Holy crow, I didn't realize that its been over a month since I've made a post. I'll try to do better. I finally finished my last memoirs book and am now on to the history of CPS during WWII which was written in the 1950's. It is a reference that I've seen cited in almost every other book I've read on the topic. Its a great book so far but pretty dry.
My family brought some pictures from my Grandfather's time at camp that I scanned into the computer. I posted a lot of them on the photos and other media page of my blog. There are so many questions I'd love to ask him now about those pictures. I'd love to know more about the projects they were working on, the irrigation projects and Grandpa's work as a milk inspector. My Dad had also saved some post cards that he wrote back to family. They were so fun to read. I think Grandpa took a trip to Florida during his time at CPS. The post card was from Florida and he talked about eating shrimp and taking a fishing charter. My Grandfather's brother may have been stationed/docked there during the war (?).
There were a few things I was thinking about while reading and looking through all the pictures. One thing that I hadn't really thought about before was that whether you were a soldier in the war or a CO, you had no idea how long the war would last when you went in. They left their previous lives and went into a very unknown situation and couldn't make any plans for the future. For a person like me who likes to have some kind of fun activity or trip to look forward to, that uncertainty is hard to conceive.
Another thing that I learned was that one of Grandpa's brothers joined the navy around the time Grandpa became a CO. It made me wonder how the family handled both perspectives. I asked Dad if he remembered any tension or if each view was accepted. Dad said he didn't remember any tension. I LOVE that! Made me so proud to be a part of a family that accepts different views. My Dad became a CO during Vietnam while his brother served in the military. Grandpa supported both decisions. My Dad had to serve the county for 2 years. My dad chose a position in social work because of it. I'm so blessed to be part of a family that has served in so many ways.
One last comment. One of the most common misconceptions I've come across about COs is that they were mostly draft dodgers. There may have been a few, yes. Most of the stories that I've read of men who described the other people they lived with at the camps were far from it. The majority of COs were very willing to sacrifice their own lives; they didn't believe in sacrificing someone else's.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Baltimore
This will be another personal post. I haven't had much time to finish up my book and a lot has been on my mind about recent events in Baltimore. I went to Baltimore for a quick weekend get-away Friday-Sunday morning and saw some of what has been on the media. From the security of our hotel we saw a helicopter with a spot light and bull horn several times circling overhead as well as 30 or so police in riot gear. We saw 3-4 police cars parked together at a street corner nearby. At that time, the protesters had dispersed from Camden Yards which was a block away from the hotel.
I wasn't a part of the peaceful protest so I will be first to tell you that I don't know what went on. Since we were in the city at the time, I have paid special attention to the news lately. This is definitely something grandpa would have written about. Social media (like this blog) really impact how these events are portrayed. I really appreciate people posting pictures and video from the event and explaining what happened around them at the time. There has been some conflicting stories told by the media vs told by the people who were there. If anyone has been glued to it like I have, I'd suggest looking for youtube videos that don't come from a mainstream media outlet. There were 10,000 peaceful protesters and a few hundred have been arrested for the atrocities inflicted on the city. 200/10,000 is 2% (to put it in perspective). These approximate numbers have come from media outlets and hopefully have been fact checked :(. There have been great numbers of people who have tried to stop the violence and who have cleaned up the city. Hundreds of people volunteered to clean the streets on Tuesday and many people unified during this event to help their neighbors. Many people have spoken up about peaceful protest and violence not being the answer. I feel for their struggle and the larger issues that are part of it.
Looking closer to home, I work above a city police department and would love to get their take on the situation. I also wanted to find out if conflict resolution annual certification is a requirement for the police force. I'd also like to look into conflict resolution classes for myself as there are a few times that my job warrants having that kind of training.
Peace be with you and light your way!
https://youtu.be/0HaaRZ8nxd4
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Everyday peace
Alright, I have to switch gears a little and post a little something more personal. I'm 3/4 of the way through the 2nd book of memoirs but a few things happened this week that I found more meaningful.
So, my friend and I exchange books and internet articles a lot. Recently, I got one about a marine's decision to become a CO and his experience. It was a great article. On that same webpage, I came across another article by an anthropologist trying to figure out how to study particularly peaceful communities. How do you measure a peaceful community? The article had some excellent points. Here is a link http://aeon.co/magazine/society/margaret-paxson-peace-conflict/?fb_ref=Default. The article got me thinking that this peaceful lifestyle that many of these COs have described is a day to day practice. How do you change your thinking about everyday conflict or perceptions that we routinely have?
