The Temple of Set is a satanic group under the leadership of Michael Aquino. It is a splinter spin off group from Anton LaVey’s Church of Satan in San Francisco. They separated from LaVey’s organization when that organization was undergoing a metamorphose in 1975. It is a small group but nonetheless has several hundred members and operates on a National level. Aquino is the official head of the organization and rules the organization through a council of nine, who are in fact his chief lieutenants.

An interesting aspect of the Temple of Set is its seeming obsession with the military. One aspect of this obsession is the group’s fascination with the Nazi movement with many of them wearing, on occasion, World’ War II German uniforms and insignia. A more sinister aspect of their military fascination is in the fact that Michael Aquino holds a commission as a major in the U.S. Army reserve with his military specialty being Military Intelligence. He purports to his members that he reports directly to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This is probably a gross exaggeration but it is a fact that he holds a major’s commission and deals in the area of Military Intelligence. Two of his lieutenants, a female named Willie Browning is also a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserve in an Intelligence Unit out of Los Angeles. Another lieutenant in his group is a reserve U.S. Army officer named Dennis Mann. He too is involved in Intelligence activities.

Michael Aquino, as previously stated, is the espoused head of the Temple of Set. He is apparently well educated and holds a PhD in Political Science, and is a Professor at Golden Gate College in San Francisco. His specialty is Western European Political Affairs. Aquino resides on Levenworth St. in San Francisco, the number is believed to be 2430. He resides at that address with his girlfriend, children of his girlfriends and his mother. His father, separated from the family some time ago and lives in Southern California.

Allegedly, Aquino has sexual identity problems and is known to frequent prostitutes in San Francisco in order to become involved in various forms of Sadomasochistic sexual activities. It is believed that Aquino is bisexual.

A senior U.S. military intelligence officer with a secret security clearance admits he’s also the founder and high priest of a satanic church and amazingly, the Army says “no problem”! Lieut. Col. Michael Aquino, a 41-year-old former Green Beret, confirmed to THE ENQUIRER that he’s been involved in devil worship for 22 years. He said he formed his own satanic church, the Temple of Set, in 1975 after belonging to another sect, the Church of Satan, for the previous 10 years.

“My religion has been no secret in the Army,” said Col. Aquino, who served as a psychological warfare specialist in Vietnam and is now a reserve officer working full-time on extended duty at the Army’s reserve personnel center in St. Louis. He admitted satanic terminology is used in his church’s rituals, adding. “We are quite proud of that.”

But William Gill, executive director of the Catholic War Veterans, fumed: “it’s unbelievable that an admitted devil worshiper should be allowed to hold a senior and sensitive post in the U.S. Army. The abominable situations insults the memory of those who have fought and often died to uphold the traditional values of our great country. Citizens have the right to expect our military to uphold the traditional values of God and country not the evil ramblings of some satanic sect.”

Col. Aquino’s satanic church is advertised in the yellow page in San Francisco, where he was stationed from 1981 to 1986. He says most members are in the U.S. and Canada, although “we have a sprinkling of members in places like Western Europe and the Pacific.”

The Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of religion protects Col. Aquino from action by the Army, said Lieut. Col. Greg Rixon, an Army public affairs officer in Washington D.C. “As long as an individual’s religious practice remains within the limit of the law, there is no problem,” Col. Rixon said.

But Catholic War Veterans director Gill blasted that stand. “For the Army to say ‘no problem’ is mind-boggling,” he said. “This disturbing situation is a problem for everyone who is concerned about national security and morality. “The U.S. Army is no place for worshipers of the Prince of Darkness!”