Respecting a soldier's faith

[icymist]

Published July 12, 2006


Patrick Stewart was an adherent of Wicca--a religion based on worship of nature, whose members call themselves witches or pagans. It didn't get in the way of him serving his country with distinction in the Nevada National Guard. Sgt. Stewart was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star after being killed in Afghanistan when the helicopter carrying him was shot down.

But now that he's deceased, his Wiccan faith presents a problem. His widow, Roberta Stewart, asked the Department of Veterans Affairs to memorialize him at a Nevada veterans cemetery with a marker including his name and the Wiccan symbol--a five-pointed star in a circle. But the VA balked, on the grounds that Wiccan emblems have not been approved. All it was willing to do was install a plaque with his name.

<snip>
The active-duty military itself has long since adapted to the country's riotous religious diversity. Some 1,800 personnel are Wiccans, and they are allowed the same privileges as any other religious group. The Pentagon's official policy says chaplains are obligated to "meet the religious needs of all personnel under their care."

That accommodation has drawn fire from some Washington critics who see Wicca as a Satanic cult, which experts say it is not. But the services have had no apparent trouble allowing the free exercise of religion in their ranks. Stewart's dog tags identify him as a Wiccan.

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[Ilsa]

1. They have formally denied him and his family this last request,

I htink. I wonder if the family has exhausted all remedies? I hope they take it to the Supreme Court!