Chaplain Russell (Rusty) Trubey

A current Army Reserve chaplain, veteran and former missionary, Russell (Rusty) Trubey has been a chaplain at the Coatesville (PA) VA Medical Center (CVAMC), since 2015. Like all chaplains serving in a military capacity, he is required to maintain a full and active ecclesiastical endorsement from an eligible faith-based organization. Endorsed by the General Council of the Assemblies of God since he began, he has faithfully completed his duties consistent with the religious beliefs of the endorsing organization.

One of the many chaplain responsibilities includes conducting services in the medical center’s chapel for which attendance is completely voluntary. In June 2024, Chaplain Trubey conducted a protestant worship service in the chapel and preached a sermon from the first chapter of Romans. After the service ended and when Chaplain Trubey was cleaning up the chapel, an onsite VA police officer approached him alleging complaints about the content of his sermon. Chaplain Trubey informed his supervisor, Chaplain Brynn White, that the police had been called after his sermon.

An investigation was conducted after his supervisor reviewed the content of his sermon. For several months, while the investigation was ongoing, he was dismissed from his duties as a chaplain and was reassigned in the hospital stocking shelves.  In addition to the investigation, he was threatened with a letter of reprimand (LOR) that would be included in his permanent record. While he did not receive the LOR, under a new rule implemented at the facility, he and all chaplains would now have their sermons reviewed ahead of time and approved by the supervisor. His supervisor is also attempting to change the chaplain standard operating procedures, which would allow her to punish chaplains for preaching sermons she doesn’t like.

In February, First Liberty and the Independence Law Center sent a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins alerting him of the troublesome censorship occurring within the VA. In the letter attorneys emphasized that, “Chaplains’ sermons hold a special place in the context of the First Amendment’s Free Speech protections, and chaplains do not forfeit those rights by virtue of their employment by the federal government. Here, the VA punished Chaplain Trubey for exercising his rights and now proposes changes to the SOP that would allow the Coatesville Facility to continue violating his free speech rights and the rights of all chaplains.”

In April, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins replied in a letter to First Liberty announcing that his office had taken action to stop a speech code for chaplains threatened by the Coatesville (PA) VA Medical Center. In his letter, Secretary Collins said,

“It is undisputed and well-settled law that constitutional law and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act protects statements made by all VA Chaplains while delivering sermons in accordance with their ecclesiastical endorsers.”  He adds, “Further, VA confirms that there is no national or local policy or standard operating procedure which inhibits Chaplain sermons. To the extent that there have been any proposed changes to any existing policy, those proposals will not move forward and have been rescinded.”

The decision ensures that First Liberty and ILC client Chaplain Rusty Trubey and his chaplain colleagues across the nation may preach according to the dictates of their conscience.

“Secretary Collins made it clear that the government has no business censoring anyone’s sermon, including military chaplains,” said Erin Smith, Associate Counsel at First Liberty Institute. “We are thrilled that Chaplain Trubey and his colleagues will no longer face the possibility of censorship or punishment for simply speaking according to their faith. We thank Secretary Collins for his protection of religious liberty.”

Randall Wenger of the Independence Law Center added, “We’re grateful for Secretary Collins’ swift action to defend religious liberty. Chaplains like Rusty Trubey serve those who have served us—our veterans—and they must be free to meet the spiritual needs of our service members according to conscience and Scripture. This is a win not just for Chaplain Trubey, but for every veteran and service member who relies on chaplains for biblical spiritual care.”