Military Associaton of Atheists and Freethinkers - Support for Military Atheists

The challenges of American (USA) soldiers are many. As any service member or family of a service member can tell you, there are many heartbreaking moments that arise out of the incredible sacrifices that our men and women make in all branches of the military.  There is a group of these brave men and women that are often left without equal representation in the military, particularly when they need counseling, or just someone to talk to.  They are amongst the tens of thousands of soldiers who identify as atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinkers and general non-theists.  These fine soldiers and service members are sometimes asked, or even mandated, to participate in activities that are in conflict with their personal world view, a practice that borders on and sometimes breaches the First Amendment.

Enter Jason Torpy, a man who works tirelessly through the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers (MAAF).  Mr. Torpy is the President of the MAAF, and holds seats on the board of the Secular Coalition for America and the American Humanist Association. He speaks on a range of issues related to the atheist, humanist and the general nontheist community as these issues relate to the military.  Listing all the venues where Jason has spoken would take pages of text, and he continues to remain in demand. Recently, he was on the Mark Larson program in San Diego where he was interviewed about his upcoming appearance this weekend at the regional conference where he will speak about The Mt. Soledad Easter Cross controversy, which has made it on the MAAF watch list . Jason was also featured on WMNF in Tampa, where he spoke about the new MacDill AFB group that he started.

Jasons leadership at the MAAF reflects his dedication to his fellow service members.  He is all military; educated at West Point, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Management, as well as a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Ohio State University.  Jason enlisted in the Army in 1994 as an Intelligence Interceptor and after earning top graduate honors, he was offered direct admission to the United States Military Academy, which was followed by a commission as an officer. Afterward, he served for five years in Germany, Kuwait, and Iraq with the Army's 1st Armored Division. When he left the service in 2005, he did so with the rank of Captain.

The MAAF is a powerful ally and a formidable force for the advocacy of atheist and freethinking soldiers. The MAAF is the very first place that many like-minded military atheists and freethinkers meet. The MAAF has made extraordinary strides in the areas of Chaplaincy reform, which includes thier ongoing efforts to have humanist Chaplains available to non-theist service memners.  Other areas of activism include First Amendment issues, care packages and deployment support, local group development (civilian and military), spirituality training and general nontheist awareness.

But there is much work to be done.  The MAAF has been extremely successful in their ability to connect military members on a global level and then coordinate with local organizations, but there remains strong oppositions to the civil rights of non-believing servicemembers within the military structure that still needs attention.  Because of this opposition, the MAAF is committed to providing a social community as well as a grass-roots activist network. 

Another focal point of the MAAF is the education and training throughout the military and civilian community regarding the issues that atheists in the military face on a daily basis.  By identifying, examining and responding to the blatant insensitivity toward atheist soldiers, the illegal promotion of  religion and the unethical discrimination toward minority religions and beliefs, the MAAF has made great strides.  The Separation Clause of the First Amendment is there to protect all service members, including the atheist, and the MAAF maintians a concentration in this area.  They also coordinate with other national organizations who hold the same values.

In addition to the strong leadership of Jason Torpy, the MAAF has a formidable group of individuals who offer their time, effort, and experience to work with Jason and the MAAF, adding to their force for the cause of equality for all service memebers.  These individuals include: 

• Dr Jennie Kiesling, Professor of History, US Military Academy at West Point
• Dr Carlos Bertha, Army Lt Colonel, Professor of Philosophy, US Air Force Academy
• Kenton Brown, Air Force Reserve Major, Tempe, Delegate to Secular Coalition for Arizona
• Oak DeBerg, Retired Colonel, San Antonio, Delegate to Secular Coalition for Texas (proposed)
• John Kieffer, Retired Army Major, Delegate to Tampa Coalition of Reason
• Dustin Chalker, Army Specialist, prior plaintiff in Army religious discrimination case

Membership in the MAAF is open to all military personnel regardless of affiliation. There is no cost for membership, and that benefit is extended to personnel on active duty, in the reserves, the National Guard, all retirees, veterans from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and the Coast Guard. Cadets and recruits even qualify upon induction into service and successful completion of 90 days in service.  In addition, the MAAF also welcomes atheists and freethinkers that serve in any of the world's armed forces, as well as military family members. 

Your support is important.  Non-theist soldiers always have and always will serve honorably throughout the world, but they remain the last unprotected minority.  I urge you to visit their site and spend some quality time with your mouse.  The MAAF is vitally important and if you are a non-theist, or a supporter of the civil rights of all of our service members, you can  join or donate here.