Denver, USA - A former top cadet at the Air Force Academy was cleared Tuesday of any wrongdoing in his farewell e-mail to cadets that included quotes from the Bible.
The cadet, 2nd Lt. Nicholas Jurewicz, acted within the authority of his position as cadet wing commander and violated no military or academy policies, which ban the use of official e-mails for personal messages, the school said in a news release.
The academy has been under investigation because of complaints that evangelical Christians have violated the constitutional separation of church and state by harassing cadets who do not share their faith. Cadets have been required to attend religious tolerance seminars.
Jurewicz's e-mail, sent on the eve of his graduation to about 3,000 cadets, included a 22-page attachment of about 300 leadership and character-related quotations. Biblical verses, such as "Bear one another's burdens, and so you will fulfill the law of Christ," sparked objections from some cadets.
Capt. Melinda Morton, a top chaplain who claims to have been fired because of her outspoken criticism of the power of evangelicals at the academy, said only official material should be used for general distribution. She said the e-mail defied the principles of the religious tolerance classes.
But the academy said Jurewicz did not try to convince any of the recipients of the intrinsic value of any quote and made it clear that no cadet was required to read the e-mail.
The e-mail also included quotes from Buddha, Confucius, poets, authors, presidents and military leaders among others.