HARRISBURG – A victory for a chaplain threatened by the Coatesville VA Medical Center. Rusty Trubey had been a chaplain at the facility for nearly ten years. In June 2024, Trubey conducted a worship service and preached a sermon from the first chapter of Romans. After the service ended, an onsite VA police officer approached him, alleging complaints made about his sermon from that day. Trubey informed his supervisor that police had been called. After that, Trubey was removed from his duties as chaplain, investigated for several months, and threatened with a mark on his permanent record. While the Coatesville facility rescinded the reprimand, his supervisor attempted to implement an unconstitutional sermon review process and attempted to limit the topics on which chaplains could preach. If put into effect, chaplains could have been punished for preaching according to their religious convictions. U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins sent a letter announcing that his office has taken action to stop a speech code for chaplains. Attorney Randall Wenger of the Independence Law Center responded that we’re grateful for Secretary Collins’ swift action to defend religious liberty. This is a win not just for Chaplain Trubey, but for every veteran and service member who relies on chaplains for biblical spiritual care. You can read the letter from Secretary Collins by clicking on the picture below.
