Defense Department removes Native American religion code from military list
Native American faiths would be grouped under "other" after the Department of Defense reduced its list of recognized religion codes from more than 200 to 31, according to reporting from ICT News.
The U.S. Department of Defense made the change after a memorandum was issued by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge A. Colby and signed by Anthony Tata on May 20. Native American religion, previously listed as a distinct category used by military chaplains and for identification records, was among the faiths removed and grouped under "other."
A Department of Defense spokesperson directed ICT to a statement posted on the department's X account, which said service members "will not be limited to the list of 'Religious Affiliations Codes'" when selecting information for identification tags. Frances Dupris, a Sicangu Lakota and Northern Arapaho veteran who served 24 years in the Air Force, said the change places Native Americans "once again" in the "other" category.
- 1.Amelia Schafer. ICT, .
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