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
Monday, February 23, 2015
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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