Contact: Hailey Sadler, 202-225-6365

WASHINGTON, July 13, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Congressman J. Randy Forbes was selected by the Chaplain Alliance For Religious Liberty as the 2016 recipient of the Chaplain Alliance Torchbearer Award. Forbes received this award in recognition of his bold leadership in defending the religious freedom of all military personnel through his work as Chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee and Founder and Co-Chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus.

"We are delighted to present our Torchbearer Award to Representative Forbes for his faithful stand to protect servicemembers' God-given, constitutionally protected religious liberties. No American, especially those who wear the uniform, should be denied their religious liberties," said Chaplain (COL) Ron Crews, USA Retired, Executive Director of Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty.

"The freedom to live out our faith is not only our unique heritage as Americans, but also a fundamental human right that is intrinsic to a free society," said Congressman Forbes. "The men and women in uniform serving on the front lines to defend our nation should not be penalized for exercising the same freedoms they are fighting to protect. I will continue to work to defend the constitutional right of every American to practice their faith without fear of punishment by the government."

The Torchbearer Award is awarded to individuals who have helped carry high the torch of religious liberty for all servicemembers. The Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty is an organization of chaplain endorsers, the faith groups that provide chaplains for the U.S. military and other agencies needing chaplains. The  endorsers in the Chaplain Alliance represent more than 2,600 chaplains serving the Armed Forces.

For more information about the  Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, please visit their website at chaplainalliance.org.