Military resisters and conscientious objection

Military resisters and conscientious objection
November/December 2002

During the first Gulf War several GIs took a very public stand in refusing to be sent overseas in what they viewed as a war for control of oil, not to defend their country. They took a stand dictated by their consciences, and received a lot of public support, as well as punishment from the military. For those who are considering conscientious objection, there are many longstanding organizations which can provide assistance and counseling. Here we feature information on the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors (www.objector.org):

The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors supports and promotes individual and collective resistance to war and preparations for war.

While most of us are teaching our kids to avoid violence, the US military is extolling the virtues of war. Junior ROTC programs are sprouting like weeds around the country - they're now in over 2800 high schools.

The draft ended and the military had to get sneakier - along with JROTC we now have the poverty draft. The Pentagon spends $2 billion on recruiting. They entice youth into the military with promises of college and job training: sounds like a great way out. Eventually, young people learn the truth - instead of being caught in drive-bys, they're doing fly-bys.

In 1968 we joined together to protest killing and war. We mobilized successfully against the Vietnam War, but haven't been able to free our government from its militaristic ways. The Gulf War, the poverty draft, Junior ROTC, hazing, racism, sexual harassment and abuse are all dangers of an unchallenged military. It's time again to act.

Our Programs:
Military Out of Our Schools

The military and its recruiters are present in almost every school in the United States. Recruiters are at schools to sell students military enlistment, using half-truths and outright deception. We believe the military's sales pitch should not go unchallenged.

Despite the military's yearly recruiting budget of $1.9 billion, activists in local communities have gained some astounding organizing victories.

Three school districts ban recruiters entirely; in dozens more, activists give alternative presentations in classrooms and career days.
The military's Adventure Van was stopped from making visits to schools in the entire state of Minnesota.
A peace flotilla greets the Navy's Great Lakes Recruiting Cruise every year.
The 1996 expansion of Junior ROTC ended with 900 fewer new units than initially planned, thanks in large part to community protest.

The GI Rights Hotline
200,000 young people enlist in the military every year. Those who made a mistake don't know where to turn.

In the year 2000, CCCO and our partners on the GI Rights Hotline (1-800-394-9544) will answer 11,800 calls from members of the military seeking information about discharges, grievance and complaint procedures and other civil rights. We also publish Helping Out: A Guide to Military Discharges and GI Rights, the most comprehensive reference work on military discharges in print.