As noted at the Religion Clause, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State has asked the Inspector General (an increasingly popular office, these days) to investigate

…an Army base’s practice of coercing soldiers to attend church services…

Tabernacle Baptist Church’s “Free Day Away” allows trainees from nearby Fort Leonard Wood to get a break from the base as well as attend an evangelical church service.

Quoted in a local paper, the base emphasized that

Fort Leonard Wood Chaplain Col. Roger Heath oversees religious activities to insure compliance with Department of Defense and Army regulations…All such religious activities are entirely voluntary and no individual is compelled to participate in any religious program.

 From the AU letter to the IG,

Trainees who do not attend Free Day Away must remain at the base, where they continue to be subjected to the rigors of army (sic) training.  This alone coerces soldiers to attend the event.

The AU press release does not appear to be entirely accurate, but it is difficult to know what the true facts are.  The program has changed much over the past 30 years (as in its history, written by the Pastor who oversaw it for many years) and there does not appear to be a public statement by the Chaplain.  Most recent articles indicate that the program is for a few hours on Sunday afternoons, and each trainee is permitted to attend only once.  Most modern military members will also remember that “Sunday afternoon training” is virtually non-existent.  Most drill instructors ordinarily have the day off as well, and trainees are often left to themselves.

It is also worth noting that many of the complaints emphasize the content of the church’s doctrine and sermon.  While belittling evangelical practices is currently in vogue, if the program is voluntary, then the style of religious content is irrelevant–and protected by the trainee’s and church’s Constitutional freedoms. 

In order to prove unConstitutional “endorsement” (more accurately, “establishment”), detractors would need to demonstrate that there were other programs available that were denied due to their religious (or non) content.  Simply allowing soldier trainees to leave and attend the only available off base event is not inherently endorsement; the government does not control availability of private resources.

In addition, while the AU is advocating for those who have been offended by the church, few have spoken about those who want to attend.  They may do so because they want the spiritual support, or because they are willing to suffer through the religious content to take advantage of the free food (the latter has been voiced in internet commentaries).  Since the only viable “solution” to the AU’s complaint is to deny access to the program, cutting off the “good deal” to everyone may actually harm even those who aren’t necessarily advocates of the program.