The Air Force announced this week airmen aren't required to say "So help me God" as part of the enlistment oath.
The decision was prompted by an atheist airman from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada who refused to say those four words in his reenlistment oath, and thus was denied the opportunity to remain in the Air Force.
According to an Air Force news release:
In response to concerns raised by Airmen, the Department of the Air Force requested an opinion from the Department of Defense General Counsel addressing the legal parameters of the oath. The resulting opinion concluded that an individual may strike or omit the words “So help me God” from an enlistment or appointment oath if preferred.
Monica Miller of the American Humanist Association is the atheist airman's attorney. She tells The Associated Press the controversy began when her client crossed "So help me God" on his reenlistment forms:
"It was important from the standpoint of honesty. He can't take an oath for a God he doesn't believe in."
Stars and Stripes reports all other military services allow members to opt-out of saying "So help me God" as part of their enlistment oaths.
