OAK HILL, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The Oak Hill Fire Department is defending its use of the phrase “God Bless America” after receiving a private message objecting to the religious reference in a social media post commemorating the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
According to the department, its “9-11-2001 Never Forget” Facebook post ended with the phrase “God Bless America.” The department later received a private message from a citizen stating:
“You are a public fire dept so please keep your personal God out of your posts. Thanks!”
The fire department shared the message publicly Friday while withholding the name of the person who sent it.
“Although we do not feel a response is necessary, we believe it is important to make our position clear and let our community know where we stand,” the department stated.
The department said being a public agency does not require it to remove references to God from its words, history or community.
“Being a public fire department does not mean we have to remove God from our words, our history, or our community,” the department stated.
The department pointed to references to God in several American traditions and documents, including “One Nation Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, “In God We Trust” as the national motto and the Declaration of Independence’s reference to people being “endowed by our Creator” with certain rights.
The department also noted that firefighters and other public servants may use the phrase “So Help Me God” when taking an oath to serve.
Oak Hill Fire Department emphasized that it serves people regardless of their religious beliefs.
“A public fire department serves everyone from all walks of life, people of every faith and people of no faith. We don’t ask anyone to believe what we believe, and we will always treat everyone with dignity and respect. But serving the public does not require us to erase expressions of faith or patriotism from our posts,” the department stated.
The department said those who do not believe in God are free to disagree, describing that freedom as part of what firefighters protect and serve.
“But telling a public fire department to ‘keep your God out’ because we said ‘God Bless America’ is not tolerance. True tolerance means allowing people to express beliefs with which you may disagree,” the department stated.
The department concluded its response by wishing people peace, love and happiness for the remainder of 2026 and the years ahead.
“May God Bless America!” the department wrote.
