King: We Must Honor the Men and Women in our Military by Protecting the First Amendment

Friday, December 02, 2011

King spoke about a new rule that bans wounded soldiers from receiving religious materials at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Washington D.C.- Congressman King (R-IA) spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives last night to shed light on a flawed visitor policy at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. A recent memo from the Commander of Walter Reed, Rear Admiral Alton Stocks, indicates that the use and distribution of religious materials, such as Bibles, during visits to wounded soldiers is now prohibited.

Congressman Kings speaks on the floor of the House about the memo that describes the new visitor policy at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

"Mr. Speaker, these military men and women who are recovering at Walter Reed in Bethesda have given their all for America," said King. "They've given their all for America, and they've defended and taken an oath to the Constitution, and here they are. The people that come to visit them can't bring a religious artifact? They can't bring a Bible? They can't use them in the services? A priest can't walk in with the Eucharist and offer communion to a patient who might be on their deathbed because it's prohibited in this memo."

###