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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Question: Should Wiccan Patriot Get Pentacle?

Issue: Soldier's widow fights to place symbol on husband's grave/Philadelphia Inquirer

More Info: "There are 38 religious symbols approved for placement on government-issued grave markers and memorials for military veterans, but the pentacle isn't one of them. The five-pointed star within a circle that represents the Wiccan religion, a neo-pagan, earth-based belief system, is not on the list. As a result, the space reserved for Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart's memorial plaque at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley, Nev., remains empty. Stewart, 34, was killed in September 2005 when his Chinook helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan. He was a follower of the Wiccan tradition, and his wife is fighting to have the fact engraved in stone."

Sara Anderson/F-Words: It kind of throws lazy notions of who is and isn't American or a patriot for a loop. (Hat Tip to Sara for suggesting the question.)

Question: Should the military respect Sgt. Stewart's Wiccan religion by including a pentacle with his plaque?



Huckleberries Online

D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.