Bibles are back – President Trump – Air Force Hotels

            As of September 2018, the Air Force Inns at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, has a Bible in at least one dresser drawer in one bed room. An anecdotal inquiry was made of the front desk attendant, as to whether the Air Force had restored Bibles? The attendant on duty did not know they had ever been removed. Bibles are back in President Trump’s Defense Department’s guest lodging.

       Here is the controversy. The Defense Department operates about 30,000 guest lodging rooms (mil speak for hotels) world wide, at approximately 300 military bases. Since before the Vietnam era, various groups have donated Bibles and copies of the Book of Mormon, another Testament of Jesus Christ, and perhaps other scriptures, for placement in the hotel rooms, at no cost to the government. This included guest lodging at bases in California, Florida, Germany, Hawaii, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah,  Virginia,  and Washington.

            By President Obama’s second term, his Defense department removed the Bibles from the Navy, Army and Air Force hotels. This was kept on the down low, under the radar, for whatever reason.

In August 2014, press reports, including Stars and Stripes, had headlines ‘Navy Bibles Removed.’ On August 11, 2014 media reported Bibles had been removed from Navy guest lodging. On August 12, the media reported atheists celebrated, while religious groups denounced the removal. On August 14, the Navy announced it told lodges to put the removed Bibles back.   In January 2015 the Navy removed the Bibles again, with no press reports. Similar removals occurred with the Air Force, Army. and Veteran Administration Clinics, with press reports of Courts-Martial because Bible verses were ‘contrary to good order and discipline.’ In January 2017, when the Chaplain Alliance was told the Bibles were out of the Navy Guest Lodging, Air Force Inns and Army lodging, the Alliance remarked that it thought the Navy had returned the Bibles two years earlier. As it had been told and supposed.

By January 2017, the Navy Lodge (Navy Exchange) and Navy Gateway Inns (Morale Welfare and Recreation) at Naval Aviation Facility Atsugi, and Army Camp Zama Lodging, Japan, had removed the donated Bible and copies of the Book of Mormon from the bedroom dressers in their guest suites.

Below is a transcript of the Navy’s 2015 order removing Bibles. To translate the Pentagon mil speak, the Navy created ‘kiosks’ (stand alone displays) containing the ‘resiliency literature’ (read Bibles) outside of and apart from the guest lodging rooms, to be stationed in a reception area or hall.

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

NAVY RESILIENCY KIOSKS

HEADQUARTERS, COMMANDER, NAVY INSTALLATIONS COMMAND

23 OCT 2015

Ref: (a) OPNAVINST 1730.1E

(b) SECNAVINST 1730.70

(c) SECNAVINST 5351.1

(d) SECNAVINST 400l.2J

(e) OPNAVINST 4001.1F

1. Background.
2. As embodied and detailed in references (a) through (c) , Religious Ministry in the Navy provides for the free exercise of religion; attends to the sacred, spiritual, and moral aspects of life; and serves to enhance the resilience of Service members, civilians and their families. Religious ministry is entrusted to Navy Chaplains and delivered under the authority of Commanders and Commanding Officers.

1. In furtherance of this mission, Navy Chaplains at Navy Regions and Installations are tasked with the duty to provide resiliency literature in transient lodging on Navy Installations. Resiliency materials will support, sustain, and renew the Fleet, Fighter and Family, mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually.

1. Resiliency kiosks are installed at Navy Gateway Inns & Suites (NGIS)and Navy Lodges. The kiosks will be a means to support resilience, tolerance for diverse religious traditions or no religious tradition, dignity and respect for all.

2 Roles. a. CNIC Force Chaplain will coordinate with the Navy Chief of Chaplains Office (N097) to determine standard resiliency literature that is considered religious or spiritual in nature.

1. CNIC Force Chaplain shall coordinate with Navy Installation Chaplains, via CNIC Region Chaplains , regarding the standardized resiliency literature in kiosks located at transient lodges. Installation Chaplains will partner and work with Navy Fleet and Family Support Centers, Military and Family Support Centers, and Navy Medical Facilities for stocking standardized resiliency literature that will be placed in kiosks.

3. Duties and Procedures.
4. Resiliency literature will be stocked and maintained in kiosks by Installation Chaplains or designated Command Religious Program (CRP) personnel.

1. As stated above, the Navy Chief of Chaplains Office (N097), CNIC Force Chaplain, Region and Installation Chaplains will collaborate in order to determine standardization of resiliency literature.

1. Installation Chaplains or designated Command Religious Program (CRP) personnel will directly coordinate and stock resiliency materials in the kiosks.

1. Gift offers of religious texts and materials to be included in NGIS kiosks will be vetted through legal for approval under gift statutes at the installation or appropriate command level. Acceptance of gifts will be processed in accordance with references (d) and (e). /s/

GARY W. CLORE CAPT, CHC , USN CNIC Force Chaplain 2 ‘’

  The Navy received regular questions about the missing Bibles. So many, it approved this reply.

 ‘’APPROVED REPLY:

‘’Good Day ____

Thank you for the opportunity to reply to your Navy Gateway Inns & Suites comment card.

Department of Defense (DoD) has made no provision for the placement of Bibles in these temporary lodging facilities. NGIS complies with DoD temporary quarters/lodging facility guidance relating to the furnishing of rooms. The reason you did not find a Bible in an NGIS room is because they were not placed in the rooms in the first place.

‘’All NGIS facilities feature free WiFi service, which enables patrons to access online versions of the Bible; as well as, most other sacred texts and religious resources. Any guest of NGIS who wishes to obtain a Bible may contact the front desk. NGIS will assist the guest in contacting the local Command Religious Program which provides a wide range of religious materials, including the Holy Bible.

‘’Some news outlets confused the Navy Lodge Program (operated by the Navy Exchange Command) with Navy Gateway Inns & Suites (Official Temporary Duty Lodging operated by Commander, Navy Installations Command). Navy Gateway Inns & Suites (NGIS) is an entirely separate lodging program from Navy Lodge, and did not participate or engage in the reported removal of Bibles from Navy Lodge guest rooms.

‘’CLOSE RESPONSE APPROPRIATELY TO MEET NGIS PROGRAM STANDARDS.’’

One problem in 2014, was what to do with the Bibles collected from the Navy guest lodging? Here was the status.

‘’ On 11 Dec 14, the Executive Committee met at the Pentagon to discuss COA’s developed by the Working Group to determine the disposition of religious materials in Marine and Navy Lodges as well as Navy Gateway Inns &  Suites. The Exec Committee is chaired by N46. Five COA’s were presented. OPNAV has received some additional information regarding Senior Leadership’s potential response. We are on hold to provide a draft report.’’

What happened to the excess Bibles in 2014 under Obama’s command? We don’t know.

    Since 2017, a new President brought a new sheriff to town, and the Bibles have returned. The placement of Bibles in guest lodging is a never ending story. Their existence or absence in commercial non military motel or hotel chains is unknown. If you stay in lodging, military or commercial, and notice a Bible or other scripture in the rooms, email the place and date and type of scripture, and it will be added to an anecdotal survey, and if enough reports merit an update to this column, it will be shared. Email to > Pottawatomieok@live.com <.

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