{"id":51468,"date":"2024-05-31T17:39:49","date_gmt":"2024-05-31T17:39:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2024\/05\/31\/soldier-honors-native-american-heritage-after-religious-accommodation\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:27:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:27:38","slug":"soldier-honors-native-american-heritage-after-religious-accommodation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2024\/05\/31\/soldier-honors-native-american-heritage-after-religious-accommodation\/","title":{"rendered":"Soldier honors Native American heritage after religious accommodation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An Army major is celebrating one year of having earned approval to wear his hair and tribe-specific regalia items in a way that honors his Native American heritage during appropriate service ceremonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maj. Patrick Sorensen, a marketing and operations officer in the Army\u2019s Training and Doctrine Command, shared photos online displaying his longer hair adorned with eagle feathers meant to commemorate fallen soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a recent interview, the soldier shared more about the accommodation and the meaning behind the approved hairstyle and regalia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Maj. Patrick Sorensen poses in uniform while displaying regalia items he received approval to wear. (Fort Eustis Photo Studio | Sorensen’s Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Portions of this interview have been edited for length and clarity.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you discuss your background, service history and tribal affiliation?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I bounced around a lot as a kid, but I grew up mostly in Northern California, around the Humboldt County area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I went to Humboldt State, where I got my bachelor\u2019s degree in chemistry. And after that, I couldn\u2019t find a job I thought I would be able to get after college, being a first generation four-year college student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I joined the Army to do the student loan repayment program. Turned out I was pretty good at it, so I continued on and eventually went to Officer Candidate School and became a signal officer. I did that for about 10 years. In the last few years, I\u2019ve transitioned to this marketing officer role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To give more background, my mother, she is white. My father, he\u2019s Native American and German. He grew up on the reservation in Grand Ronde, Oregon. I\u2019m a member of The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde<\/a>, which is our federally recognized tribe. Being a confederated tribe means during the consolidation period \u2026 several tribes were brought together onto one reservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, by blood I\u2019m both Umpqua and Rogue River. Altogether, we have over 30 tribes and bands in our one federally recognized tribe, so it\u2019s kind of a melting pot, even for one tribe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why was it important to you, your community and faith to request this accommodation? What was that process like?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I joined the Army in 2006. \u2026 I was a specialist. My mother passed away in 2009. And after that, I shaved my head and I actually kept my head shaved for about the next 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was taught that our hair represents our spirit and our strength. There are a lot of different beliefs across North America about whether it actually physically holds power. Is it more symbolic in the religious sense of that growth, or that power, or that strength or that courage? For me, I do believe in the importance of hair. Now, if a little bit gets cut off, do I feel like something weird is going to happen? No. But it\u2019s really important, culturally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from the hair\u2019s own specific spiritual, religious significance, it\u2019s also \u2014 if we\u2019re using military terms \u2014 the fastening device that\u2019s necessary to wear eagle feathers. And eagle feathers are the second part of the accommodation that I received. There are also different beliefs around eagle feathers \u2014 they can mean multiple things. For me, I wear my feathers in military uniform to represent my fallen soldiers. I have one additional feather that I wear, which I received from the spiritual leader of the Seneca Nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\t