As a man of faith, nonviolence, and service, my beliefs forbid me from participating in any type of war. Since 2004, when I first visited El Salvador, a country torn apart by war and violence, I have had a deep belief that peace and nonviolence is ultimately best for this world. Seeing the faces and hearing the pleas of survivors of massacres, many of which were carried out by US-trained soldiers, led me to believe and realize that basically any tool of negotiation and peaceful relations is for the better in the long run.

APPLICATION FOR CONTIENTIOUS OBJECTOR

The religious denomination or sect of both parents: Both Christian, non-denominational.

11.Was application made to the Selective Service System (local board) for classification as a conscientious objector before entry into the Armed Forces?: No

Was any previous application made in service for classification as a conscientious objector?: No.

13. N/A I have served more than 180 days.

Training and Belief

I am 58 years old.
I teach “Religion” at a Catholic high school and have done so for over 30 years.
From 1969 to 1973, it was only my deferment as a college student that kept me from the horrors of the war. It kept me, as well, from having to summon the courage to publicly declare myself as a Conscientious Objector. Perhaps it is too little too late, yet I rectify that today.

“Be compassionate as your God is compassionate,” so teaches Jesus. Living as a disciple of the compassionate Christ calls forth from me an irrevocable committment to live non-violently, to be a instrument of care and peace, and not an instrument of rancor, division, hatred, or violence under any condition. War, in a particular way, is a violation of the command to be compassionate for it induces suffering and misery; compassion seeks to relieve it and address the causes of violence and suffering. Therefore, while as a college senior in 1970 I made a private vow of non-violence in the presence of my priest/spiritual director. This was my basis for becoming a Conscientious Objector. I have maintained this private vow and seen its application called forth in ways I never imagined at age 20. I continue to advocate for life, non-violence, and respect for human dignity from the moment of conception through natural death.

Things have changed since I was applying for conscientious objection. I grew up under the draft and registered at 18. My draft card was 16-98-50-537 Which means that I was the 537th registrant for the year 1950 at draft board 98 in area 16 which was probably for Louisiana.

Having been through Catholic school through high school, including 3 years of diocesan seminary training, I felt that no one had overruled the commandment that said “Thou shall not kill” or Jesus’ commandment to love my enemies as God loved me.

I hereby declare that I do NOT believe in war as a means to solve any problems or conflicts. I declare my status as a ‘conscientious objector’, this ninth (9th) day of September in the year 2008. To whom it may concern, I do not support violence of any means to reach any outcome.

In World War II I was stationed at Alamagordo Air Force base (NM) next to White Sands where the first atom bomb was tested on the early morning of July 16, 1945. Could anyone really dream of its hellish, destructive power? . . . On August 9, 1945, the U.S. dropped an atom bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, incinerating in seconds thousands of innocent Japanese civilians, most of them Christians. This followed the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima on August, 6, the feast of the Transfiguration, when the transfigured Jesus shone like the sun. Thank God, nine months after that fateful date I was discharged for “government convenience,” since my service geared for the war in Europe was no longer needed. I was 19-20 years old at the time. I am now 82. Incredibly, the madness continues!