Posted on 04/22/2016 5:21:40 AM PDT by Kaslin
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.
York was convinced to change his mind, so he did not serve as a CO.
Our family has a WWII CO. He served as a medic, and received 3 medals (I think they’re bronze stars) for his bravery during the Battle of the Bulge. He usually won’t talk about it. But my husband helped him go through his things to move into assisted living, and saw the paperwork and the medals.
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.
So did I but that changed once you realized people were trying to kill you. I was sent to the 502nd (Air Mobile) and was wounded in 71 (In the A-Shau valley) discharged in 72. What I know about the men that didn’t want to fight was they wanted to live!
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.
“I knew “conscientious objectors” who served in Vietnam anyway, without weapons. They were the bravest of the brave.
That’s a pant-load and don’t believe it for a second, I was there and they didn’t exist. Your’re believing a bunch of BS stories.
I was there too, and know one today living NY, who got shot in the ass.
“I was there too,”
With who?
1/1 Armored Cavalry, Americal Division, I Corps. Based on Hill 29, about a click off the Redball, halfway twixt Danang and Tam Ky.
‘Went back there with my daughter in 2000.
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.)
His first two sons did not serve in VN, they refused. The oldest as a religious CO turned 18 in 1967 and was drafted and did not go.
My second oldest brother refused to serve, period. When he was drafted, he first got the 4 year deferment from going to college, then he just refused to join in around 1970.
When they finally caught up to him, the war was essentially over and he was ordered to serve 300 or so hours of community service for punishment.
Needless to say my Dad was devastated by their actions, never really talked about it, but was so confused by the unamerican actions and they were from his own blood, it must have been so hard for him.
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