Air Force decision to ban 'have a blessed day' greeting ends, may signal start of lawsuit over religious greetings

Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia, suffered major public backlash and anger over a decision to ban the use of "have a blessed day" by servicemen on the base.

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The officials at the base said that service members could use the phrase only so long as they remained "courteous and professional."

This decision was made because gate guards at the installation were using the greeting to those entering the base, and a "non-religious" person made a complaint to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), a group which dedicates itself to forcing a complete separation between religious worship and government grounds.

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"On no less than 15 occasions over the last two weeks, I have been greeted by the military personnel at the gate with the phrase," the email sent to the MRFF read. "This greeting has been expressed by at least 10 different Airmen ranging in rank from A1C to Sgt. I found the greeting to be a notion that I, as a non-religious member of the military community should believe a higher power has an influence on how my day should go."

Mikey Weinstein, the president of the MRFF, immediately contacted the base commander, and had the greeting changed, after which the complainant sent another email.

"Thank you for the quick response to the situation at my base. After your actions, the personnel at the gates have immediately changed their greetings to a more professional, 'Have a nice/good day sir/ma'am."

The Air Force quickly overturned the ban, saying the previous greeting complied fully with Air Force standards.

"We are a professional organization defended by a professional force. Our defenders portray a professional image that represents a base all of Middle Georgia can be proud of. Defenders have been asked to use the standard phrase "Welcome to Team Robins" in their greeting and can add various follow-on greetings as long as they remain courteous and professional.

"The Air Force takes any expressed concern over religious freedom very seriously. Upon further review and consultation, the Air Force determined use of the phrase "have a blessed day" as a greeting is consistent with Air Force standards and is not in violation of Air Force Instructions."

Of interest is that the greeting is not a mandated greeting and is up to a service members individual preference to use.

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