Academy critic says she was fired: co-wrote a report last year that criticized "strident" evangelizing of cadets by Christian officers

USATODAY.com - Academy critic says she was fired: "Posted 5/11/2005 11:14 PM Updated 5/12/2005 12:42 PM | By Patrick O'Driscoll, USA TODAY

COLORADO SPRINGS — An Air Force Academy chaplain who co-wrote a report last year that criticized "strident" evangelizing of cadets by Christian officers said Wednesday that she was fired by the academy's head chaplain.

The chaplain, Capt. Melinda Morton, spoke out as a Pentagon task force began a three-day visit to the academy here to examine complaints of Christian religious bias on campus. It is to report back to the Pentagon by May 23.

Morton, a Lutheran minister and executive officer to the chief chaplain, Col. Michael Whittington, said in an interview that he dismissed her from that job last week. She said it happened after he pressured her to deny details of what happened at a religious service that was held during last summer's training for new cadets.