Salvation Army leader to lose job over marriage

OSHKOSH, Wis. — The leader of a Wisconsin Salvation Army will lose his job if he goes ahead with plans to marry outside the organization.

Capt. Johnny Harsh of Oshkosh is engaged to a woman who's not affiliated with the Salvation Army. They're planning to marry in June.

Harsh says he's well aware of the agency's rule that says an officer may only marry another officer of the organization. But he doesn't think it's fair.

Salvation Army Advisory Board member Helen Lord Burr says the agency's rules are the same all over the world.

Harsh became engaged after losing his wife, Capt. Yalanda Harsh, to complications of a heart attack last June.

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Information from: Oshkosh Northwestern, http://www.thenorthwestern.com