Air Force flight surgeon says commanding officer punished him for his Christian beliefs

A U.S. Air Force flight surgeon has claimed that he was punished by a commanding officer because of his Biblical beliefs about marriage and sexuality.

Air Force Col. Michael Madrid, a decorated Air Force veteran and a flight surgeon, had been accused of making derogatory statements about homosexuality in 2013. He was cleared of the charges in 2014, but two years later, a new commander concluded that he lied. Despite the lack of new evidence or the lack of investigation, Maj. Gen. John E. McCoy placed a Letter of Admonishment on Madrid's record, which would ensure that he would never be promoted again.

First Liberty Institute, a law firm dedicated to protecting religious liberty, sent a letter to Major Gen. Mark Brown at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, on Wednesday, asking him to rescind the Letter of Admonishment and the Unfavorable Information File on the Colonel's record.

"Col. Madrid submitted to an extensive military investigation and the Air Force cleared him," Mike Berry, Director of Military Affairs for the First Liberty, wrote, according to Breitbart News.

"Major General McCoy has no right to ignore the rule of law and arbitrarily decide, more than two years later and without any new evidence, that he can punish Col. Madrid," Berry continued.

The complaint against Madrid was filed by an Airman who has been charged with multiple criminal offenses, including illegally bringing a loaded weapon onto the Air Force base, illegally prescribing narcotics and performing duties under the influence of narcotics. The Airman, who happened to be homosexual, was soon court-martialed and found guilty of all the charges.

Madrid had tried to mentor the Airman, who was struggling with his medical career, but he supported the court-martial because of the severity of the crimes.

During the court-martial, the Airman filed a complaint against Madrid, alleging that he made derogatory comments about homosexuality. Madrid denied the accusations, but he submitted to an Air Force investigation.

The investigation against Madrid was eventually closed in 2014 after the Air Force found the allegations "unsubstantiated."

First Liberty called on the Air Force to hold McCoy accountable for his actions and to provide justice and due process to Madrid.

"I feel like I've been singled out because of my faith. Now I'm afraid if I say anything about even being a Christian, I'll step on a landmine that could blow up my career," Madrid told Breitbart News.

"I just want to resolve this situation and have the letter removed from my record so I can continue to serve our nation with honor," he added.