The same weekend, I read that article, I was hiking with my husband and we got into a discussion about categorizing people. For instance, if you are driving around and see someone on the side of the road, we tend to immediately categorize people based on a number of things; what clothes they wear, how they walk, their age, their skin color etc. Admittedly, I do this all the time. For instance, I saw a guy in a pair of khaki pants and deck shoes waiting for his car to be detailed and I immediately made a judgement about how much money he must make. My husband's point was that it was human nature to do this and if we put the person in the correct category based on a multitude of observations, then its valid, not necessarily right or wrong; similar to putting several dark cloud observations into the category of storm clouds. I acknowledge that this is a byproduct of evolution. I grew to feel really uncomfortable talking about it. His point was that there isn't anything inherently "good" or "bad" about categories. They are just ways that we lump data together to try to piece together the world around us. I think my uncomfortable feeling stemmed from all the baggage that may come with those categories.
My other thought was that love and connection can be stronger than all that baggage. So, if I take an objective perspective, instead of instantly identifying people as "other" or apart from me, I should try to think of things that I may share. The article brought up the fact that communities that tend to show the most resilience to conflict are those in which there is a mix of different categories of people, different socio-economic classes etc. The point was that people will find common ground where there was once an "us" and "them."
My goal for myself is to look at the guy with the khaki shorts and think, "Look, that guy likes shorts. I like shorts or I wonder if he doesn't like socks as much as I don't like socks since he's wearing deck shoes". We'll see if the brain-training helps me to feel more peaceful day to day. I'll keep you posted :)
So, my friend and I exchange books and internet articles a lot. Recently, I got one about a marine's decision to become a CO and his experience. It was a great article. On that same webpage, I came across another article by an anthropologist trying to figure out how to study particularly peaceful communities. How do you measure a peaceful community? The article had some excellent points. Here is a link http://aeon.co/magazine/society/margaret-paxson-peace-conflict/?fb_ref=Default. The article got me thinking that this peaceful lifestyle that many of these COs have described is a day to day practice. How do you change your thinking about everyday conflict or perceptions that we routinely have?
The same weekend, I read that article, I was hiking with my husband and we got into a discussion about categorizing people. For instance, if you are driving around and see someone on the side of the road, we tend to immediately categorize people based on a number of things; what clothes they wear, how they walk, their age, their skin color etc. Admittedly, I do this all the time. For instance, I saw a guy in a pair of khaki pants and deck shoes waiting for his car to be detailed and I immediately made a judgement about how much money he must make. My husband's point was that it was human nature to do this and if we put the person in the correct category based on a multitude of observations, then its valid, not necessarily right or wrong; similar to putting several dark cloud observations into the category of storm clouds. I acknowledge that this is a byproduct of evolution. I grew to feel really uncomfortable talking about it. His point was that there isn't anything inherently "good" or "bad" about categories. They are just ways that we lump data together to try to piece together the world around us. I think my uncomfortable feeling stemmed from all the baggage that may come with those categories.
My other thought was that love and connection can be stronger than all that baggage. So, if I take an objective perspective, instead of instantly identifying people as "other" or apart from me, I should try to think of things that I may share. The article brought up the fact that communities that tend to show the most resilience to conflict are those in which there is a mix of different categories of people, different socio-economic classes etc. The point was that people will find common ground where there was once an "us" and "them."
My goal for myself is to look at the guy with the khaki shorts and think, "Look, that guy likes shorts. I like shorts or I wonder if he doesn't like socks as much as I don't like socks since he's wearing deck shoes". We'll see if the brain-training helps me to feel more peaceful day to day. I'll keep you posted :)
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Depression and love
Happy belated Easter! I thought about Grandpa a lot this Easter. He would have definitely written something about peace and the resurrection or something about sin and hope. Well, I finally finished the one book of memoirs and started another called "We Have Just Begun to Not Fight." I have to admit, I'm getting kind of burnt-out on memoirs. I need to get back into something else. My dad recently found some old postcards of Grandpa's so I'm looking forward to reading those. If I can, I'll scan some in and post them.
There was one interesting interview in my most recent book from a gentlemen who was actually in NSBRO (the peace church committee that ran the CPS camps). He said that he didn't think the CPS camps were run the way they should have. He stated that the government's involvement hamstrung a lot of what they could have done. The purpose of the peace churches was to spread the pacifist message and help out with war recovery efforts. The purpose of the selective service was to keep the camps out of site and out of the minds of the public. These were cross purposes that came head to head quite often. After the war, the peace churches and many of the COs went on to do reconstruction work. Another interesting point that this new book brought up was the impact to the wives of the men in camp. Many of them had difficulty holding a job after their husband's CO status had been learned.
Another insight in this new book was that many of the CPS campers had trouble adjusting and became very depressed. These men were used to being around their families and used to having meaningful work that would support that family. They had trouble adjusting without that support group and that purpose to which they had assigned self worth. The book went on to describe that one psychologist even had trouble getting the approval to release these men from the camps for medical reasons. The camp's director had to re-write (with the doctor's final approval) many of the patient's psychological descriptions stating that they were a danger to themselves or others in order to get them released. There has always been a stigma of weakness ascribed to mental health patients and this was compounded by the fact that these men were also objecting to participate in a war that many others were willing to sacrifice their lives for (and kill others) which is also seen by many as a weakness.
