Air Force Expands Religious Preference List 

Ellicott City, MD - March 23, 2001:After years of having to have "Other" or "No Preference" as a religious preference in military records, Neopagans in the Air Force now have an opportunity to be listed as a Pagan, Shaman, Druid, Wicca, Dianic Wicca, Gardnerian Wicca, or Seax Wicca. In the past, military members could have a different religious preference imprinted on their dog tags, but there was never any official recognition of the members' choice in the Personnel Data System.

Tony Gatlin, a Major in the United States Air Force, accomplished this achievement over the course of five months. In his e-mail to MPN Major Gatlin stated, "I'm excited about the change. I think it will help meet the faith needs of a growing number of our Air Force family. It will potentially allow ministry support personnel to plan better for deployment requirements, and it will provide the Air Force a clearer picture of its religious population. I was proud to register my religion in the Personnel Data System, and hope that others will be, too." It is our hope that all Neopagans in the Armed Forces will feel the same way.

Over the course of several years the Military Pagan Network, Inc (MPN) and various individuals have been making strides in getting accommodations for Neopagan faith groups in the armed forces. One of the greater goals for MPN is to see the acceptance of a Wiccan or even 'Pagan' Chaplain in any one of the armed services. This step of adding four faith groups to the Air Force's PC - III Personnel Data System is a 'giant leap' to reaching that goal. The personnel system can be used to determine the numbers of various faith groups, and may used in the future to determine the need for a Chaplain for Neopagan faith groups.

Founded in 1992,incorporated in 1997 the Military Pagan Network Inc. acted as a store and group information resource for Neopagans in the military. The corporation now provides material regarding various Neopagan religions to the Chaplaincy, as well as fulfilling its original goal of providing contacts near military bases around the world. In 1997 the corporation expanded its services to include assisting military members with the proper handling of harassment and discrimination. In 1999 the IRS gave the Military Pagan Network, Inc. tax-exempt status in accordance with Internal Revenue Code 501(c)3.

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Copyright 1999, Military Pagan Network Inc.

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