Give A Fallen Hero His Wiccan Headstone!

Sgt. Patrick Stewart served in Desert Storm and after completing his active duty, enlisted in the Nevada Army National Guard in 2005 and went to Afghanistan. He was killed there last September when the helicopter he was in was shot down.

Stewart, who was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, was a follower of Wicca. And therein lies the problem. Stewart wanted a Wiccan pentagram on his gravestone - and the symbol and the faith it represents are not recognised by the Dept. of Veteran's Affairs.

The department is reviewing a request to include the symbol, but when a decision will come is unclear.

That has angered many. The state's top veterans official, Tim Tetz, said he was "diligently pursuing" the matter with Gov. Kenny Guinn, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev.

"Sergeant Stewart and his family deserve recognition for their contributions to our country," said Tetz, executive director of the Nevada Office of Veterans Services.

"It's unfortunate the process is taking so long, but I am certain Sgt. Patrick will ultimately receive his marker with the Wiccan symbol," he said Thursday.

This is, quite frankly, outrageous. The Department of Veteran's Affairs have been considering similiar requests for nearly nine years and still haven't come to a decision. That's even though the military as a whole recognises Wicca as a religion (something Dubya and the wingnut Christians would like to take away and replace with active discrimination against us).

So here's the Newshog's plea for this Memorial day weekend - can we please start honoring ALL our fallen heroes in the way they would wish instead of insulting them and their religion?

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