Philip Kevin Paulson (1947 – October 25, 2006) was a

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

combat veteran of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

who, as an atheist, was the lead plaintiff in a series of lawsuits to remove a Christian cross from a prominent summit in the city of

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

. He spent seventeen years, starting with a pro se action against the city, then as lead plaintiff, in multiple successful federal court challenges to remove the high cross from this government owned land. Although removal was favored by successive court rulings, various tactics, including referendums, appeals and finally removing the underlying land to federal ownership prevented removing the cross.

Personal life

Paulson grew up in the village of Clayton, Wisconsin, and had two older brothers and two younger sisters. He had been married for a brief period but did not have any children.

Education

Paulson earned a bachelor's degree in

Journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

and master's degrees in

Public Administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit establ ...

and the

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Military service

Paulson enlisted in the U.S. Army aged 18 in 1966, becoming a

paratrooper A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...

, and served two tours of duty in Vietnam, including on Hill 875 in the Battle of Dak To, where his platoon was ambushed and he and a fellow soldier were the only survivors.

Life after the military

After returning from Vietnam, he attended the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

and took a sociology of religion class. Paulson worked in various professions after returning from Vietnam, as a journalist, in shipyards, oil fields, and apple orchards. In the late 1970s, Paulson moved to San Diego and was a professor at

National University A national university is mainly a university created or managed by a government, but which may also at the same time operate autonomously without direct control by the state. Some national universities are associated with national cultural or po ...

where he taught business and computing classes. In 2003 he signed the

Humanist Manifesto ''Humanist Manifesto'' is the title of three manifestos laying out a humanist worldview. They are the original ''Humanist Manifesto'' (1933, often referred to as Humanist Manifesto I), the ''Humanist Manifesto II'' (1973), and ''Humanism and It ...

Involvement in the Mount Soledad Cross Controversy

Paulson spent seventeen years arguing that the cross violated the

separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...

interpretation of the

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of the

U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

and the No Preference Clause of the

California Constitution The Constitution of California ( es, Constitución de California) is the primary organizing law for the U.S. state of California, describing the duties, powers, structures and functions of the government of California. California's original co ...

. His detractors, led by the only daily newspaper in the city,

The San Diego Union Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

, depicted him as a man on a mission to deny the expression of the majority's religious preference. In numerous articles and letters to the editor he was invariably referred to as "Atheist Philip Paulson", with rarely a mention of his veteran status, having served two combat tours in Viet Nam. Mr. Paulson described his experiences as an atheist in Viet Nam in the article
I Was an Atheist in a Foxhole
' for the

American Humanist Association The American Humanist Association (AHA) is a non-profit organization in the United States that advances secular humanism. The American Humanist Association was founded in 1941 and currently provides legal assistance to defend the constitutiona ...

in the September/October 1989 issue of ''

The Humanist ''The Humanist'' is an American bi-monthly magazine published in Washington, DC. It was founded in 1941 by American Humanist Association. It covers topics in science, religion, media, technology, politics and popular culture and provides ethical ...

'' magazine.

Death and Union Tribune interview

He refused interviews and public speaking, except for a single interview with the Union Tribune when he learned that he had terminal

liver cancer Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...

. Upon his death at the age of 59 on October 25, 2006, the newspaper that had led the attacks against him printed his obituary. It contained this quote, which summarized his motivation:

“I fought in Vietnam and I thought I fought to maintain freedom and yet the cross savers in this city would have us believe all of the veterans' sacrifices are in vain, that the Constitution is something to be spit on,” Mr. Paulson said. “The real message is equal treatment under the law, and religious neutrality. That's the purpose of why I did it. It has nothing to do with me being an atheist. The fact is, the Constitution calls for no preference and that's why every judge ruled for me.”

When it became known that Paulson had only months to live, his friends and supporters organized a luncheon to honor him. Over a hundred people, including national leaders of the movement to preserve separation of church and state, attended. Among the many expressions of appreciation, this one is available, showing Paulson (hair missing due to chemotherapy) in the audience. In October 2006, the

Freedom From Religion Foundation The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is an American nonprofit organization, which advocates for atheists, agnostics, and nontheists. Formed in 1976, FFRF promotes the separation of church and state, and challenges the legitimacy of many ...

, at its annual convention in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, gave Paulson its first " Atheist in a Foxhole" award. He attended although he was barely able to travel due to his deteriorating health.

References

External links

LA Times Obituary: Philip Paulson, 59; atheist, Vietnam veteran fought to have hilltop cross removed
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paulson, Philip K. 1947 births 2006 deaths People from Polk County, Wisconsin American people of Swedish descent American humanists American atheists United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Army soldiers Deaths from liver cancer Deaths from cancer in California Former Lutherans American former Protestants