Patrick Stewart (soldier)
| Patrick D. Stewart | |
|---|---|
Sergeant Patrick Dana Stewart
|
|
| Born |
October 21, 1970 Reno, Nevada, USA |
| Died | September 25, 2005 (aged 34) Zabul Province, Afghanistan |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1994 – 2005 |
| Rank |
 Sergeant
|
| Battles/wars |
Persian Gulf War War in Afghanistan |
| Awards |
 Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart Army Achievement Medal
|
Patrick Dana Stewart (October 21, 1970 – September 25, 2005) was a soldier in the United States Army. He died in combat in Afghanistan when his Chinook helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade while returning to base. Patrick Stewart was a resident of Fernley, Nevada, United States and a practicing Wiccan.
After his death, controversy ensued when the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) initially refused to imprint a Wiccan pentacle on his grave, to the dismay of his widow, Roberta Stewart. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and its National Cemetery Administration prohibit graphics on government-furnished headstones or markers other than those they have approved as "emblems of belief", and Wicca was not then recognized for use in its cemeteries.
Roberta Stewart commented "...remember that all freedoms are worth fighting for". At an alternative memorial service, assisted by Selena Fox, of the Circle Sanctuary, a Wiccan congregation, members of Patrick Stewart's Nevada Army National Guard unit and the Rev. Bill Chrystal, retired chaplain from Stewart's unit (Roberta was not allowed to speak at the regular Memorial Day Service at the Veterans Cemetery two miles away, prompting the alternative service), Sergeant Stewart's life was celebrated. Afterward, at the Northern Nevada Veterans Cemetery, Mrs. Stewart placed a blue wreath with a white pentacle in the center alongside the blank spot where Patrick's memorial marker would be attached when the pentacle symbol was approved.
On May 27, 2006, the Associated Press reported, "Over the years, families have used religious symbols such as the Jewish Star of David, the Christian cross and the Islamic crescent and star to honor their loved ones on headstones and markers. For Sgt. Patrick Stewart's family, the symbol of choice was also from his religion: the Wiccan pentacle. But of all the symbols and faiths recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Wicca and its emblem, a circle around a five-pointed star, are not among them." According to federal guidelines, only approved religious symbols — of which there were 38 —can be placed on government headstones or memorial plaques.
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