On a Wing, But Not on a Prayer
TIME’s Mark Thompson reports on the Air Force Academy’s decision to make the “so help me God” portion of its cadet oath optional, following a complaint from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. According to Thompson, “so help me God” was added to the cadet oath following a 1984 cheating scandal. In a statement, Lieutenant General Michelle D. Johnson said, “Here at the Academy, we work to build a culture of dignity and respect, and that respect includes the ability of our cadets, airmen and civilian airmen to freely practice and exercise their religious preference – or not.”