Military Pagan Network, Inc. [Press Center : Articles]

A Military Pagan's Story
By Angela Kennedy

He comes home with briefcase in hand from a long day “in the trenches.” His wife and boys greet him at he door. They sit and exchange the events of the day in their Coca-Cola decorated kitchen. But before he heads upstairs to change out of his “blues” he stops by the altar, lights a candle and thanks the gods for his beautiful family. He then releases the stresses of the day with a quick glance at a wooden pentacle.

Air Force Major Anthony Gatlin, chief of the Military Personnel Division for the Secretary of the Air Force at the Pentagon, is not only a proud member of the U.S. Air Force, but also a practicing pagan.

The dictionary defines pagan as a follower of a polytheistic religion, as in ancient Rome. Modern day pagans define paganism as an eclectic, nature-centered religious movement that encompasses polytheistic and magical religions.

Many beliefs labeled paganism are characterized by the honoring of pre-Christian deities, lack of institutionalization, a quest to develop the self and acceptance and encouragement of diversity.

“I’ve been pagan all my adult life, but didn’t realize what exactly that was until about a year-and-a-half ago. It had truly been an awakening, a ‘coming home,’” said Gatlin.

Gatlin and his wife of 15 years, Sheila, talked many times about their beliefs and tried several churches together but, “nothing felt right”, he said.

“Over the years, our spiritual lives suffered because we found nothing to nurture them,” he said.

Through much research, study and discussion the Galtlins discovered what they were searching for.

“The particular pagan path that we most identified with is of the Wiccan tradition, which is a revival of ancient Celtic tribal religions. It’s an Earth-based religion that follows not set scripture, but attunes the mind, body and spirit with the forces of nature,” said Gatlin.

Time passed and Gatlin became more and more comfortable with his new faith. He felt it was time to “come out of the broom closet” and not hide his religious beliefs, he said. He didn’t know at the time that his next few actions would have an affect on the entire pagan community in the Air Force.

“I had reached a point in my life where I wanted to become public with my religion. I figured a good place to start would be changing my religious preference on my dog tags and my personnel file,” said Gatlin.

At that time, the Air Force didn’t list any earth-based religions as religious preferences. Pagans, of all paths, either chose “no religious preference” or “other.”

“I first listed my religion as ‘other’ but, as the days went by I just felt like that was more and more offensive,” he said.

Gatlin began to ask why his religion, and the religion of more than an estimated 15,000 people in the military, wasn’t represented. He started doing research on how to add a religious preference to the list. He spoke with chaplains and worked with the Air Force Personnel Center to coordinate a staff summary sheet. In March 2001 the package circulated for signing. Gatlin could only hope and hold on to his faith that the change would be approved.

“No one ever said you can’t do this. No one was ever verbally against it. It was more bureaucracy and red tape that held up the process,” said Gatlin.

On March 15 the change was approved and Pagan, Shaman, Druid, Wicca, Seax Wicca, Gardnerian Wicca and Dianic Wicca were added to the list of religious preferences in the Air Force Personnel Data System.

“I was proud to be the first person to register my religion in the system,” Gatlin said, “and I hope others will be too. I want the world to know Pagans are not just a bunch of fringe lunatics—we are military members, husbands, wives, parents—regular people with hopes and dreams who want the freedom and tolerance to practice our religion just like anyone else.”

More than 50 service members registered as one of the newly listed earth-based religions in the first six weeks after the change. Gatlin hopes the numbers will climb as the word gets out of the latest options, and the new Air Force Personnel System, MilMod becomes fully functional.

Gatlin said he will continue to work towards mainstream acceptance and tolerance among all religious communities, but feels that all pagans must take part in this move.

“We need to do a better job with public relations. We are hampered by our own communal mistrust and fear of persecution. We need to get the collective chip off our shoulder and work together to further out position in the community,” he said.

Recently Gatlin and fellow members of a Pagan study group were hiking in western Virginia. The group stopped along a rocky pinnacle that looked out over miles and miles of sky and earth.

“As I stood at the edge of this cliff looking hundreds of feet below, I was approached by a man who asked me about the shirt I wore, which proudly displayed our group’s logo and name, the “Potomac Pagans,” Gatlin said. “He clearly was taken aback merely be the word Pagan. He identified himself as Southern Baptist and asked how I could not believe in God.”

“It was very surreal standing on the edge of a great precipice defending my religion, but I explained that I very much believe in the Devine Spirit and that his God may very well be my God; it’s just that I choose a different way of looking at it,” Gatlin said.

The man then said to Gatlin, “it’s like this mountain, it’s the same mountain, regardless of which path you take. It may look different from all angles, but that doesn’t change the essence of the mountain.”

“I knew then I had made my point,” Gatlin said.

From the outside, the Gatlin’s, with their two-story house decorated in pop-culture knick-knacks and pet dog Ringo, look like the “typical” American family. But in a county, dubbed a melting pot, what is that exactly? Maybe it’s a family who lives true to their heart, believes in tolerance for other cultures and religions and realizes the true value of the freedoms we each are given.