Air Force security guards in Georgia are no longer banned from saying "have a blessed day" after the rule was overturned on Thursday.
The guards were temporarily banned from using the greeting after complaints were filed.
Military Religious Freedom Foundation CEO Mikey Weinstein reported that he received 13 complaints from airmen and civilians over the greeting, prompting him to contact Robins Air Force Base officials. Weinstein said that nine of the complainants were Christians.
A commander changed the greeting to "have a nice day," but the decision was reversed after the Air Force clarified the application of religious freedom.
"The Air Force takes any expressed concern over religious freedom very seriously," Robins Air Force base spokesman Roland Leach said in a statement. "'Have a blessed day' as a greeting is consistent with Air Force standards and is not in violation of Air Force Instructions."
Leach added that the guards "portray a professional image that represents a base all of Middle Georgia can be proud of."
Weinstein has not ruled out the possibility of a lawsuit in response to the change.
"Whenever the Air Force is pushed to the test, they will crater to the religious right," he told the Air Force Times. "This an example where it's fine to say, 'Welcome to Team Robins,' but, as I said before, what are you going to do if the gate guards say: 'Welcome to Team Robins, hail Satan!'
"They talk about, 'It's a military base all of middle Georgia can be proud of,' unfortunately, the Constitution to these people – and Air Force regulations – do not apply simply to 'middle Georgia,'" he continued.
"They also don't apply to Middle Earth. They apply to the United States of America and this is a vicious savaging of the constitutional protections that are afforded by the First Amendment along with Department of Defense regulations. The Air Force has not heard the last of this."
