Military civil-rights leader resigns after threats over Bible removal at VA clinic

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Faced with online threats to him and his family, a retired Army captain who was director of veterans affairs for a civil-rights organization that was instrumental in having a Bible removed from a POW/MIA Table at the Youngstown Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic has resigned.

Retired Army Capt. Jordan Ray, 41, who was deployed to the Middle East five times, was on the job as director for just two days before the threatening online and telephone calls began, according to the website of Military Religious Freedom Foundation, the organization for which Ray worked.

The MRFF published Ray’s letter of resignation on its website. In his letter, Ray wrote:

“I cannot believe I deployed five times to fight radical Islamists overseas only to come home, voice my opinion, and be attacked by radical Christians. Who’s persecuting who??

“Sadly, I will no longer be able to publicly be involved with MRFF due to Fundamentalist, Evangelist, and Dominionist threats made against myself, my wife, and my child in online forums simply for standing up to what I believe is a constitutional right of all soldiers and veterans – equality when it comes to faith and ideology,” he said.

Ray said he is 100 percent combat-disabled and requires much medical care that limits his availability to act on behalf of MRFF.

Nevertheless, he said he applauds MRFF for standing up against “the never-ending Christian onslaught” he said continues “to pressure legislation that discriminates against other faiths, race, ideology, sexuality, women’s health, etc. I believe MRFF is on the front lines of that fight to keep all Americans on equal footing.”

Ray said he will continue to be an MRFF member and supporter.

After receiving a complaint from MRFF, Kristen Parker, chief of external affairs for Cleveland VA Medical Center, which handles media for the Youngstown clinic on Belmont Avenue, said Wednesday the Bible on the POW/MIA Table was “replaced with a generic book, one whose symbolism can be individualized by each of our veterans as they pay their respects” to POWs and MIAs.

On Thursday, Parker said, “We have not heard anything more regarding the POW/MIA Table at our Youngstown Outpatient Clinic. We respect the rights and safety of all of our veterans and hope others will do the same.”