Quest for the Hammer
Due to recent changes to VA regulations regarding the addition of religious symbols to Military grave markers, the Hammer Campaign has been left pretty much dead in the water.
The new regulations state:
***Under the new rule, as part of the headstone and marker application process, at the time of need, the next-of-kin (NOK) or authorized representative may request an emblem of belief not previously included on the VA’s list of emblems available for inscription on a Government-furnished headstone or marker. If approved for inscription, the new emblem of belief will be added to VA's list of available emblems for newly-issued Government-furnished headstones or markers.
VA will no longer accept requests for new emblems of belief from religious or functionally equivalent organizations, nor will VA require endorsements from these types of organizations. VA will only consider applications for a headstone or marker, including requests to add a new emblem, on behalf of Veterans or eligible family members at the time of need.***
What this means is that there has to be a deceased Asatruar and the request made by the NOK (next of kin). This is obviously something that we don't want to see anytime soon however awareness has been raised and we'll be ready to support any NOK that has to go through the process of requesting a symbol.
According to the rules, this shouldn't be as hard as it was before :
***The NOK or authorized representative must certify that the new emblem represents the sincerely-held belief of the decedent that constituted a religion or the functional equivalent of a religion and was believed by or accepted as true by the decedent. Also, the NOK or authorized representative must provide a 3” diameter digitized black and white representation of the requested emblem that is free of copyright or trademark restrictions. VA will review the request and the Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs will determine if the request for a new emblem meets the criteria stated in the regulation.***
Source:http://www.cem.va.gov/hm/hmqa.asp
In order to avoid any doubt about the lifetime beliefs of Military personnel, we recommend that Military personnel draw up some kind of legal document stating their religious preferences should the worst happen.
The new regulations state:
***Under the new rule, as part of the headstone and marker application process, at the time of need, the next-of-kin (NOK) or authorized representative may request an emblem of belief not previously included on the VA’s list of emblems available for inscription on a Government-furnished headstone or marker. If approved for inscription, the new emblem of belief will be added to VA's list of available emblems for newly-issued Government-furnished headstones or markers.
VA will no longer accept requests for new emblems of belief from religious or functionally equivalent organizations, nor will VA require endorsements from these types of organizations. VA will only consider applications for a headstone or marker, including requests to add a new emblem, on behalf of Veterans or eligible family members at the time of need.***
What this means is that there has to be a deceased Asatruar and the request made by the NOK (next of kin). This is obviously something that we don't want to see anytime soon however awareness has been raised and we'll be ready to support any NOK that has to go through the process of requesting a symbol.
According to the rules, this shouldn't be as hard as it was before :
***The NOK or authorized representative must certify that the new emblem represents the sincerely-held belief of the decedent that constituted a religion or the functional equivalent of a religion and was believed by or accepted as true by the decedent. Also, the NOK or authorized representative must provide a 3” diameter digitized black and white representation of the requested emblem that is free of copyright or trademark restrictions. VA will review the request and the Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs will determine if the request for a new emblem meets the criteria stated in the regulation.***
Source:http://www.cem.va.gov/hm/hmqa.asp
In order to avoid any doubt about the lifetime beliefs of Military personnel, we recommend that Military personnel draw up some kind of legal document stating their religious preferences should the worst happen.