Deployment, Openness and
Harassment in the Military v2.0
by John Machate
Copyright © 1995,1997 John Machate
All Rights Reserved
May be reposted as long as the above attribution and copyright notice are retained
Religious prejudice can affect persons in all walks of life, but Pagans
in the military have some special problems.
Deployment is uniquely military issue. In the current state of the world
there is a significant chance that a military Pagan will be going to another country. This
can cause many problems in that many items will not be permitted in one's mobility bag.
Based on interviews and letters, I have found the athame is the biggest problem. You
cannot take your athame on deployment, but there are some lucky few who get a good
replacement while deployed, such as an issued knife or one that is approved for wear with
battle dress uniform. Almost everything else that you might want to take, however, can be
substituted once you arrive at your TDY (TAD) station.
Another important issue for military Pagans is how our religion affects
the mission and those who surround us. A great deal of experience has shown that the best
way to avoid any complications at work is to not hide our religion, but also to make sure
it does not become an issue. Military Pagans should remember that discussing religion at
work is inappropriate. It can cause hard feelings, make people nervous and make the
general attitudes become negative. It can also reduce the amount of work being
accomplished since someone is likely to try and convert you or ask a lot of questions.
That does not mean that military Pagans should not be open about their
religion. Military Pagans should not hesitate to be active within their local Neopagan
community or to join national Pagan organizations. When someone asks you if you're
Neopagan (or Wiccan, Druid, Asatru, whatever) say "yes" -- if you don't you may
miss the chance to meet another military Pagan.
However, being open does not mean that you have to tell everyone in your
chain-of-command. It does not mean that you should wear pentagram rings or any other
obvious occult symbol while on duty. If you work in an area that you work closely with
people, such as a hospital, don't wear obvious occult symbols. This will only make people
ask questions and in the case of hospitals may compromise the care of the patient. A
military Pagan is engaged in serving his or her country, and part of that service is to
make sure that the mission is completed and operates smoothly.
There are some things a military Pagan can do to make the acceptance of
Neopaganism in the military a little easier. Talk to the Chaplain Corps. Most Chaplains
are receptive to Neopagans and some even appreciate that you came forward, since they need
help meeting our needs. (Though there are still a few Chaplains that are not very
accepting of our faith.) Make yourself available to the Chaplain in case someone else
comes in asking about Neopagans.
The final area I will cover is what you need to do should you have
problems because of your religion. First, make sure it is a legitamate problem. If you
told your boss that your Wiccan and he starts putting Bible quotes on his desk, that's
fine. If he starts putting them on your desk, that's not fine. So make sure that your
being harassed and not just over reacting.
Once you have determined that someone is actually harassing you, collect
the evidence and go to his supervisor. Explain to them in any amount of detail as you wish
that you are not Christian (or whatever) and that you do not appreciate what this
individual is doing. Now, in most instances that I have seen or read the problem is
solved, if it is not solved then you need to go back to that supervisor and ask why.
Should the problem continue, then move on to the next supervisor in the chain. At this
point it may also be a good idea to contact Social Actions (Equal Employment Office,
Ombudsman, etc.) and your First Sergeant (I was in the U.S. Air Force so I do not know the
other services equivalent to Enlisted Administrator) or Commander. Should the
chain-of-command not be able to or if they refuse to help you than you can file an
Inspector General complaint. Try not to go this far, this will make life very messy for
everyone involved so make sure that you really want to go this route.
There are organizations that support military Pagans. The one that I am
familier with is the Military Pagan Network Inc in the United States. MPN maintains a
database of stores, groups, bbs's and MPN Members around the world and they publish an
annual Membership Directory. MPN also provides documentation of military acceptance to
anyone who asks in the form of articles, letters from Chaplains and regulations. Currently
MPN can only accept Unites States service members, depedants and veterans. If you want to
assist MPN expand its service to your country, please contact them. |
