I can’t verify this story, but it’s not a stretch of the imagination to believe. Military atheists have had to endure a lot under the direction of Christian superiors. This is one of the smaller battles, but if it happened, it’s disappointing:
My friend is in the military and on deployment. They had a mandatory potluck to attend (this is the Army — you are not volunteered, you are “voluntold” to do things) and after arriving, she started eating because she was hungry. This encouraged the other hungry soldiers to begin. Someone of higher rank then asked her incredulously why she was eating. She said, “I’m hungry.” He then said that they hadn’t said grace and asked HER to lead the prayer. She said, “No”…
You can guess where this is going… the rest of the brief story is here.
Saying grace isn’t a crime and the officer in question could’ve done it himself if he wished. But to assume everyone believes the same thing you do is a mistake and one would hope a commanding officer knows better.
(via Beth01 — Thanks to Sam for the link!)