Oscar Zavala is an infantry squad leader in the Army’s 101st Airborne Division and he’s served two tours in Afghanistan. Last month, he nearly lost his life:
On May 28th, Oscar was leading his squad on a foot patrol in eastern Afghanistan when he was injured by an explosive device in eastern Afghanistan. He was evacuated from the scene quickly and is currently recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
What you probably won’t hear about anywhere else is that Oscar and his wife Grace are both proud atheists 🙂 She organizes the Military Atheists & Secular Humanists meetup group at Fort Campbell (Kentucky) and helps lead the Students for Secular Humanism at Austin Peay State University (Tennessee).

Members of the Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers and local DC organizations have made several visits to provide reading materials and spend some time thanking Oscar for his service. Mutual support for those of us in need shows that we are not only intellectuals or activists, but an extended family defined and inspired by our shared values.
One way to help Oscar out would be to write him letters of support. Get your kids to help out, too 🙂 Jason Torpy of MAAF is happy to collect and deliver them to Oscar and Grace.
You can send your letters to 1380 Monroe St NW PMB 505, Washington, DC 20010 or email them to community@militaryatheists.org.
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