I was ordered to stop being an atheist.

The author of this piece is an active-duty member of the United States military. They asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation.

I am an atheist in a foxhole. While on deployment in the Middle East, I established a secular support group for those Nones who didn’t have a community to fall back on like the theistic service members. 

When I returned home, I attempted to create a similar group. But the garrison chaplain told me there “was no need for an atheist club” and stopped me from providing that physical rally point for fellow atheists in foxholes.

The 2024 election was just a few months later, and it ushered in a Christian Nationalist takeover of the United States government and military. This administration’s actions would not only keep the formation of my secular support group dead in the water but also promote Christian Nationalism — flying under the flag of patriotism and a Crusader cross.

In February 2025, the White House issued a directive to “eradicate anti-Christian bias” in the nation, citing a handful of crimes committed against churches or select Christian citizens. Seeing this, I quickly halted any activism I was participating in out of fear that even criticizing the Bible or the faith I once belonged to would put a target on my back, and by extension, my military career.

In December 2025, United States Southern Command posted an image of a U.S. Marine wearing the Jerusalem Cross on his helmet. This symbol bears historical significance to Christian militarism and has become a symbol for militant Christian extremists to use against anyone they view as adversarial to their religion. 

The current Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has this same symbol boldly tattooed across his chest. The intention of this imagery shouldn’t be lost on any of you.

In March 2026, Hegseth announced his initiative to “make the Chaplain Corps great again.” This became a battle cry to erase over 170 faith and belief codes from the Department of Defense, including atheists and humanists.

A month ago, my chain of command instructed me to immediately change my religious belief in our online records to reflect one of the 31 remaining options — 22 of which are Christian beliefs. I’m going to reiterate: There is no longer any option for me to identify as an atheist.

Following U.S. attacks on Iran, Hegseth visited several U.S. military bases and academies on his so-called “Send Me” tour. The reference to Isaiah 6:8 frames military service as a call to protect the nation while making the conflict appear inherently and unnecessarily religious. 

Using this specific verse amplifies the aforementioned crusader mentality, making the war even more volatile by suggesting that the U.S. has “God on its side.” At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if Hegseth changed the Army’s motto from “This We’ll Defend” to “Deus Vult,” but let’s not give him the idea. 

This administration’s overt displays of Christian militarism and nationalism are completely antithetical to the secular foundation our country was built upon. There is no possible way to overstate how dangerous this crusader mentality is to the entire United States — especially its military.

And this is to say nothing of Hegseth’s repeated failures and acts of bigotry and violence, including leaking troop movements and attack plans, discharging transgender military service members, authorizing the death penalty and even supporting public executions — all masked under religious rhetoric. 

There have been countless times over the last two years I’ve considered leaving the military just so I don’t risk getting dragged into this “holy war” that Hegseth has created for us. Unfortunately, as someone who actively serves to help and heal others in a medical capacity, I also intend to help this organization I belong to as much as I can. And, believe me, we need help now more than ever.

If you have friends or family members in the military, especially fellow atheists in foxholes, please check on them. Those of us remaining are trying to endure and believe the military can be a better place. 

We know that despite the damage this administration is causing, we will see the pendulum swing back in our favor one day… hopefully sooner rather than later. 

American Atheists is helping atheists in foxholes, like me. Right now, they’re suing Pete Hegseth’s Department of Defense to demand answers about its decision to erase nonreligious service members. Please make a donation today to support this fight, hold this administration accountable, and defend the freedom of everyone who serves.