Wiccans in the War Zone
One thing that underscores the veteran Pentacle quest is that there are modern Pagans serving in war zones right now as we speak. The case of Patrick Stewart, who died while serving in Afghanistan, isn’t a rare fluke that happened to bring up the issue of honoring the faith of all veterans. Thousands of modern Pagans are currently active in all branches of the military, many in dangerous “hot spots” as Sgt. Stewart was. This point is driven home in a New York Times spotlight on Rev. Shareen Fischer, captain and a chaplain in the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion of the 82nd Airborne Division.
“There’s so much going on militarily as you get ready” was how Captain Fischer put it. “Not enough time, not enough days. So I like to have my quiet time. When David said, ‘I look to the hills’ and ‘My strength comes from the Lord,’ he was alone in the desert. And I have to remember where my strength comes from. Because if I am not strong, how can I be a strong leader for my paratroopers?”
While Rev. Fischer is a Christian (a graduate of Oral Roberts University who is an ordained Pentecostal) as chaplain she has to oversee the spiritual and religious needs of her entire unit.
“She led worship services for Christian soldiers and helped arrange them for guardsmen of other faiths. She made sure Jews and Muslims received kosher and halal Meals Ready to Eat. She taught lessons on Bible passages that were set in Mesopotamia. After her unit was attacked, she conducted the required stress debriefing for the victims. And sometimes she simply held the men and women who were crying…Lately she had been surveying her soldiers to determine their religious backgrounds and so meet their needs. She has found Muslims, Jews, Roman Catholics, Protestants of myriad stripes, Eastern Orthodox adherents and even a few Wiccans.”
Those “few Wiccans” in her division, while accommodated in life, are serving knowing that the government won’t (at this time) honor their service after death by acknowledging the faith that defines them. The growing reality is that modern Pagans can be found in almost any profession and situation in America, this includes our military. It is time that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs catches up to the what chaplains like the Rev. Shareen Fischer are already doing, trying to meet the needs of all faiths currently serving.
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