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Copyright © 1995 Angela L. Garner
All Rights Reserved
May be reposted as long as the above attribution and copyright notice are retained  

I was in the Navy for two years. I began bootcamp on June 15, 1993 in Orlando, Fl. I wasn't offended religously in bootcamp at all. I was allowed to wear one ring on each hand. I wore my wedding band (I wasn't married yet, but they allowed us to wear engagement rings,) on my left hand and my pentigram ring on my right hand. They had a wiccan class at the chapel and they allowed me to go. When I got there it was a small room and nobody was in it - only me.

After bootcamp I got married to another pagan and I was transfered to Naval Station, San Diego. At the first place I worked I had pagan problems with the chief. The first time I asked for a religous holiday off he took me outside and told me that he had spoken to the chaplin at Naval Station and the chaplin had said that it was devil worshipping, but advised him to grant me religous holidays off because it was " my right ". I told my chief, " Then I guess I better talk to him because..." and he interrupted me and told me not to.At that point I plotted to speak to the chaplins anyhow.

One day a petty officer came temporarily to our worksite. We began to talk, and he told me he was pagan. We openly spoke of plans that he was making to start a pagan group at the chapel.See, in the Navy anything that takes paperwork takes about a week of time. He needed letters from not only me but others to prove to the chapel that he was worthy to be our "preacher." After four weeks, when his time was up to get out of the Navy the chit he had said he submitted hadn't even went half the way up the latter. When he left I went up to the Chaplins office to follow it through. I spoke to the head chaplin and he told me that the chit was shot down because he needed referrals from a priestess or a priest of a coven. " I can do that!", I thought. I knew the head chairman of CUUPS. So, I got her to refer me. I even got her on the phone to speak to him. Basically, he asked her a simple question, " Is this who you would want to spread your religon?", and she said a simple pagan answer-that spreading the religon wasn't the answer. Then he asked her "How long have you known her?" This was in 1994 and of course she only knew me for alittle less than a year-I was in the Navy and they took me out of the Ohio! So he declined my request even though it was MY time and MY money that was going to be sacrificed here, not the Navys. Well, to be exact, he wouldn't even let the chit be sent up!He told me to get another priest/priestess to back me up, or alot of military pagans (And how was I suppose to do that? They didn't allow religous issues on any bullitin boards on Naval Station, or in the military paper. Furthermore, I was pessimistic about finding another pagan group in my area...it was an accident that I found CUUPS.) I wouldn't have given up the fight, but a petty officer that I knew was pagan would not help me out atall( I guess she loved the Navy more!) So I thought selfishly , " Why should I fight for pagans who won't fight for me?" and I abandoned the whole idea.

A while later I was transfered to shops and there I bumped heads with my chief for Halloween off, not only was it my birthday the day before, but Halloween was a religous holiday for me, and I told everybody about it, and I opened shut eyes for many people there. I just wish every pagan would have done the same;united we stand, divided we fall... that will never be more true for the pagan population at Naval Station, San Diego.