Yesterday, the Religious Liberty Commission hosted its fourth hearing to discuss religious liberty issues in the Military, including the perspectives of servicemembers, chaplains, and veterans, as well as state and local religious liberty issues. The hearing’s objectives included understanding the history of religious liberty in military, recognizing present threats to servicemembers’ religious liberty, and identifying opportunities to strengthen religious liberty in the military.
The Religious Liberty Commission was established by President Trump under Executive Order 14291 and is tasked with producing a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America, increasing awareness of and celebrating America’s peaceful religious pluralism, highlighting current threats to religious liberty, and developing strategies to preserve and enhance protections for future generations.
“Our servicemembers are heroes. They deserve this designation for many reasons, but perhaps the foremost is that they are entrusted with life and death matters,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “For this reason, religious liberty and military service have a unique connection. The American military has, from beginning, shown that readiness and religious liberty strengthen each other. Under the leadership of President Trump and Attorney General Bondi, this Department of Justice is providing unprecedented support for religious liberty and expression. Our goal is simple: to restore religious liberty to its rightful place as a fundamental pillar for generations to come.”
“Yesterday, the Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty held a hearing in Dallas, focusing on our military. Our history is clear: since 1775, our country has encouraged religious liberty in the military, distributing millions of Bibles to soldiers and honoring their religious beliefs and practices,” said Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, Chairman of the Religious Liberty Commission. “In 2012, the Obama administration, followed by the Biden administration, stripped the military of any religious right. They punished soldiers who stood up for their faith and ran many good men and women out of military service. President Trump believes in our soldiers and their religious liberty rights. Our Commission will make numerous recommendations to the President to restore all the religious liberties Obama and Biden took from our troops.”
The witnesses and presenters included:
Dave Barton : Founder and President of WallBuilders, religious and political activist
Barton is the Founder of WallBuilders, and the author of numerous best-selling books. He is a sought-after speaker, bringing the truth of America’s history to churches, civic and military groups, schools and universities, and community events around the country, drawing his knowledge from his massive library of original writings from the Founding Era. Barton is also a frequent guest on a number of national media programs and is a co-host on The WallBuilders Show.
Brandon H. Wheeler: Senior Advisor to the Marine Corps Commandant
Wheeler is a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran with a political science degree from the Virginia Military Institute and a global strategist who’s worked in 100+ countries. Wheeler served in Operation Unified Protector, Operation Enduring Freedom, and was the commander of the elite Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Company. Wheeler spoke in his personal, rather than official, capacity.
Capt. Sukhbir Singh Toor, USMC, Ret .: Advocate for Sikh servicemembers
Capt. Toor served with distinction in the U.S. Marine Corps for eleven years, with a medical retirement in 2025. During his time in the Marines, Capt. Toor advocated for religious accommodations to allow servicemembers of the Sikh faith to both serve and maintain their articles of faith.
Blake Martin: U.S. Navy Seal Veteran
Martin served honorably for seventeen years as a United States Navy SEAL. His religious convictions led him to decline the COVID vaccine. As a result, on the brink of receiving full pension and retirement, he was forced to separate without benefits or recognition for his years of service, rather than betray his faith convictions.
Kenny and Tammie Vaughan : Founders of Shields of Strength
Vaughan spent much of his career serving the military by creating inspirational religious dog tags for servicemembers, providing hope and comfort in the most difficult circumstances. He has spoken at the Pentagon and has received recognition from President George W. Bush for his work supporting servicemembers in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2011, the Department of Defense under President Obama tightened licensing requirements for the dog tags because of their religious nature and effectively banned their distribution.
Harish Rao: Army Officer, Advocate for Hindu servicemembers
Rao joined the U.S. Army in 2015. During his basic training, through the advocacy of a chaplain, Rao received religious accommodations allowing him to both serve and practice his Hindu faith. Rao is now an Army officer and pursuing studies to enter the Chaplain Corps to provide spiritual support to Hindu and other servicemembers of faith.
Mike Berry : Executive Director of External Affairs and Senior Counsel at First Liberty Institute
Berry is a United States Marine, with seven years of active duty service and current service in the Marine Corps Reserves. Berry is also an attorney, working most recently as General Counsel to Sen. Ted Cruz. He has dedicated his career to defending the United States and the Constitution and has frequently represented servicemembers to protect their religious liberty.
Rabbi Sanford L. Dresin, Chaplain (Col.), USA Ret .: VP of Aleph Military and Endorser for U.S. Military, VA, and Secret Service Chaplains
Rabbi Dresin served for over 26 years as an active duty Army Chaplain, retiring with the rank of Colonel. His military assignments included Vietnam, Korea, 7th Medical Command, Europe, and the Pentagon.
Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Doug Carver, USA, Ret .: 22nd Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Army
Chaplain Maj. Gen. Carver is a retired American Army officer with nearly four decades of service on behalf of our country. An advocate for the religious liberty of service members, veterans, and their families, he oversees the professional and pastoral support to 3,900 Southern Baptist Chaplains who minister in various institutional settings in the United States and around the world. At the beginning of the Iraq War in 2003, he served as the senior military chaplain in the combat theater of operations.
Amy Vitale : Attorney, Director of Government Affairs at Becket
Vitale, an attorney, served as Legislative Counsel to several Members of Congress where she advocated for religious freedom with a particular focus on the military and chaplaincy.
Msgr. Anthony Frontiero, S.T.D .: Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
Msgr. Frontiero has been a priest for more than thirty years and holds numerous advanced degrees in theology and divinity, including a Doctorate in Moral Theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum), in Rome.
Pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress: Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church
Jeffress is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, a Fox News contributor, and the host of the daily radio and television program, Pathway to Victory. He is also an author of nearly 30 books and a prominent evangelical Christian ally.
Dr. Ben Lovvorn : Senior Executive Pastor of First Baptist Church
Lovvorn serves as Senior Executive Pastor of First Baptist Church and President of First Dallas Media, which owns and operates KCBI, one of the most listened to Christian radio stations in the country. He has served in full-time ministry for more than a decade and is passionate about building the church of Jesus Christ and equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.
Chaplain Dr. Andrew Fox : Former Austin Fire Department Chaplain
Fox created the chaplaincy program at the Austin Fire Department and served as the lead chaplain in a volunteer capacity for eight years. His role was terminated after he expressed his Christian beliefs in a private forum.
Phyllis Morris : Resident of Sweetwater, TX, and religious liberty advocate
Morris successfully advocated for religious liberty in her town by educating herself on First Amendment protections and clarifying to local officials and detractors that religious expression is not only permissible but protected. The result of her efforts is a beautiful nativity near the Sweetwater courthouse. Her efforts were recognized by Becket in a 2024 award for demonstrating an “enduring spirit of hope, perseverance, and joy…during the Christmas and Hanukkah season.”
Watch the hearing HERE .
The Religious Liberty Commission was established by President Trump under Executive Order 14291 and is tasked with producing a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America, increasing awareness of and celebrating America’s peaceful religious pluralism, highlighting current threats to religious liberty, and developing strategies to preserve and enhance protections for future generations.