Army Captain Ryan Jean, of Fort Meade, is seeking official recognition as a humanist lay leader, on par with Christian, Jewish and Muslim lay leaders who help military chaplains serve the troops. Jean says he has been criticized before for his lack of faith. An experience at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, where he was chewed out by a post chaplain for his atheism, persuaded him to seek official recognition.
There are as many as a dozen atheists applying for lay leader status throughout the U.S. military. They want nonbelievers to receive the same acceptance that uniformed Christians take for granted. Military authorities have yet to approve the request.