I've often found it interesting how our culture perceives weakness. Love is often looked at as a weaker alternative to fighting. I know in my relationships, when I get really really angry, it is much more difficult and takes much more strength to not yell or want to strike out, but to stay calm and realize that love is still there which makes it worth the effort to WORK through problems instead of resorting to violence. In my experience, love takes much more fortitude and strength than fighting. Next time you're watching TV, pay attention to how strength and weakness are portrayed and see if it makes sense considering your experience.
There was one interesting interview in my most recent book from a gentlemen who was actually in NSBRO (the peace church committee that ran the CPS camps). He said that he didn't think the CPS camps were run the way they should have. He stated that the government's involvement hamstrung a lot of what they could have done. The purpose of the peace churches was to spread the pacifist message and help out with war recovery efforts. The purpose of the selective service was to keep the camps out of site and out of the minds of the public. These were cross purposes that came head to head quite often. After the war, the peace churches and many of the COs went on to do reconstruction work. Another interesting point that this new book brought up was the impact to the wives of the men in camp. Many of them had difficulty holding a job after their husband's CO status had been learned.
Another insight in this new book was that many of the CPS campers had trouble adjusting and became very depressed. These men were used to being around their families and used to having meaningful work that would support that family. They had trouble adjusting without that support group and that purpose to which they had assigned self worth. The book went on to describe that one psychologist even had trouble getting the approval to release these men from the camps for medical reasons. The camp's director had to re-write (with the doctor's final approval) many of the patient's psychological descriptions stating that they were a danger to themselves or others in order to get them released. There has always been a stigma of weakness ascribed to mental health patients and this was compounded by the fact that these men were also objecting to participate in a war that many others were willing to sacrifice their lives for (and kill others) which is also seen by many as a weakness.
I've often found it interesting how our culture perceives weakness. Love is often looked at as a weaker alternative to fighting. I know in my relationships, when I get really really angry, it is much more difficult and takes much more strength to not yell or want to strike out, but to stay calm and realize that love is still there which makes it worth the effort to WORK through problems instead of resorting to violence. In my experience, love takes much more fortitude and strength than fighting. Next time you're watching TV, pay attention to how strength and weakness are portrayed and see if it makes sense considering your experience.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Expectation
I've been pretty slow in reading lately. I'm about 2/3rd of the way through the Men of Peace book. There have been a few things that struck me about the last few entries I've read. Most of the men have reported that they think today's world is much worse off in terms of our propensity for war. They also have told stories about their difficulty finding jobs if they reveal their CO experiences. The last few accounts have been stories from men involved in the guinea pig experiments (starvation and Hepatitis experiments). One gentlemen stated that 400 people volunteered for the starvation experiment which only required 36. I thought that the number of applicants really showed how much the men wanted to help. They were told that these starvation experiments would help to determine how best to provide aid to countries in need. For instance, do you send meat or just grain?
Side note. I listen to a lot of pod casts. One of the most recent was about how expectations affect us. For example, the pod cast told the story of a blind boy who never had the expectation that he couldn't do anything. He learned how to climb trees, hike by himself and even ride a bike. He learned how to use echolocation to lighten up the same portions of your brain that light up in visual people especially those areas associated with motion (but not the areas associated with light and color). His brain created images that he used to map out his environment using the signals he got back from echolocation instead of the images created from sensory data from your eyes. He grew up to teach other blind children the technique. Most of his teaching was for the families who had to learn to let go and allow the child to explore.
It made me wonder how much of society's propensity toward war may be attributed to the expectation that war is the only way to gain a certain result. It seems like a very ingrained idea or passion similar to the idea that the blind can't lead the blind (proved untrue at least in the story of the man in my pod cast). It was nice to hear a story about how that had been done in a few small cases. I love people who challenge expectations and ask "why?". Why can't I climb a tree? Why do I need to eliminate this person for the world to be a better place?
Food for thought for this week.
Peace be with you
Side note. I listen to a lot of pod casts. One of the most recent was about how expectations affect us. For example, the pod cast told the story of a blind boy who never had the expectation that he couldn't do anything. He learned how to climb trees, hike by himself and even ride a bike. He learned how to use echolocation to lighten up the same portions of your brain that light up in visual people especially those areas associated with motion (but not the areas associated with light and color). His brain created images that he used to map out his environment using the signals he got back from echolocation instead of the images created from sensory data from your eyes. He grew up to teach other blind children the technique. Most of his teaching was for the families who had to learn to let go and allow the child to explore.
It made me wonder how much of society's propensity toward war may be attributed to the expectation that war is the only way to gain a certain result. It seems like a very ingrained idea or passion similar to the idea that the blind can't lead the blind (proved untrue at least in the story of the man in my pod cast). It was nice to hear a story about how that had been done in a few small cases. I love people who challenge expectations and ask "why?". Why can't I climb a tree? Why do I need to eliminate this person for the world to be a better place?
