Honor Guardsman Rejects Reinstatement as Inadequate

CNSNEWS.com ^ | 1/29/03 | Lawrence Morahan

[kattracks]

(CNSNews.com)- An honor guardsman who was fired last year by the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs for offering religious blessings at funerals has rejected an offer to have his job back, his attorney said Tuesday.

Patrick Cubbage, 54, a Vietnam veteran and former police officer from Philadelphia, had been looking for work for three months since being fired, according to his attorney, John Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute. A settlement proposed by the state was "inadequate," and the dispute may now become a lawsuit, Whitehead said.

"All he wants is fairness. If they're fair with him, I think it could be settled, but I'm not sure they're going to do that," Whitehead said.

Cubbage was hired part-time in October 2001 as an honor guardsman at the Brig. Gen. William C. Doyle Veterans' Memorial Cemetery in Burlington County, N.J.

Working between 20 and 30 hours a week, Cubbage participated in about 2,000 burial services during his employment at the cemetery.

As part of his regular ceremonial duties, Cubbage would present a folded U.S. flag to the deceased's next of kin.

In accordance with protocol, Cubbage would say, "This flag is presented on behalf of a grateful nation and the United States Army as a token of appreciation for your loved one's honorable and faithful service."

Cubbage also regularly said, "God bless you and this family, and God bless the United States of America."

After other honor guards objected to the religious blessing, a supervisor approached Cubbage last October and told him the religious blessing could no longer be given unless the deceased's family formally requested it, according to Whitehead.

Cubbage was fired Oct. 31 after he offered a blessing, even though the deceased's family said they would welcome it.

Cubbage said he got the words from the Flag Presentation Protocol, given to him by the Department of Defense when he started his job.

The New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs issued a letter backing up Cubbage's use of the words "God bless" if the next of kin had expressed a religious preference or belief, said Whitehead, whose Charlottesville, Va.-based legal organization specializes in religious rights matters.

"Their own protocol allows that, otherwise they wouldn't have hired him back," Whitehead said.

A spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs confirmed that Cubbage had been offered his job back but insisted he had not followed the protocol in the course of his work.

"The reason for his dismissal was that he deviated from the protocol," said Lt. Col. Roberta Niedt, a public affairs officer.

The New Jersey Attorney General's Office sent Cubbage an offer to review, but as of Tuesday afternoon, the matter was still "in negotiation," Niedt said.

Whitehead said the issue escalated because, in today's cultural climate, God and the mention of God are politically incorrect.

"I think what's at stake is if these things are not fought, at least on a legal basis, we're going to erase our cultural heritage," he said.

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Send a Letter to the Editor about this article.

[DJ Frisat]

This is absolute insanity.

As Tiny Tim might aver, "God bless us, every one." We need it - badly.

[FreedomPoster]

Good for Cubbage. AFAIAC, an acceptable outcome requires the removal, or at least the demotion, of the idiot who caused all the, the appropriately-named Mr. Dumas.

[lilsparky]

The closing statement in President Bush's SOTU address last night was "And may God continue to bless the United States of America."

If it's appropriate in that setting....

The burial ceremony is for the families, not for the honor guards. I doubt that any of the 2000 families that he said this to were offended by these words of comfort.

[CDHart]

I sent an e-mail to the veterans' cemetery association (or similar) about this situation when it was first posted on FR. Perhaps it helped.

Carolyn

[Uncle Jaque]

Re.: "...AFAIAC, an acceptable outcome requires the removal, or at least the demotion, of the idiot who caused all this, the appropriately-named Mr. Dumas."

Here, Here!; My sentiments exactly!

Was this Dufus Dumas a Military Officer, or a Civilian beureaucrat?

If the former, he needs to be busted to PFC and re-assigned to the Middle-Eastern Front forthwith! If he harbors such contempt for "God", then let's see how well he gets along with "Allah"!

It seems that if the Leader of the Free World, President Bush, can end his speeches with "God Bless you, and God Bless the USA!" then he is modeling a sentiment which his Subordinates, from Cheney on down to the Buck Private in the foxhole, should not be prohibited from proudly yet reverently resounding in the course of their duties.

Of course in the event that it can be reasonably determined or assumed that such a blessing or statement may be unwelcome or offensive to a potential recipient, then it would be reasonable in the interests of discretion and diplomacy, if not common courtesy, to omit it accordingly.

But such overt, systematic, generic persecution of the Jeudeo-Christian Faith - or any faith which does not encourage the extermination of it's competition as does one we might think of - has no legitimate place in this Country or culture.

[PatrioticAmerican]

His boss should be FIRED! The anti-American, anti-God fascist!

[PatrioticAmerican]

I'm with you! Send the bastard to war and let's see if he stays an atheist in his foxhole! He will at least learn to appreciate the right to religion we all would fight to defend!