It’s hard to believe this is the 50th anniversary of the war in Vietnam. I was a student at Scattergood Friends School in rural Iowa at that time. Every male in the country was required to register with the Selective Service System (the “draft”) when they turned 18 years of age. The requirement continues today though few people do that.
I try to imagine what I might think about historic events that happened 50 years prior to my turning 18 in 1969, which would have been around 1919! I thought that was ancient history at the time, which would have been just after World War I.
This was a pivotal moment in my young life. Being raised as a Quaker, I was a pacifist and was very aware of the examples of men in my Quaker community who were imprisoned for refusing to cooperate with the Selective Service System. Quaker and draft resister Don Laughlin collected many of these stories which are in the document Young Quaker Men Facing War and Conscription found below.
There were several options regarding the draft and alternatives to serving as a combatant. Members of peace churches, Quakers, Mennonites or the Brethren, were usually granted conscientious objection (CO) status. If granted, the person would serve two years of civilian service, such as working in hospitals. Those not members of those faith groups could also apply for CO status but were often denied.
In an odd way, I’m glad I was forced to work through how much I was willing to risk for my convictions. As I was working through all this, as a backup plan I applied for, and was granted conscientious objector status.
From spiritual experiences I had no doubt that I should not cooperate with the draft. But it took a long time to work through how I would do that. There was a very real possibility of being prosecuted and convicted of a felony if I refused to register for the draft.
But the biggest obstacle I faced was the impact on my family. My parents (Quakers) fully supported applying for conscientious objector status but were really upset at the idea of me being convicted for draft resistance. I understood their concern but was convinced I should not cooperate. This was very trying time for all of us. In the end I turned in my draft cards despite their objections. A Supreme Court decision in a case similar to mine resulted in me not being prosecuted.
This also began my life’s work for peace and justice. The first event I organized was a draft conference at Scattergood my Senior year there:
Following are several of the many things I’ve written on these matters.
Scattergood and the Vietnam War is more about this.
Draft Resistance and Friends Volunteer Service Mission is the story of how I became involved in my first justice project. I imagine it might be confusing that I actually did what would have been alternative service. As I mentioned above, while I was working through what to do about the draft, as a backup plan I applied for and was granted Conscientious Objector (CO) status. Which meant I needed to find work that would quality for alternative service, if that’s the path I ended up taking.
The Friends Volunteer Service Mission had just been created by Friends United Meeting as a way to provide meaningful work for conscientious objectors. In Indianapolis, the Volunteer Service Mission (VSM) was a rented house in a neighborhood described as a poor, transient, white part of the inner city. VSM members would work for a year in a job that would qualify for alternative service, saving enough money to support oneself to do justice work full time for the second year. Alternative service was a two year requirement.
I found that idea so compelling that I joined VSM even after deciding I would resist the draft. Those experiences were crucial in starting me on what became a lifelong path of community and justice organizing.
And Young Quaker Men Facing War and Conscription puts this into a wider context, beyond the Viet Nam war. This is a collection of stories gathered by my friend and Quaker mentor, Don Laughlin.
This is one of the photos I took at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC. I imagine the soldiers in the statue are looking out over the people at the Memorial, asking themselves why we never learn that war is never the answer.
Scattergood and the Vietnam War
Draft Resistance and Friends Volunteer Service Mission
Young Quaker Men Facing War and Conscription
unflinching 