If you have any interest in WWII, be sure to watch the episodes on History Channel There are episodes Monday this week, 6/29 and next week.
Some scenes are tough to watch as the video is real and shows what was really happening. It is a horrid section of humanity and lives lost.
Our parents and grandparents that were in the war were really tough people.
They had no choice - either do or die- but to survive with anything resembling normalcy took a lot of "guts" for sure.
And for those (many of my ancestors) who refused to fight on concientous reasons and did "alternate service" it took a lot of guts too.
In the US, those that misinterpreted "thou shalt not murder (unlawfully kill)" as "thou shalt not kill", we made them medics. Some were ever decorated for their bravery.
I fear that in today's "Department of War", conscientious objectors could be subject to courts-martial for disobeying orders, found guilty of treason, and executed.
At the moment, though, we don't have a national draft. So it's unlikely that a C.O. would find him- or herself in the military.
Warfare has changed. One drone programmer is more useful than hundreds of foot soldiers.
The draft actually benefited some even when there was no war. I know some 18 year old spoiled babies that came back two years later as mature youn men with a much better attitude of life.
Highly likely - yet MANY pacifist "evangelicals" still support the regime. I still remember the sixties and seventies and the many draft dodgers, Peaceniks, and Hippies who skipped up here to Canada.
When the draft lottery was imposed, I was prepared to go to Canada if I ended up with a low lottery number. Fortunately for me, I got a high number and was able to defer my 2 year obligation and complete my both my graduate and post-graduate education until after the Viet Nam War had ended. My entire personal and professional life would have played out differently if I had gone to Canada. Serendipity!
Why not student deferments? I got for college and graduate school. I must have had every draft classification except 4F. Afterwards at 1A they were after me but not drafting married men and proof deferred it. Also when our first son was born I informed them to put frosting on the cake. When I told my boss about this he got me a critical skills deferment.
A cousin I never met was 4F in WWII because of poor eyesight but was able to join the navy. He died at the Anzio beachhead.
I seem to recall that for some reason, as a graduate student, the student deferment I had as an undergraduate was no longer available. Shortly thereafter, Congress passed a law implementing the Berry Plan. As a medical student, I qualified. By the time I completed my residency, the war was over. As I said earlier, serendipity.
Mine may have been a few years earlier. As I recall there were 1S as undergrad and 2S as grad. Vietnam was heating up when I graduated and did not end for a few year. Of interest when I was an undergrad Korea was over and while I was only 17 the average freshman was 21 with vets coming back to school.
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