Officials investigating Ft. Bragg chaplain who banned same-sex couple from marriage retreat

Officials said an unidentified Army sergeant and her wife wanted to attend a retreat sponsored by the 1st Special Warfare Training Group to strengthen their marriage, but they were denied.

Maj. Scott Squires, who is endorsed by the North American Mission Board and said his religious denomination does not recognize same-sex marriages, was facilitating the event.

The couple took their compliant to command, launching a discrimination investigation into Squires.

“I was shocked the investigator concluded for doing something I’m required to do under Army regulations and my endorser’s rules,” Squires said in a statement. “I hope the Army sees that I was simply following Army regulations and the tenets of my church.”

Attorneys from First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit law firm that defends religious freedoms, are representing Squires and said the law is on his side because federal law requires all chaplains who serve in the military to “act in accordance with the teachings of their faith and their endorsing organizations.”

“In the case of Chaplain Squires, not only does the law permit him to follow the teaching of the North American Mission Board, he’s actually protected when he does so and the Army is not allowed to take any adverse action against him for that,” attorney Mike Berry said.

While the Army is not talking about the specifics of the case while it remains under investigation, the Commander of the JFK Special Warfare Center and School released a statement which says, in part:

“We take every discrimination claim seriously and afford all members of our community the right to equality. The command embraces the diversity of each individuals in our organization and welcomes the responsibility to create an inclusive workplace.”

Attorneys for Squire said attempts were made to allow the couple to attend a rescheduled retreat with another chaplain, but all reservations for the event were filled before that happened.

Berry said if Squires is reprimanded as a result of the incident, he could lose his Army career.

“You’re likely to never promote again. You’re likely to no longer get the sought after assignments that soldiers compete for, especially when it’s a case of a claim or an allegation of discrimination,” he said.