FRC Appoints New VP; Will Help Address Military Issues
WASHINGTON – Lt. Gen. William "Jerry" Boykin has been appointed Family Research Council's executive vice president, the organization announced Friday at a press event. Besides overseeing the day-to-day operations at FRC, Boykin's extensive military experience will provide the organization with greater expertise to address social issues in the military.
Boykin believes that the current administration is using the military to advance social issues. One area of concern, for instance, is whether military chaplains will be forced to conduct same-sex marriages now that gays are allowed to serve openly in the military.
"The military has one mission," Boykin said, "to fight and win wars."
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Any policy that hinders the military's readiness to fulfill that mission, Boykin's believes, should not be supported.
Boykin spent 36 years in the Army and was one of the original members of the Army's Delta Force, a special operations unit. He also commanded the Army's Green Berets and Special Warfare Center and School. He retired in 2007 after spending four years as Deputy Undersecretary of Defense and Intelligence under Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Boykin is also an ordained minister and author of Never Surrender: A Soldier's Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom.
FRC's previous executive V.P., Chuck Donovan, left a few years ago and that position had remained empty since then.
"It's no longer about me, it's about my grandchildren," Boykin, who is now 65, said as he reflected on his reasons for taking the position.
In terms of public policy and the issues that concern him, Boykin believes there is "no organization with a greater impact than Family Research Council."
He also expects that criticism of the organization will increase as long as it has an impact.
Tony Perkins, president of FRC, "needs a grizzled old veteran" who has "been around the block a few times," Boykin explained, to help steady the organization amid the criticism.
FRC recently began an "iPledge" campaign, asking its supporters to pledge to pray for the nation, register to vote and encourage two others to vote, and participate in the election "by voting for candidates that will uphold the Constitution and biblical values." On Sept. 9, FRC will hold a live simulcast, dubbed "iPledge Sunday," that will be shown in churches across the nation.