Food for thought for this week.
Peace be with you
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Fathers and Wives
Sorry for not posting last week. I hadn't had time to get through any more of my reading. This week I'm about half way through a book which contains first hand accounts of WWII COs. It was created using the same set of interview questions for each person. So far I'm learning a lot of different things. For one, it appeared that during the 40's it was perfectly acceptable for men and women to date multiple people at the same time. I didn't expect that. I guess I thought that was more of a modern notion. So far, the men whose stories I've read were very involved in their churches and went on to continue work associated with their churches or other social work. Many of them adopted children as well. Very few had told stories about others not accepting them because of their beliefs. I was surprised at that given the other things I've read. It could also be that these interviews were done very late in these men's lives and maybe the good stories outweighed the bad and didn't seem worth mentioning at that time (there's also the scientific side of memory that has shown that every time you remember an event, you change it in your mind).There was one story of a person who had participated in the starvation experiments and had kept a journal. The journal was later used to write a book solely about those experiments. The interviewee didn't seem to dwell on any sort of hardship from the experiment. Many of them were at odds with their fathers. So far, many of the fathers believed much more strongly in work than in church, college or pacifism. Many also told stories that exemplify the fact that many of the other COs at the camps had very different beliefs and lifestyles. There were a few men who had gone to the same camp as grandpa. They both mentioned having to go to Oregon to fight fires from there. I get the impression that several of them jumped around a little. I don't know if grandpa ever had to go outside of Ohio during his time at the camp. Another interesting commonality among these stories was that they stated that they did not waiver in their decision to be a CO. They were raised in an environment which supported that idea. I would of thought there may be more uncertainty during that time. I also found it interesting that all of the wives worked (mostly nurses or school teachers) and traveled with their husbands working on various social projects. Those are just a few interesting notes and highlights. More stories next time.
Peace be with you
Peace be with you
Monday, February 23, 2015
Hope
So I haven't had as much time this week to work my way through my books. There has been one thing that has been on my mind as I'm reading through Men of Peace edited by Mary Hopkins though. The stories of these people are positive despite hardships and have constant examples of hope. That is something that I believe is a common struggle. I've often thought things like, what could I do to make a difference in this huge universe?, what good do my actions do to effect a change? Of the few stories I've read so far about the men's experiences of being a pacifist during WWII and what that has meant to them in their lives, they've all provided very different answers, very different levels of activism, and different experiences that they are proud of. They all share a strong feeling of hope. I believe that one difference between this pervasive feeling of hope that the pacifists have vs my struggle with ineffectiveness is a difference between internal and external perspectives. The CO stories exemplified the idea that learning peaceful means to solve problems is a much larger and complex external issue that is more important and worth fighting for than any one of us and should be the focus of our efforts instead of our own perceived in-effectiveness. I also listened to a podcast with an interview with a civil rights activist and pacifist. The activist stated that history gives us hope. Individual people and groups of people involved in "movements" have contributed to great positive change. We've already done it, so we should keep doing it. That gave me the slap in the face to stop focusing on yourself and figure out how to help. The pacifist also brought up that there are many layers to any issue and focusing on them as a whole can be daunting so we should try to focus on the changes we can make in our own smaller circles. To paraphrase (in my words), Smelling the whole onion with all its layers can make you cry but if you focus on a few small pieces, it can make the difference between a mediocre dinner and a taste-bud tantalizing one.
Scary step into the step into my brain this week. I'll get back to the COs of WWII next time. Peace
Scary step into the step into my brain this week. I'll get back to the COs of WWII next time. Peace
Monday, February 16, 2015
Love and camp #21
I just finished the story of CPS camp #21 located in Cascade Locks. It was nice to read about what daily life was like at one of these camps. The book really gave the sense that even though these men shared a common belief, they were still very diverse in how that belief was carried out. The camp was very organized and the men produced several publications, created and put on plays, and had speakers come to the camps.
The book also told the story of George Yamada who was a Japanese-American CO at the camp. Since the camp was in the area along the west coast where Japanese-American's were rounded up and put into camps during WWII, Mr. Yamada was ordered to go to one of these internment camps. The men at camp #21 wrote letters against the order and eventually Mr. Yamada was able to move to another CPS camp which was located outside of the relocation area. During that process, camp #21 received a letter from grandpa's camp in support of efforts to not comply with the order. It made me proud.
The Cascade Locks CPS camp story also told the story of a CO who had a family back home who depended on him financially. The CO decided to enter the military against his beliefs so that he could support his family. That story really illustrated that even though these men were relatively isolated, they depended on their families and church members to support them and their families while they were at the camp (receiving no pay). The financial struggles must have put a lot of stress on relationships. I haven't read any personal accounts yet that go into this.
