Soldiers at Camp Shelby, Mississippi were told not to say “Christmas,” as to not offend people who do not celebrate the holiday.
Two weeks ago, a meeting was held at the Mississippi base to discuss an upcoming Christmas football tournament. At that meeting, the equal opportunity officer insisted that soldiers not use the word “Christmas.” They were instructed to use the word “holiday” instead
One soldier, who remains unnamed, spoke to Todd Starnes regarding the issue. He said, “Our equal opportunity representative stopped the briefing and told us that we can’t say Christmas. Almost the entire room blew up. Everybody was frustrated. The equal opportunity rep told our commander that not everyone celebrates Christmas and we couldn’t say Christmas celebration. It had to be holiday celebration.”
The soldier claimed that the equal opportunity officer said the rule was not her’s — it was the army’s.
But when asked about the statements, Army representative Amanda Glenn said, “There is no policy at the 158th Infantry Brigade, First Army Division East or First Army that forbids using the word ‘Christmas.’ The Equal Opportunity adviser simply stated that it would be more appropriate to call it a holiday football event.”
The soldier who spoke to Starnes, however, made it clear that those in the room were very clearly instructed not to say “Christmas.”
The attorney representing the soldier, Michael Berry, said, “She stated that the word Christmas had to be replaced with the word holiday… It’s unbelievable that the Army would ban ‘Christmas’ like it’s a bad word.”
He pointed out that the silly rule would be nearly impossible to actually enforce. He asked, “Are they going to have the ‘Merry Christmas’ police going around issuing citations to an soldier who slips and says the word? They’re treating Christmas like it’s pornography. As a matter of fact, the Army actually treats pornography better than it does Christmas.”
Is this an example of the so-called “war on Christmas” — or a mere misunderstanding? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.
