Widow gives VA ultimatum over Wiccan symbol

RENO - Wiccan widow Roberta Stewart announced Tuesday at the Americans United rally at Powning Park in Reno that an official notice was sent to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to respond within 14 days demanding the approval of the Wiccan symbol of the pentacle as a grave marker or a lawsuit would be filed.

Americans United, the legal representatives for Stewart and another Wiccan widow, sent the letter to the Veterans Administration regarding the religious of Sgt. Patrick Stewart, Roberta's late husband, and an alleged violation of the U.S. Constitution.

"This is a fight about our constitutional rights, which reads; 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,'" said Roberta Stewart. "The establishment of religion as the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution was deemed important to our forefathers, yet is being ignored by a federal agency more than 200 years later. "

Many attended the religious rally marking the one-year anniversary of the death of Patrick Stewart in Afghanistan. He was killed with four other Nevada National Guard soldiers when their Chinook helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade.

"This is for the freedom of religion for all Americans," said the Rev. Bill Chrystal, a retired military chaplain, of the First Congressional Church of Reno. "First it's freedom of religion, then it's freedom of speech and then freedom of the press. Where will it stop if we don't fight?"

The Rev. Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary, a Wisconsin-based Wiccan group, said Americans need to stand up and fight the alleged injustice by the VA.

"We must stand up and fight until we get equality for all soldiers and Americans, no matter what religion," said Fox.

The rally was intended to bring together members of the community, military members and government officials to petition the federal government to have the Wiccan pentacle added to the list of emblems of belief by the VA.

The symbol has been an issue since March, when the family learned it was not an approved symbol. Stewart then fought to get the pentacle placed on her husband's memorial plaque at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley.

This month, Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn and Tim Tetz, executive director of Nevada Office of Veterans Services, approved the pentacle to be placed on a plaque for Sgt. Stewart at the veterans cemetery.

Roberta Stewart publicly thanked the governor and Nevada Veterans Services for approving the plaque.

Family and friends have sent many letters to the VA and to President Bush's office to have the pentacle approved and placed on the memorial plaque. Bush has never replied.

When he was governor of Texas, he publicly disapproved of Wicca being considered a recognized religion by the military during an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" in June 1999.

Stewart said it is ironic she has heard speeches made by Bush about how lucky Americans are to have freedom of religion.

"I haven't felt like I've had freedom of religion since my husband was killed defending that very liberty," said Stewart. "I know what it feels like to have your freedoms stripped away. I don't want anyone else to ever feel that way."

• Contact writer Viktoria Pearson at vpearson@lahontanvalleynews.com.