I was also reading and thinking about this post over Valentine's Day weekend which of course is about love. I was reflecting on the power of love which has helped my family get through some very trying times. Love has been my motivator through some really tough times and (in my experience at least) grows stronger by creating peace on the other side of the struggle. Sometimes, it's extremely hard to draw on that motivation/love in the heat of the battle or internal struggle. Even trying to draw on my own experience to relate to these COs during WWII, I come up very short. I can't imagine the the struggle to find their motivation. I look forward to gaining a better sense of this in my next read which is the personal stories of 30 different COs during WWII.
Love and Peace
The book also told the story of George Yamada who was a Japanese-American CO at the camp. Since the camp was in the area along the west coast where Japanese-American's were rounded up and put into camps during WWII, Mr. Yamada was ordered to go to one of these internment camps. The men at camp #21 wrote letters against the order and eventually Mr. Yamada was able to move to another CPS camp which was located outside of the relocation area. During that process, camp #21 received a letter from grandpa's camp in support of efforts to not comply with the order. It made me proud.
The Cascade Locks CPS camp story also told the story of a CO who had a family back home who depended on him financially. The CO decided to enter the military against his beliefs so that he could support his family. That story really illustrated that even though these men were relatively isolated, they depended on their families and church members to support them and their families while they were at the camp (receiving no pay). The financial struggles must have put a lot of stress on relationships. I haven't read any personal accounts yet that go into this.
I was also reading and thinking about this post over Valentine's Day weekend which of course is about love. I was reflecting on the power of love which has helped my family get through some very trying times. Love has been my motivator through some really tough times and (in my experience at least) grows stronger by creating peace on the other side of the struggle. Sometimes, it's extremely hard to draw on that motivation/love in the heat of the battle or internal struggle. Even trying to draw on my own experience to relate to these COs during WWII, I come up very short. I can't imagine the the struggle to find their motivation. I look forward to gaining a better sense of this in my next read which is the personal stories of 30 different COs during WWII.
Love and Peace
Monday, February 9, 2015
History and Jail
Over the past week, I finished the story of the head of the CPS. It was a historical account, meaning that I had to fight a little more to get through it. The fear that pacifism would spread was pervasive throughout the implementation of the CPS camps. Much was done to keep the CPSers out of sight and away from the majority. In one example, the administrators of the camp (Selective Service) worked with several other groups to take part in projects that benefited areas of the economy where labor was in short supply while also providing the CPSers with alternative forms (more meaningful/more national important) of community service. One project was providing labor in schools. Even though the schools were asking for the help, the administrators did not want the pacifists spreading their beliefs to the children and the project was not approved.
I also finished the Garas' A Few Small Candles book which was a collection of memoirs from conscientious objectors who had gone to prison instead of register for the draft or go to CPS camps. Many of the inmates were very active going on hunger strikes, desegregation strikes, and being overall pains to the prison system. Many of them were transferred to the same group of prisons and knew each other well. Most of them described great determination and discipline and often went through great physical and emotional hardship in support of their ideals. A few also elaborated on the struggle they had with their decisions and the perceived futility of acts of civil disobedience from such a small minority of people.
I was trying to figure out who Grandpa's influences may have been at the time, given what was going on at the time. Most of the people who were included in the memoirs spoke of Gandhi which leads me to believe that his story was well known at the time. There also appeared to be a few kind of superstars in the pacifist community who stood out. Many of them wrote books about their experiences. A few that I'd like to read more about is David Dillinger and James Peck
If you are more of a video person, here is a brief history of one CO during WWI http://youtu.be/nZrvUp4q7WQ
I also finished the Garas' A Few Small Candles book which was a collection of memoirs from conscientious objectors who had gone to prison instead of register for the draft or go to CPS camps. Many of the inmates were very active going on hunger strikes, desegregation strikes, and being overall pains to the prison system. Many of them were transferred to the same group of prisons and knew each other well. Most of them described great determination and discipline and often went through great physical and emotional hardship in support of their ideals. A few also elaborated on the struggle they had with their decisions and the perceived futility of acts of civil disobedience from such a small minority of people.
I was trying to figure out who Grandpa's influences may have been at the time, given what was going on at the time. Most of the people who were included in the memoirs spoke of Gandhi which leads me to believe that his story was well known at the time. There also appeared to be a few kind of superstars in the pacifist community who stood out. Many of them wrote books about their experiences. A few that I'd like to read more about is David Dillinger and James Peck
If you are more of a video person, here is a brief history of one CO during WWI http://youtu.be/nZrvUp4q7WQ
Monday, February 2, 2015
Fun pictures and the CPS Frozen Fund
In the past week, I've read Keim's Illustrated History of CPS and Nolt's article about the Frozen Fund. In Keim's work, I found a few photos from the camp that grandpa worked at and one that I think he is actually in! I posted the photos in their own separate page. There is a photo of the soil lab where grandpa may have done work although he's not in the picture. The book was really interesting and told a really good story about what daily life was like and how the CPSers filled their time. It also went into great detail about the severe labor shortages at mental health hospitals and farms. It was very sad to see pictures and read about the deplorable conditions these people were in. One health worker to 300 patients, clothing shortages, and incontinence leading to groups of naked, filthy, miserable people. The CPS works tried to do what they could to clean the people and the building and provide them with clothes and blankets when they could.
