Navy reversed resignation of  chaplain ...

The Navy has, for now, reversed the resignation of a chaplain who claims he was forced to quit his post in Naples. Lt. Cmdr. Philip Veitch says he had to resign because of his preaching and because of his reporting of the alleged interference. The Department of Defense is investigating. In the meantime, Veitch's case has become a lightning rod for evangelicals who fear government is trying to ground their faith and for other chaplains who say the Navy has kept them from top jobs. "This Chaplain Corps story is not over," Veitch said. "And it's not just about Veitch." He complained that his superior, Capt. Ron Buchmiller, forbade him to preach Protestant doctrine. Veitch is a member of the Reformed Episcopal Church. Buchmiller is a Catholic priest. The Navy base, however, said Veitch wasn't forced out because of his preaching. A base spokesman said that the chaplain repeatedly showed disrespect to his superior officer and missed duty, and that his resignation was believed by everyone to be better than a court-martial. Veitch left Naples for North Carolina in September. In some circles, Veitch is a minor celebrity. Outlets ranging from The Virginian-Pilot newspaper to the Rush Limbaugh show have covered or commented on the case. And the coverage isn't letting up - a correspondent from conservative Pat Robertson's TV program, "The 700 Club," recently interviewed him for a future broadcast. Veitch has another appointment with the program this week. "I am a known name," Veitch said. Hundreds of supporters have contacted him by e-mail. "People from Canada, people from Detroit, people who don't even know me," he said. At the same time, a group of 47 Navy chaplains this month endorsed a letter complaining that top posts inside the Chaplain Corps are never occupied by evangelicals, said Capt. George Linzey, a retired chaplain in San Diego who drafted it. Generally speaking, evangelicalism is a distinctly Protestant movement that stresses salvation solely by faith in Jesus Christ. Veitch said he can't personally vouch for the letter, but confirms he isn't the only preacher complaining of being reined in. "The evangelical chaplains, of which I am one, are not happy about not having a place at the table," Veitch said. The chaplain had tried to rescind his resignation before without luck. But on Nov. 8 he was contacted by the office of U.S. Sen. Charles Robb, D-Va. Robb wrote to Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig, asking that he suspend Veitch's resignation. "Our office has been helping him from a case-work standpoint," said John DiBiase, Robb's spokesman in Washington. "... We take every inquiry very, very seriously. And this case is important because it involves the welfare of a servicemember and his family." According to Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tenn., the resignation is on hold until an investigation is wrapped up by the Department of Defense's inspector general. Veitch said he believes he will return to duty early next month at Camp Lejeune, N.C. In the meantime, he's plugged into his PC - beaming e-mails to supporters, other chaplains, religious groups and reporters. "I've been on the phone half the time, the computer half the time," he said. He also doesn't think he and his family are through. "They've taken our security, they've taken our reputation," Veitch said. "Among some people, my name's anathema." Whatever the outcome, a broader battle is boiling. Linzey, the retired Pentecostal chaplain, said he plans to submit his letter soon. It alleges that mainline Protestant and Catholic chaplains rule the corps, at the expense of not only evangelicals but also Jews, Latter-day Saints, Christian Scientists and others. "When I was in junior high," Linzey said, "my dad said: 'If you join the Chaplain Corps, remember there are three ... the Catholics, the (Protestant) liturgicals, and everybody else. If you remember that, you might do well.'" Liturgical churches are based on rites of worship common to each service. These include not only Catholics, but Protestants such as Anglicans and some Episcopalians and Lutherans. Linzey's father, Capt. Stanford Linzey, was also a chaplain. He was stationed aboard the aircraft carrier Yorktown during its famed destruction in 1942 in the Pacific - and floated for two hours in a mire of ocean and oil, praying the pool wouldn't ignite while waiting for help. The elder Linzey wrote about it in his book, "God Was at Midway." Linzey said his father experienced problems during his career. Some chaplains didn't want him to preach on Sundays, saying they weren't sure if the Assemblies of God was really a Christian denomination, the son said. Linzey said he is not biased, calling himself merely an observer. "I was an organist for a Catholic church," he said. "I've worked for nine denominations." Instead, he cited a 1995 report by Navy Capt. Larry Ellis, then-chaplain of the Marine Corps, that was sent to the Navy's chief and deputy chief of chaplains. The report showed that over a 15-year period, only 14 of 119 top positions in the Chaplain Corps were held by clergy other than liturgical Christians. Linzey plans to deliver his complaint letter to the Navy, but may have to notarize it first. Only 11 of the 47 chaplains behind it are willing to put their names on it. "I've sworn not to release the names," Linzey said. However that holy war winds up remains to be seen. For his part, though, Veitch vows he won't go away sheepishly. Especially while he has a modem. "The flood," he said, "is coming."

Navy chaplain bucks ``vanilla gospel,'' fights to keep job