Wiccans and pagans in the United States military

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Official VA gravestone of a Wiccan servicemember

Wiccans and pagans in the United States military have, since the close of the 20th century, experienced a gradual increase in official recognition. The Wiccan pentacle is now an approved emblem for gravestones under the Veterans Administration, achieved in 2007 following legal action regarding the grave of Wiccan soldier Patrick Stewart. In 2011, the United States Air Force Academy dedicated an $80,000 "outdoor worship center" for "Earth-based religions" such as paganism and traditional Native American religions.[1] As of 2022, there is no provision for official recognition of Wiccan or pagan chaplains.[2]

A broadly neutral depiction of Wicca for a military audience is found in the 1990 version of the Department of the Army's Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains.[3]

Demographics

Air Force dogtags with "Pagan" marking

The Navy and Army do not track numbers for Wiccans and pagans, but a 2007 Pentagon count showed over 1,500 self-identified Wiccans in the Air Force and 350 in the Marines. Pagan advocates in 2012 estimated the military's total pagan population at 10,000-20,000, noting that some adherents may not list their affiliation on official forms, and that in the past "no preference" or "other" were the only applicable labels available.[4][5]

The Los Angeles Times noted in 2011 that only three of the Air Force Academy's 4,300 cadets identified as pagans.[1]

Controversies

Main article: Religious discrimination against neopagans § In the armed forces

In 1999, in response to a statement by Representative Bob Barr (R-GA) regarding Wiccan gatherings on military bases, the Free Congress Foundation called for U.S. citizens to not enlist or reenlist in the U.S. Army until the Army terminated the on-base freedoms of religion, speech and assembly for Wiccan soldiers.[6][7][8] Though this movement died a "quiet death", on 24 June 1999, then-Governor George W. Bush stated on a television news program, "I don't think witchcraft is a religion and I wish the military would take another look at this and decide against it."[9][10][11]

Chaplain Larsen case

U.S. Army Chaplain Captain Don Larsen was dismissed from his post in Iraq in 2006 after changing his religious affiliation from Pentecostal Christianity to Wicca and applying to become the first Wiccan military chaplain. His potential new endorser, the Sacred Well Congregation in Texas, was not recognized as an endorsement organization by the military, and upon hearing of his conversion, his prior endorser, the Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches, revoked its endorsement. Due to this the U.S. Army was required to dismiss him from chaplaincy.[12]

Headstone emblems

Emblem of Belief 37 –
Wicca (pentacle)

Prior to 2007, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) did not allow the use of the pentacle as an approved emblem of belief on headstones and markers in military cemeteries. This policy was changed in April 2007 to settle a lawsuit.[9][13][14][15] In the two years following, "more than a dozen" official gravestones received the pentacle.[16]

The VA also added the hammer of Thor to the list of approved emblems in May 2013,[17][18] and the awen in 2017.[19]

Addition to religious codes

In 2017 a major update to the U.S. Army religious codes added several pagan, Wiccan, Druid, and Heathen classifications to the possible personal identification choices.[20]

Religious accommodations

In 2018, as a response to the Department of the Army's 2017 ruling to allow the growth of beards in accordance with religious traditions as an exception to Army Regulation 670-1, a soldier assigned to the 795th Military Police Battalion was given authorization to grow a beard in observance of his heathen faith. This ruling was seen as unusual given the fact that beards are not required in the Heathen religion, unlike religions such as Sikhism.[21][22]

References

  1. ^ a b "Air Force Academy adapts to pagans, druids, witches and Wiccans". Los Angeles Times. 26 November 2011.
  2. ^ "The Plight of Pagans in the Military". Religion & Politics. 20 June 2012.
  3. ^ "US Army Chaplain's Handbook: Excerpt On Wicca". Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance.
  4. ^ "The Plight of Pagans in the Military". Religion & Politics. 20 June 2012.
  5. ^ "A Wiccan Army chaplain? The brass wouldn't buy it". The Seattle Times. 24 February 2007.
  6. ^ "'Satanic' Army Unworthy of Representing United States" (Press release). Free Congress Foundation. 9 June 1999. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
  7. ^ Silk, Mark (Summer 1999). "Something Wiccan This Way Comes". Religion in the News. 2 (2). ISSN 1525-7207. Archived from the original on 24 May 2007.
  8. ^ "Barr's Witch Project: Lawmaker Wants to Ban Witches from the Military". LawStreet Journal. 1 November 1999. Archived from the original on 29 February 2000. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
  9. ^ a b Banerjee, Neela (24 April 2007). "Use of Wiccan Symbol on Veterans' Headstones Is Approved". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  10. ^ Clifton, Chas S (20 November 2000). "Fort Hood's Wiccans and the Problem of Pacifism". Proceedings of the American Academy of Religion 2000 Meeting. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
  11. ^ Assortment of links regarding calls to ban Wicca from military establishments: "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 June 2006. Retrieved 19 October 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 June 2006. Retrieved 19 October 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 March 2004. Retrieved 19 October 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), "Americans United: ARMY SHOULD REJECT CALL FOR BAN ON WICCANS, SAYS AMERICANS UNITED". Archived from the original on 12 September 2006. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  12. ^ Cooperman, Alan (19 February 2007). "For Gods and Country". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
  13. ^ "Veterans Affairs Department Must Accommodate Wiccan Symbol On Memorial Markers At Government Cemeteries, Says Americans United" (Press release). Americans United for Separation of Church and State. 8 June 2006. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
  14. ^ "Stewart v. Nicholson". Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  15. ^ "Veterans Win Right to Post Religious Symbol on Headstones" (Press release). American Civil Liberties Union. 23 April 2007. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  16. ^ Freedman, Samuel G. (30 October 2009). "Paganism, Just Another Religion for Military and Academia". The New York Times.
  17. ^ Elysia. "Hammer of Thor now VA accepted symbol of faith". Llewellyn. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  18. ^ "National Cemetery Administration: Available Emblems of Belief for Placement on Government Headstones and Markers". U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 12 May 2013. 37 – WICCA (Pentacle), 55 – Hammer of Thor
  19. ^ "Druid symbol approved for veteran headstones". The Wild Hunt. 24 January 2017.
  20. ^ Schulz, Carol (17 April 2017). "Update to army religious codes". The Wild Hunt. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  21. ^ Myers, Meghann (17 August 2018). "A soldier just got authorization to wear a beard because of his Norse pagan faith". Army Times. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  22. ^ Dickstein, Corey (31 October 2017). "Army Allows Sikhs Permanent Exemptions to Wear Beards and Turbans". Military.com. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
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