When an Air Force servicemember is illegally threatened with eviction for flying a Christian flag at his home even as other message-based flags are approved, it exposes an insidious double standard that risks everyone’s religious liberty rights.
Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana ought to be a safe place for a military family to live out their values. Instead, it has become the setting for a troubling attack on religious liberty that should concern not only conservative Christians but anyone who believes that those who serve our country do not give up their God-given rights when they put on a uniform.
U.S. Air Force Technical Sgt. Robert Durrant did what many Americans do every day. He put up a flag at his home that reflected his beliefs. The message was clear: “Jesus Is My King, Trump Is My President.”
For Durrant, this was not meant to provoke anyone. It was simply an expression of his Christian faith and his respect for the Commander-in-Chief he serves.
But that simple act brought a warning that no service member or Christian should have to face. Durrant was told he was violating his lease and had to take down the flag within 48 hours or risk possible eviction. The warning did not come from a foreign enemy but from a housing manager working with the federal government on a U.S. military base.
Durrant and his family live in a home owned by Western Group Housing, with day-to-day management handled by Balfour Beatty Military Housing Management. Last September, after the flag had been flying for about six weeks, a Balfour employee contacted Durrant and demanded its removal, citing housing rules.
The issue was not with the flags themselves. Other residents displayed sports flags, the flags of foreign nations, and even “straight ally” LGBTQ flags without any trouble. The real issue was the message. Durrant was displaying a message that combined his faith and patriotism, and housing officials decided it was offensive and illegal.
Faced with the threat of eviction and the additional pressure of having his chain of command notified, Durrant did what many responsible fathers and airmen would reactively do to protect their family. He took the flag down.
This is how rights are lost, not always in courtrooms, but through quiet pressure that leaves faithful Americans feeling they have nowhere safe to stand.
Thankfully, Durrant did not stand alone.
First Liberty Institute sent a demand letter explaining why prohibiting him from displaying his flag violates the First Amendment and federal law, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Fair Housing Act.
The letter lays out what should already be obvious. Military housing officials do not get to pick and choose which viewpoints are acceptable.
Chris Motz, senior counsel for First Liberty, stated,
“Permitting the display of LGBT and other flags for years while subsequently ordering the swift removal of a religious flag is blatant anti-Christian bias targeting religious exercise. The First Amendment protects Durrant’s right to freely express his faith without fear of reprimand or repercussion, including on an Air Force base.”
This is not a radical position. It is the law of the land. The Constitution does not stop at the gates of a military installation. Service members do accept certain limitations related to discipline and mission readiness, but they do not forfeit their fundamental freedoms.
In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled on this exact issue in the 2022 case of Shurtleff v. City of Boston. Their finding: An organization cannot allow some flags to be flown and then ban others. Except for the fact that it involved a local government rather than the military, Shurtleff’s fight was almost identical to Durrant’s. The City of Boston approved every flag for its private flagpole but one: the Christian flag.
As Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in summing up the Court’s position:
“Under the Constitution, a government may not treat religious persons, religious organizations, or religious speech as second-class.”
First Liberty’s attorneys added to this point by explaining, in their “Service members do not forfeit their First Amendment rights by virtue of their military service, including when the service member resides in military housing.”
That statement should not be controversial. Yet the facts here show that somewhere between official policy and daily life, hostility toward Christian expression has occurred.
Even when the military can restrict some speech, religious exercise is supposed to receive special protection. Any restrictions must be neutral, limited, and applied equally to everyone.
What happened at Malmstrom Air Force Base does not meet that standard. Housing officials did not ban all flags. They singled out one flag because of what it said.
That is viewpoint discrimination. It is unconstitutional, unlawful, and deeply un-American.
For Christians, there is another concern. Scripture calls us to honor those in authority, to pray for our leaders, and to live out our faith openly. When a Christian service member is told that honoring Christ and recognizing his Commander-in-Chief is prohibited, we should consider what message that sends to the nation’s believers in uniform.
This is not an isolated incident. Last fall, First Liberty represented U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Levi Beaird, who was threatened with eviction for displaying an “Appeal to Heaven” flag at his base residence. That flag, rooted in American history and Christian heritage, was considered unacceptable until legal pressure forced housing officials to back down. After First Liberty intervened, the lease violation notice was rescinded, and Beaird was allowed to keep his flag.
This pattern is hard to ignore. Christian symbols are treated with hostility, while progressive and secular symbols are accepted without question. The result? Believers are conditioned and intimidated into silencing themselves in hopes of avoiding trouble.
For Christians who care about religious liberty, this should be a wake-up call. The fight is not limited to churches, schools, or courtrooms. It is happening in neighborhoods, on military bases, and in the lives of men and women who have sworn to defend the Constitution, even as that same Constitution is being denied to them.
Housing officials at Malmstrom Air Force Base now have a chance to do the right thing. As First Liberty has demanded, they must confirm that Durrant is not violating his lease and allow him to display his flag without restrictions, threats, or discipline.
Christians should pray for Robert Durrant and his family. We should also stay alert. If faith can be pushed aside in military housing today, it can be pushed aside somewhere else tomorrow. Our response must be firm, lawful, and grounded in truth.
The men and women who defend our nation deserve better. They deserve leaders who respect the Constitution they serve and the Christian faith that sustains many of them in the hardest moments. Flying a flag that says “Jesus is my King” should not put a family at risk. In America, and especially on an Air Force base, it should be protected without fail.
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