jj,
As much as I respect your opinion, your defense argument IMPO is flawed. (I am Catholic)
There is a thing called separation between church and state. The govt has no business being in my or any American citizen's religious beliefs.
The reason IMPO that this defense was wrong comes down to the fact that the chapel on base is non-denomination.
That is fact. That is why you see no Stations of the Cross, why the crucifix is on a pivot and there is a curtain to cover it.
The reason to have angst or anger as someone that has been a parishioner of on base chapels around the world is the 1st offering always goes to your parish, and it is no different on a military base/post.
~~~ At Leavenworth a chapel on post was gifted/loaned to the Army with the condition that they would always supply a priest for the military parishioners. I do not know if the priest there now is AD or contracted. If contracted, the Army broke their commitment to the church.
Remember that weekly offering pays for the upkeep of the church on that post too.
I would also say that many military members believe a church is as much of a family or support as their own blood. They never thought about if the priest was contracted or AD when they joined the church.
To truly understand the community, you have to be in the community. The govt IMPO should not be involved at all. That includes the govt forcing a priest that is contracted to chose between being fired/arrested or serving their flock. The Catholic church provides the contracted priests, and the parishioners through the weekly offerings paid for that priest to be contracted.
The govt in part did not pay for the priest, they only were the middle man. Again, if you are not a parishioner, you are not aware what the offering pays for. It doesn't all go to Rome!