Retired Air Force Commander Attacks Chaplain, Religion

Tony Carr, a retired US Air Force C-17 squadron commander and blogger at John Q. Public, already took Chaplain (Capt) Sonny Hernandez to task for his article on Christians and the military (previously discussed). Carr updated himself with a post entitled simply “Idiot Under Investigation.”

Carr doesn’t often mince words, but the vitriol he has for Hernandez seems particularly strong — and almost Mikey Weinstein-esque:

[Hernandez’s] major beef? That certain “disloyal” military members would dare to put their oath to support and defend the US Constitution above their loyalty to the teachings of Christ.

This is among the most tortured and ridiculous notions in the annals of idiocy, placing Sonny in multiple pantheons of shame. It’s as though he set out to drive a pickaxe into the master brain of military service, as though it was his place to glimpse and correct a flaw in the basic code of service.

A man has to be f[redacted]d up at his very core to walk around harboring that kind of arrogance and delusion. Such men can’t be thought to serve any higher power, which requires clarity of mind and humility of spirit. Best I can tell, Sonny is less a man of the cloth and more a man of the froth.

For clarity, despite Carr putting “disloyal” in quotes, Hernandez does not appear to have said that. The second issue has already been addressed: A logical outcome of belief in eternity and a Supreme Being is the idea that said Supreme Being has precedence over man.

More disturbing at this point is the realization that this man — Tony Carr — is a fairly recent Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and unit commander, and he demonstrates not one wit of the supposed tolerance or understanding of religious liberty that one would expect were he in that position.

The core of Carr’s beef, and that which he attacks with such turpitude, is the idea that God is above government: a basic tenet of almost every world religion. The idea that an Air Force commander would, without qualification, find this religious belief “tortured,” “ridiculous,” “idiocy,” “shame,” “f[redacted] up,” “arrogance,” and “delusion” is disturbing — and that’s just two of his sentences.

How was then-LtCol Tony Carr able to see to the religious needs of his Airmen — those that made up a majority of his unit — when he thought they were shameful, ridiculous, f-d up idiots?

After all, he had the authority to do that which he is now calling upon the Air Force to do:

The chain of command should be investigating Hernandez…This qualifies as advancing an illegal cause.

Hernandez needs to resign his commission or have it taken from him.

That’s a bit of a stretch, and Carr’s “evidence” is conclusions about Hernandez contradicted by statements Hernandez subsequently made to the Stars and Stripes.

To be clear, Carr is entitled to his opinions, contrary though they may have been to the good order and discipline of the unit he once led — were he to have acted on them at the time.

Which makes it all the more interesting, because Tony Carr appears blind to the irony.

Pot, meet kettle.

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6 comments

  • Anonymous Imperial Patriot

    Further reason why atheists should be purged from the military.

    • @AIP
      Most atheists are “live and let live.” They, and people of every other belief, political stripe, and regional representation serve together every day in the military without issue. Only when someone of authority acts against another because of those beliefs is there an issue. Ultimately, the issue is behavior, not belief.

    • So which religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States?

    • @Donalbain

      That’s kind of an ironic question, given that members of Congress have appeared to screen only for objectionable Christian beliefs over the past few months.

  • You know as well as I do an active Air Force commander can’t say anything about it, so the point is moot. Everyone has public/private thoughts/opinions and must control them at all times, especially Commanders. Mr. Carr just wrote (I didn’t read vitriol) what others are likely thinking, but most Military I know take all thing written regarding religion with a grain of salt.

    I haven’t read too many articles supporting what Sonny said, in fact, the opposite. I totally understand why you JD/CFP supports and defends what he said, despite the fact Sonny injured the chaplaincy and offended many in the the US Military with his “theological argument”. Only time will tell how his superiors will see it, but my opinion is this will just go away and Sonny will be free to say “theologically” what he wants as a civilian preacher.

    Purging atheists from the military is absurd AIP, they are free to believe their is no deity just like you are free to believe their is. I hope you aren’t a Commander or in charge of troops!

    • @watchtower

      an active Air Force commander can’t say anything

      He or she can say whatever they want, your statement notwithstanding. As a commander, he also had the authority (and apparently the desire) to take the commission away from people who think God is greater than government.

      you…supports and defends what he said

      You might have a problem citing evidence of that.