Widow wants Wiccan symbol on plaque

RENO, Nev. — The widow of a Nevada soldier is trying to win permission from federal officials to put a Wiccan religious emblem on his military memorial plaque.

Sgt. Patrick Stewart, 34, was killed last September when his Nevada Army National Guard helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan.

Since then Roberta Stewart has been trying to get a plaque with the Wiccan symbol for his headstone at the Northern Nevada Veterans Cemetery in Fernley, where she lives.

"They recognized my husband when they took him to war," she said. "Our spirituality got us through Desert Storm, training missions, this war and it's continuing to give me strength to fight for the love of my life."

The National Cemetery Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs allows only approved religious emblems on government headstones, and there is no approved emblem for Wiccans.