Farm shortages led to an alternative work program that grandpa was involved with (camps 97 and 100.) He traveled around to local farms and tested milk which is categorized as CPS unit 100. According to Nolt's article, since the Selective Service didn't want to take jobs away from those who needed them by providing free labor to businesses, the businesses were required to pay the CPSers. But, since the CPSers weren't allowed to get paid, the money had to go into what was called "The Frozen Fund." The original idea was to use the funds for foreign recovery projects at the end of the war. Nolt goes on to explain all the ways in which the historic peace churches tried to appropriate these funds to recovery projects by proposed bills in congress. Many attempts were made to fund different projects including UNICEF, a program called CARE to provide technical books to Europe after their resources had been destroyed, as well as a few others. All of these attempts failed for various reasons. One failed because an opinion that the funds should not go to the United Nations which was already funded by the US prevailed. Another attempt failed because the congressman who proposed the bill was an entry on a list of congressmen who were communists. In general, Nolt sums it up saying The peace churches' simple plans and requests met with success in creating the CPS program because the state, too, wanted to avoid dealing with COs in World War I style (most were imprisoned and many died due to poor treatment). When the same type of simple plans and requests-this time to release the frozen fund-came from the peace churches following the end of the war, the requests were unsuccessful in part because the state had no substantial stake in seeing the plans carried out.
In the end, the ~$1.2 million (1945) earned by the ~1200 CPS service men who volunteered for these positions was appropriated to the general treasury fund and not used for its intended purpose.
As promised, I posted one article from grandpa's newsletter called The Peace Advocate. The articles that I have that he wrote were from the 90's.
Farm shortages led to an alternative work program that grandpa was involved with (camps 97 and 100.) He traveled around to local farms and tested milk which is categorized as CPS unit 100. According to Nolt's article, since the Selective Service didn't want to take jobs away from those who needed them by providing free labor to businesses, the businesses were required to pay the CPSers. But, since the CPSers weren't allowed to get paid, the money had to go into what was called "The Frozen Fund." The original idea was to use the funds for foreign recovery projects at the end of the war. Nolt goes on to explain all the ways in which the historic peace churches tried to appropriate these funds to recovery projects by proposed bills in congress. Many attempts were made to fund different projects including UNICEF, a program called CARE to provide technical books to Europe after their resources had been destroyed, as well as a few others. All of these attempts failed for various reasons. One failed because an opinion that the funds should not go to the United Nations which was already funded by the US prevailed. Another attempt failed because the congressman who proposed the bill was an entry on a list of congressmen who were communists. In general, Nolt sums it up saying The peace churches' simple plans and requests met with success in creating the CPS program because the state, too, wanted to avoid dealing with COs in World War I style (most were imprisoned and many died due to poor treatment). When the same type of simple plans and requests-this time to release the frozen fund-came from the peace churches following the end of the war, the requests were unsuccessful in part because the state had no substantial stake in seeing the plans carried out.
In the end, the ~$1.2 million (1945) earned by the ~1200 CPS service men who volunteered for these positions was appropriated to the general treasury fund and not used for its intended purpose.
As promised, I posted one article from grandpa's newsletter called The Peace Advocate. The articles that I have that he wrote were from the 90's.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Wow becoming a (recognized) C.O. is quite the process
Since last week, I finished MLK's Strength to Love. It was pretty amazing to read a work written first hand during a time when MLK was going through some of his most trying moments. We learn in school and read that Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader and concerned most with racial issues but it was sooo much more than that. His unifying principal was love. Martin Luther King Jr. was insanely well read! Poets, philosophers, etc. He was extremely intelligent, created very well structured arguments, and was an excellent story teller. I totally understand why grandpa drew from his words. I wish I could have been there to hear his speeches.
After I finished, I was thinking more about the time that grandpa became a C.O. It was before Martin Luther King Jr. Grandpa must have had other inspirations before that. Gandhi's life was concurrent with Grandpa's but I'm not sure how much he may have heard in the news (radio mostly. TVs were just starting to be all the rage in the 40s) about Gandhi's struggles in India. After MLK's book, I was looking for a more historical book, so I started Krehbiel's General Lewis B Hershey and the Conscientious Objection during WWII. I'm about half way through it. The CPS camp that grandpa went to was managed by the NSBRO (National Service Board of Religious Objectors). The members of the NSBRO were members of the historic peace churches (Mennonite, Quaker, Brethren etc). Ultimately, oversight of the camps was the responsibility of the Selective Service. The Selective Service and NSBRO worked closely together to determine how these camps should be run often with very different opinions.
