Army Changes Stance on Fallen Friend Medallion
By Josh Montez

The U.S. Army rarely retreats -- but that's what it's doing on a controversial decision to stop supporting the Fallen Friend Medallion, because of a Bible reference.

Until recently, military branches had been providing the organization Fallen Friends with next of kin information for almost 10 years. The families then receive

honorary medals on behalf of their relatives killed in the line of duty. Recently, the Army decided to end its support, for the following reason: "'The denial is based upon the religious content on the medallion; there are some next of kin that may find the inscription offensive to their personal religious beliefs,'" said Fallen Friends head Bobby Parker, reading a letter from the Army. The "offensive" inscription was John 15:13 -- "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (NIV) But the Army has since retracted its decision, which Elaine Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness said had them standing alone. The Army, she said, was "deliberately discriminating on the basis of religion. Take that policy to an extreme," she continued, "and virtually the entire U.S. code of federal laws – and state laws and local laws, and ordinances --

would have to be repealed, because virtually all of them are based on very simple concepts that happen to be in the Ten Commandments."

As a result of the outcry, the Army says it will continue to help Fallen Friends distribute the medallions.

This article appeared in CitizenLink Daily Update published July 6, 2004, a policy and culture information service of Focus on the Family. For more information, see http://www.citizenlink.org.