Guest Post by Morbo
Army Sgt. [tag]Patrick D. Stewart[/tag] was killed in Afghanistan on Sept. 25, 2005, when his CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down by enemy fire. A member of Nevada’s Army National Guard, Stewart was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
Oddly enough, however, there is one honor the Department of Veterans Affairs will not extend to this gutsy fallen warrior: respect for his religious liberty.
Stewart was a [tag]Wiccan[/tag]. His widow, Roberta Stewart, wants to place a Wiccan symbol, the pentacle, on his memorial plaque. For some reason, the VA has a problem with this. The Rev. Selena Fox, a clergy member with the Wiccan Circle Sanctuary in Wisconsin, has formerly asked the Department to approve the symbol. There has been no answer.
As it turns out, the [tag]Veterans Affairs[/tag] Department has a list of “approved” religious symbols, and the pentacle is not on it. It also turns out, as the Associated Press reported recently, that Wiccans have been pressing for nine years to win approval for their symbol.
Headstones and memorial plaques that honor fallen soldiers interned at Arlington National Cemetery often contain religious symbols. More than 30 symbols have been approved. The major faiths are well represented, of course, but many others are from small religious movements. For example, the family of a soldier who followed Eckankar can elect to have that faith’s symbol on a headstone.
This is not to knock Eckankar or the current ECK Master, Harold Klemp, who looks to be a nice fellow, but let’s face it, this is not the most common religion in America. Most scholars of religion believe that Wiccans are growing in number in the United States. I’d venture to guess we have more adherents of Wicca than Eckankar.
But even if we don’t, so what?
I don’t care if a religion has 40 members or 40 million. If a soldier followed a certain faith, and his or her family wants that faith’s symbol on a headstone or marker, they should be able to get it. End of story.
U.S. Sen. Harry Reid is working to push the VA to approve Stewart’s request, and civil liberties groups have joined the cause. Here’s hoping the Department comes to its senses soon, but if it does not, I say it’s high time for a lawsuit. Where does any government agency get off keeping a list of “approved” religions?
There is a great irony here: Sgt. Stewart died in service of his country. One of the values of that country is religious freedom. The Veterans Affairs Department has denied that to him and his family. It is time to honor the memory of this brave man by respecting his religious choice.