One of the main things that I've found interesting so far is that the CPSers were not paid (only given $2.50 for amenities) and the camps were paid for by the churches (but all decisions were made by the Selective Service). So far I've read two reasons for the unpaid CPSers, the first being that congressional approval would be required. If congressional approval was required, then the whole alternative service project would be shut down. There were several attempts to remove alternative service from the Selective Service Act during that time. The other reason I've read about so far was public outcry. The book has emphasized many times that projects should be chosen that didn't illicit a negative response from the general public and most of these camps were located in rural areas (old CCC camps). Grandpa was in his 30s and hadn't started his family yet. He started a family as soon as he got out of the camp. Many of the people in the camps may have already been married and had children so had to rely on support from family, their churches etc. Since there was a farm labor shortage during the war, many of the COs were conscripted to work on local farms. Their wages were put into a CPS frozen fund. This fund was supposed to be used to give the CO's a small stipend and the rest used for relief efforts after the war. According to an article (I'm trying to get my hands on the original. It was just cited in the book), the NSBRO never saw this money and the author gave the impression that the estimated ~$1.4 million (1945) was not used for war relief efforts.
I also watched the film, The Good War and those who refused to fight it. It was interesting hearing first hand accounts from the COs from grandpa's time. It was a very hard time to be a CO. They were definitely in the minority. The majority of CO's didn't go to camps but served non-militant duties like medics during the war. I think there is a movie coming out soon about a CO medic that won the Medal of Honor (Desmond Doss http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Doss) Many COs wanted to prove that they were brave and willing to risk their own bodies just not their fellow man's. Many of the men who went to the camps volunteered as smoke jumpers and to be guinea pigs in scientific experiments (starvation experiments and experiments where they were infected with live Hepatitis virus).
Another part of this movie was a meeting where present day COs gave their stories and it described the process for becoming a conscientious objector today. I have to figure out if the process was any different for grandpa. Basically, there are 3 major steps. The first is to fill out a 20 question essay style application. Most of the questions are employee application style questions (where were you born, where have you lived etc), and six of the questions pertain to your beliefs. Here are the six main questions to show your sincerity (reference http://www.centeronconscience.org/images/stories/pdf/The_Guide_for_COs_in_the_Military.pdf)
My reaction to that, was WOW. In school I have never had to do anything that sounds that difficult. My thesis, its defense, and later publication were not that difficult. Many of the people who did it said that it was a very long process usually taking from 12-30 months and required writing skill and some persuasive talent. Most of them stated that they also faced a lot of ridicule and it was hard to find support. It would be a challenge to go through that process with any of my beliefs. I would like to be able to.
I'll try to get some of grandpa's writing up next week. Until then, peace be with you.
After I finished, I was thinking more about the time that grandpa became a C.O. It was before Martin Luther King Jr. Grandpa must have had other inspirations before that. Gandhi's life was concurrent with Grandpa's but I'm not sure how much he may have heard in the news (radio mostly. TVs were just starting to be all the rage in the 40s) about Gandhi's struggles in India. After MLK's book, I was looking for a more historical book, so I started Krehbiel's General Lewis B Hershey and the Conscientious Objection during WWII. I'm about half way through it. The CPS camp that grandpa went to was managed by the NSBRO (National Service Board of Religious Objectors). The members of the NSBRO were members of the historic peace churches (Mennonite, Quaker, Brethren etc). Ultimately, oversight of the camps was the responsibility of the Selective Service. The Selective Service and NSBRO worked closely together to determine how these camps should be run often with very different opinions.
One of the main things that I've found interesting so far is that the CPSers were not paid (only given $2.50 for amenities) and the camps were paid for by the churches (but all decisions were made by the Selective Service). So far I've read two reasons for the unpaid CPSers, the first being that congressional approval would be required. If congressional approval was required, then the whole alternative service project would be shut down. There were several attempts to remove alternative service from the Selective Service Act during that time. The other reason I've read about so far was public outcry. The book has emphasized many times that projects should be chosen that didn't illicit a negative response from the general public and most of these camps were located in rural areas (old CCC camps). Grandpa was in his 30s and hadn't started his family yet. He started a family as soon as he got out of the camp. Many of the people in the camps may have already been married and had children so had to rely on support from family, their churches etc. Since there was a farm labor shortage during the war, many of the COs were conscripted to work on local farms. Their wages were put into a CPS frozen fund. This fund was supposed to be used to give the CO's a small stipend and the rest used for relief efforts after the war. According to an article (I'm trying to get my hands on the original. It was just cited in the book), the NSBRO never saw this money and the author gave the impression that the estimated ~$1.4 million (1945) was not used for war relief efforts.
I also watched the film, The Good War and those who refused to fight it. It was interesting hearing first hand accounts from the COs from grandpa's time. It was a very hard time to be a CO. They were definitely in the minority. The majority of CO's didn't go to camps but served non-militant duties like medics during the war. I think there is a movie coming out soon about a CO medic that won the Medal of Honor (Desmond Doss http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Doss) Many COs wanted to prove that they were brave and willing to risk their own bodies just not their fellow man's. Many of the men who went to the camps volunteered as smoke jumpers and to be guinea pigs in scientific experiments (starvation experiments and experiments where they were infected with live Hepatitis virus).
