Military Witch
by Morgan Beard
Copyright © 1994 Morgan Beard
All Rights Reserved
May be reposted as long as the above attribution and copyright notice are retained
Being a professional soldier in the U.S. Army is not a profession one
tends to associate with the religion of Wicca. I was surprised when I first heard of
Wiccans in the armed forces, and even more surprised a short time later to find myself in
the Army---Reserves, that is. However, once the shock wore off, one of my immediate
concerns was: How could I practice my religion while training?
I did not know very much about that Army at the time, or about how it
deals with religion. With the help of a friend, I discovered that the Army fully
recognizes Wicca and Paganism. I assumed though, that while Wicca is officially recognized
as a religion, it would be unofficially discouraged.
During basic training at Fort Jackson (SC), my schedule was too
demanding to give me time to perform an rituals, as I would have liked to do. I did
finally get a chance to speak to my Chaplain (a Lutheran, as it happened). He told me that
he had dealt with Wiccans in basic training before, and I was given permission to use the
barracks garden for meditation.
After basic training, I was shipped to Fort Ben Harrison (IN), for
advanced training in my chosen specialty of finance. One of the first things I did upon
arriving at Fort Harrison was to make an appointment with the Chaplain.
I think I baffled him when we met. Fort Harrison is a small post with
relatively few students. The Chaplain had never had a Wiccan request to perform ritual
before. He consulted his superior, the post Chaplain, and got permission for me to
practice Wicca on post.
His next step was to inform my company commander and drill sergeant of
what I was doing. There were only two constraints places on my rituals. I had to have a
cadre member present, and I had to wear battle-dress-uniform(camouflage suit) for the
ritual. Please keep in mind that these constraints were only because of my training
status. Had I been out of training, I would not have had to obey them.
My drill sergeant and I discussed my practice, and although she had
never heard of Wicca, she was very open-minded about it. She got me off duty on the nights
in question, which later turned out to be a big help. With her and the Chaplain's
assistance, I was able to perform the first Wiccan/Pagan ritual ever at Fort Ben Harrison
on 10 October 1992, and the second on Samhain. History had been made!
I would like to emphasize that at no time during basic or advanced
training did I feel that I was being discriminated against or harassed by Army personnel.
It was actually the opposite--everyone went out of there way to make sure I had what I
needed.
This is important for people who are thinking of joining or for those
already in the armed forces. realize that you do have the right to practice your religion.
asserting yourself as I did has two advantages. One, it paves the way for future Wiccans
who may follow in your footsteps. Two, it forces the Army and other services to recognize
that Wicca is a living and growing religion whose members deserve consideration. If policy
makers believe that only one in every 10,000 soldiers is a Wiccan or Pagan, they are less
likely to pay attention to our needs than if that figure is one in 1,000 or even on in
100.
An added advantage is that you can network or make contact with other
Wiccans or Pagans. For instance, there were two other Wiccans in my basic training company
of 240 people. I never knew about them until I spoke to the Chaplain.
There's a difference, though, between requesting permission to perform
private or open rituals and running through the streets screaming "I'm a
Wiccan!" As in the civilian world, in the military it's not always a good idea to
advertise that your Wiccan. While Army people are generally open-minded about religion,
there are still a lot of devout Christian soldiers who simply can't put away their
prejudices and deal with the idea of working beside a "witch".
I do know from experience that it's too easy to feel lost or spiritually
isolated, in the Army or elsewhere, to let anything come between you and the Lady and the
Lord. Whether you're worried about prejudice (a valid concern), or trying to cut through
spools of red tape to be allowed to practice your beliefs freely, work calmly and
patiently--but persistently.
I don't believe I've done anything extraordinary. I simply opened up an
intelligent dialogue with my Chaplains and chain of command, answering their questions,
and made sure they understood there was nothing to worry about or be afraid of. Military
or civilian, that's usually all we can do; most often, it's more than enough. |
