Controversy over Religious Rights of Pagans in the Military

Source: The Washington Post

On June 8, 1999, The Washington Post published an articleon the current situation of Wiccans in the military. The first Wiccangroup to be recognized by the military was the Fort Hood Open Circle,which was formed two years ago at the largest military post in thenation, Fort Hood, Texas. Since then, groups have formed on militarybases in Louisiana, Alaska, Okinawa, and Florida. The group in FortHood drew public attention in March 1999, when they invited aphotographer to witness their spring ceremony and photos were printedin the Austin American Statesman. The photos drew the ire ofpoliticians, especially Representative Robert Barr of Georgia, whowrote, "Please stop this nonsense now," to the commanding officer ofat Fort Hood. Many are disturbed by tolerance of minority religionsin the military, specifically "off-beat" religions like Wicca. MarcyPalmer, the Fort Hood high priestess, stated that the military hasnot been as bad as the outside world "Most people think of(soldiers) as mindless robots who kill babies. But we seemore discrimination in the civilian world. The military is actuallymore sensitive." The Wiccans in Fort Hood have been granted acampsite to use as their sacred space, which has helped a great dealin allowing Wiccans to be more open about their religion. Sgt.Campanaro, a Fort Hood Wiccan, stated: "I keep meeting people I neverknew were Wiccans. I've never seen so many out in one place."