I wonder how many COs actually ended up in the military. I know some became medics and corpsmen and at least one became a rifleman and was the recipient of the Medal of Honor. Sgt Alvin York.
I knew “conscientious objectors” who served in Vietnam anyway, without weapons. They were the bravest of the brave.
Although I believe, in times of a draft, that one could refuse to serve in a combat position, there is always medical personnel that are needed.
Although, as a matter of principle, I am against a draft during peacetime, by which I mean an undeclared war that will be fougth to the enemy’s surrender or utter annihilation.
If you’d become a doctor or a lawyer you wouldn’t need a reason to refuse at all.
My dad told me if he had to go to Korea, I had to go to Viet Nam. And if I ran off to Canada like a pussy hippie, I’d better hope the MPs find me first.
The war ended before I got to age.
The last paragraph sums it up. The Left has no morals, and their only principle is power. All else is a matter of convenience.
Adams makes a good point.
At least the US Army has some pretty effective tests to determine the legitimacy of c.o. claims.
For example, fake c.o.s are usually lazy and malingerers. So if, for example, they claim to be a Quaker, they probably figure that if some Quakers vouch for them, that will be enough. Not so fast. The Army will ask them to describe the doctrines of Quakers, their history, etc. Almost no fake c.o. will pass that test.
Typically, a c.o. will claim that their faith prohibits them from killing others. But as has been pointed out, there are a LOT of non-combat jobs in the military. Even by Vietnam, combat support and combat service support outnumbered combat arms by 13 to 1. (Today that ratio is even greater.)
Which brings up the next point: even if they are forbidden to *aggessively* kill someone, are they permitted to kill someone in self defense?
Once again, it should be noted that while Quakers refused to fight, themselves, they had no problem with selling arms to combatants. This blows away any excuse that they are forbidden to do anything to *facilitate* a war or killing.
In real terms, the Army is more than willing to ship c.o.s to the combat theater and *not* put them in combat arms, like with Al Gore, who was issued a typewriter in Vietnam, and became one of the numerous REMFs (an acronym that speaks for itself.)
The non-coward COs served as medics. The highly coward ones ran to Canada. Some principled ones stayed and served jail time.
It’s not about morals or about access to service. Nowhere is there a shortage of florists, bakers, or photographers willing to work a gay wedding. Nowhere is there a sincere gay “couple” who wants their wedding photographed or their cake baked by someone who finds the pretend-marriage ceremony revolting. They want to crush people with decent morals. These are thugs, nothing more.
In the long run, I would like to see those who abuse government power in this manner punished, and I’m okay with everything up to and including the death penalty. That’s what the law says.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/242
18 U.S. Code § 242 - Deprivation of rights under color of law
Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution . . . shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.