Soldier Sues Army, Saying His Atheism Led to Threats

I recall I was mistreated for my views, in the Navy, back in the 1960s. At first, they merely told me I was wrong and tolerated me. But, just as on a2k, once the barbs started flying, they became less and less tolerant. My last months, the whole sonar crew went after me daily without letup. One, whom I had thought to be a friend, decided my rack (bed) could not be complete without one of those little Bibles on it. Every time I went topside, he put one of those insidious little bombs right in the middle. For near a week, I simpy moved it and went on with my business. Finally, losing patience, I told the guy I would tear it in half if I found it there again. He thought this was bullshit, since it would be the equivelent of tearing an LA phone book in two. Sure enough, I found it on the same spot, no more than an hour later and sure enough, I tore it apart. At the instant the ripping began, I caught a glimpse of the guy hiding behind something, with a broad grin that turned to instant horror as the two parts of Bible emerged. The trick being, of course, to tear it along the spine, and not across the pages. I never gained relief, until I walked off that ship for good.