Honoring Pagan fallen on Memorial Day

May 23, 10:03 AMMinneapolis Paganism ExaminerMurphy Pizza

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Pagans rallying for Pentacle grave markers for soldiers. St. Paul, 2007. Photo by the author.

 Sgt. Jason A. Schumann was killed May 19, 2007 when a bomb exploded near his vehicle in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq. He is bured at Fort Snelling cemetery, where his headstone is marked with a pentacle. Sgt. Schumann was a Pagan.

 The right for Pagans soldiers and veterans to have the pentacle inscribed on their headstones and memorials was one fought for very hard by Pagan communities throughout the country over the course of several years. Instigated by Veterans' Affairs refusal to grant the late Sgt. Patrick Stewart a pentacle on his grave marker after he was shot down in Afghanistan, his widow, Roberta Stewart, and Circle Sanctuary's Lady Liberty League spearheaded an anti-discrimination action against the VA. Pagan communities nationwide joined the fight, and this issue was the formative one that brought together the Upper Midwest Pagan Alliance (UMPA) here in the Twin Cities. UMPA organized a a protest action in in February 2007 in a freezing cold blizzard on the St. Paul Capitol steps at the same time other communities held marches and rallies in support. The issue is also addressed in local filmmaker Todd Berntson's documentary, A Hero Denied. (At this writing, the film is still in final edit.)

It was an example of such blatant religious discrimination on the VA's part that, notably, Pagans fighting for the pentacle on soldier's grave markers were also roundly supported by non-Pagans in their effort. The effort paid off; the day that Roberta Stewart and Lady Liberty League showed up for their day in court, the VA relented and awarded Sgt. Stewart and future Pagan and Wiccan soldiers the right to have their own religious emblem on their memorials. It also set a precedent for Pagan soldiers whose symbol is not the pentacle -- like Druids and heathens -- to have that right.

This issue also brought with it a realization in the community of how American Paganisms, and the people who practice it, are shifting demographically. A skim through early literature on contemporary Paganism outlines its roots in the 1960s anti-war counterculture, when the notion of active miltary being interested in Paganism was considered an anomaly. Nowadays, more and more Pagans are active in all branches of the military, and this has gradually brought a reasessment of what it means to be a Pagan, and of the sacred role of the warrior and soldier in inspirational Pagan myths.

It has been a bittersweet victory; celebrating a hard-won right also brings with it the acknowledgment of the growing number of Pagan military folks and the sacrifices that they are making in order for this and other rights to be upheld. UMPA is continuing to send care packages of religious reading and supplies as well as maintaining correspondences with Pagan soldiers who are still fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Many Twin Cities Pagans will be visiting Sgt. Schumann's grave site at 10 in the morning on Memorial Day to leave flowers. The moderator of the Twin Cities Pagans Yahoo group made this statement: "...It's not inappropriate for our concern for his family to be coupled with our pride for the accomplishments of our community. The simple act of leaving flowers expresses both."