Disclamer: The views expressed in this article are not those of the United States Department of Defense or the United States Air Force. These views are entirely my own.
The stigma of not being a White Christian Male in the military in the past has been known to be disadvantageous. Although I satisfy the "White" and "Male" attributes, I do not fall under the Christian majority. My career has been littered with comments like "There are no atheists in foxholes" and "You aren't really an atheist, right?" Fearful occasions where my religious views had to be hidden in dread that a person may not give me the same consideration as another.
Although there are many other minorities being discriminated against such as women, Muslims and Arabs, there have been grand advances in acceptance of previously hated minorities in the military. In November, 2010, the United States repealed its Don't Ask Don't Tell policy which banned openly homosexual members from serving in the military. At first, there was backlash from many members of the military.
When I hear someone spouting intolerance, I often address the individual and question their views. There have been several occasion where I have called someone out on their atrocious statements and let them know the implications of their words. I do not know if my approach has always been the best, but I said something when no one else would.
If people who have intolerant views aren't made aware of their backwards opinions then they will never make a conscience attempt to change themselves. Being representatives of the United States as a whole, members of the military should be enlightened of the implications of what they say. Like many organizations in the world, the USAF wants to have a positive public image. Without a positive public image, the trust in the system as a whole will crumble.
In regards to the disdain toward non-religious people, imagine a United States that follows the trends of other western countries and becomes an atheist/agnostic dominated society. But instead of following the same trend as the rest of the country, the U.S. military continues to be dominated by primarily intolerant Christians. If we are known to be discriminatory toward atheists/agnostics, our public image will recede back to its Vietnam days. Based on my short time in the Air Force, I predict the culture will change greatly overtime based on the exponential changes I have seen in a few short years.
Since joining the Air Force, it has become a rare occasion where I have seen people make egregious statements toward homosexuals. Among other things, I attribute this change to the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell and the frequent campaigns for tolerance and acceptance of differing cultures to our ranks. The challenge the Pentagon has today is changing the state of contempt the country has toward women in combat roles. However, if the military can change the culture in accepting homosexuals and differing religious views it should be successful.
