http://www.news24.com/Content/World/News/1073/50cd6d0e74da45c7bf188d381d...

Air Force has religious area
2010-02-02 10:00
Air Force Academy - The US Air Force Academy in Colorado has designated an outdoor worship area for followers of Druidism and other pagan or Earth-centred religions.

A double circle of stones atop a hill on the campus has been designated for cadets and other service personnel in the area to practice Earth-centred faiths.

The academy said on Monday that staff at the academy chapel worked with Technical Sergeant Brandon Longcrier, a follower of the pagan tradition, to establish the site. He's the non-commissioned officer in charge of the academy's astronautics labs.

Longcrier said the stones had been moved to the area at some point in the past to keep them from rolling downhill and potentially striking buildings. The crews placed them in a circle thinking it would be a pleasant place for cadets to relax.

The military academy, which trains Air Force officers, also has worship facilities for Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists. The chief of the academy has made religious tolerance a priority after a survey in 2004 of cadets found instances of harassment.

- AP