Another part of this movie was a meeting where present day COs gave their stories and it described the process for becoming a conscientious objector today. I have to figure out if the process was any different for grandpa. Basically, there are 3 major steps. The first is to fill out a 20 question essay style application. Most of the questions are employee application style questions (where were you born, where have you lived etc), and six of the questions pertain to your beliefs. Here are the six main questions to show your sincerity (reference http://www.centeronconscience.org/images/stories/pdf/The_Guide_for_COs_in_the_Military.pdf)
- State your belief
- Explain the source of your belief
- Describe your moment of "crystalization"
- Explain the circumstances under which you believe in the use of force and to what extent
- Show how you live your beliefs. You have to state how your daily life is different and also state what actions you plan to pursue in the future
- State the one thing that shows you are sincere.
My reaction to that, was WOW. In school I have never had to do anything that sounds that difficult. My thesis, its defense, and later publication were not that difficult. Many of the people who did it said that it was a very long process usually taking from 12-30 months and required writing skill and some persuasive talent. Most of them stated that they also faced a lot of ridicule and it was hard to find support. It would be a challenge to go through that process with any of my beliefs. I would like to be able to.
I'll try to get some of grandpa's writing up next week. Until then, peace be with you.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Martin Luther King Jr. Day-The beginning of the journey
Happy Martin Luther King
Jr. Day! Today means a little something different to me. Martin Luther King Jr.
was a great inspiration to my grandfather. Grandpa had me read a piece of writing from King
at his funeral. King’s thoughts on unity, love, and peace were what touched
grandpa. My grandfather was a
conscientious objector during WWII. During that time, he performed Civilian Public Service at a CPS camp in
Ohio (see http://civilianpublicservice.org/camps/23/1). He was there from 1942 to 1946 (from the time he
was 30 to 34 years old) and helped with soil conservation and dairy herd
testing projects. The CPS’ers also published a monthly newsletter called the
“Seed.” Grandpa carried on this practice later in life, writing his own monthly
newsletters called “The Peace Advocate.” My grandfather was one of the few
people I know who actually LIVED what they believe. He used to pass out his
newsletter at church and often called in to a specific radio program to voice
his thoughts on how peaceful approaches could be ascribed to the most recent current
event. He believed in selflessness. I remember him talking to me once about
prayer, stating that we should never pray for ourselves, always for other
people. He said that if we all did that, everyone would be taken care of. When I talked to him about his beliefs, he was
always torn between the Old Testament “eye for an eye” God and the New
Testament’s “love your enemies” God and could never seem to reconcile the
two. This conflict was illustrated by
the fact that his bible was very very worn and only held together by duct tape.
Although I grew up with a
Christian background and have read the bible from cover to cover, my bible
isn’t nearly as tattered and my beliefs are more. . . spiritual(?). Before my grandfather passed, I helped him
organize his writings and he sent some of them to the radio personality whom
he’d developed a relationship with. He really wanted to make sure that the
message of peace got out there for anyone interested to read. To be clear, he would have never called it his message, [maybe His message].
Grandpa always gathered writings and quotes from the bible and other activists
like King and Gandhi and applied their words to current situations. Although
his newsletters were specific to events at their time (mostly in the 90’s), the
messages are still very applicable to today’s events. This blog is my attempt to learn more about whom
conscientious objectors were. I also
want to honor my grandfather’s spirit of getting a peaceful message out there
but I’m not exactly sure what that message is or how to do that yet (this blog,
a book?). I’ve wanted to start this
process for years but have always been afraid that I wouldn’t be able to honor
a man whom I have so much love, respect, and admiration for. I was also afraid that since my beliefs aren't exactly the same as my grandfathers, I may not be able to really present the message he wanted. My husband will be the first to tell you that I'm a horrible pacifist (I really want to be but its a huge struggle to control your emotions and oppose your gut reactions). I had an instructor who recently challenged
that fear, so I’ve decided at least to try to take that first step. This is the
beginning of that journey.
The first thing I want to
do is learn as much as I can about my grandfather’s personal experience
becoming a CO and his experience at the camps. I found a great website (see
links) which listed his name as one of 12,000 that were in CPS camps during
WWII. These men (mostly. There were a few women) made contributions to
soil science, mental health care, and fire fighting. From the little I’ve read so far in their
first-hand accounts, it seems like, those that wrote about it, really wanted to
contribute to their fellow country men and do “work of national importance.” My
goal is to work through the reference list that I put together from the website
that listed grandpa’s name and write about my findings every week. I also have some of grandpa’s old newsletters
that I’ll post too. If there are any other people who have had family who were
CO’s, I’d love to hear from you. Please fill out the contact form with your
information. We’ll see where this journey will lead. Peace be with you.
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