Mennonite Weekly: Selective Objectors
by Paul Schrag
Originally published in the 12/6/10 issue mennoweekly.org
There’s always been a problem with how the U.S defines conscientious objector. A CO has to oppose “war in any form” … Now there’s a movement to change that. … [T]he Truth Commission on Conscience in War calls selective objection an issue of religious freedom. … [Its] efforts represent an important step in advocating for the rights of conscience. Members of historic peace churches can affirm this campaign to extend moral freedom to soldiers who reject the only that matters, the one they’re told to fight.
The Christian Century: “Conscientious objection to specific wars sought”
Originally published 11/24/10 at ChristianCentury.org
The Truth Commission on Conscience in War, issuing its report November 10 in Washington, D.C., recommended that the military revise its rules to include “selective conscientious objection” and urged religious leaders to address issues of conscience during wartime.
“Training has made it so that our soldiers are much more reflexive than they are reflective about things that happen on the battlefield,” said Herman Keizer, a retired army chaplain who once oversaw chaplains in the European Command. “And when they do get an opportunity to reflect, that’s when the moral issues really begin to roll.”
America Magazine: “A Change in C.O. Status?”
Originally published 11/19/10 at AmericaMagazine.com
When the United States had a military draft, conscientious objector status was sought mostly by people who opposed all wars. But in the decades since then, the country has turned to an all-volunteer military; and the issue of conscientious objection now usually arises with people who volunteered for military service but came to have moral qualms about a specific conflict. A new report from the Truth Commission on Conscience in War documents the moral and psychological harm inflicted by the nation’s current C.O. policy and calls for revising U.S. military regulations to allow such “selective conscientious objection.”
“Calls to Address Moral Conflict, CO Definition”
Originally published 11/19/10 at ChristianFighterPilot.com
There is certainly validity to the claim that “moral injury” is contributing to PTSD and even suicides among active and former military members. It is regrettable, however, that groups are choosing to focus on the seeming political popularity of wars, rather than that which most directly impacts troops: After violently taking a life (an action seemingly at odds with their morality) they seek reassurance that their conduct is “morally right” — and they are told that it is neither right nor wrong, it’s just what they’ve been ordered to do.
WickedLocal.com: “Fighting the Army on conscientious objection”
Originally published 11/18/10 at WickedLocal.com (Framingham Tab)
The Truth Commission on Conscience in War released a report on Veterans Day fervently urging the U.S. government to expand the Army’s current conscientious objection regulations to include both religious and moral objections to a particular war, like the war in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The wording for conscientious objection requires that a soldier object to “war in any form” in order to qualify. Generally, this includes members of certain religious groups who declare themselves pacifists.
But the TCCW points out the inherent conflict when the military preaches the importance of the “just war” criteria and maintaining a clear moral compass, but forces soldiers who may be religiously or morally conflicted with a certain war to fight in it.
The Georgia Bulletin: “Selective conscientious objection to war service gets new push”
Originally published 11/12/10 by The Georgia Bulletin (The newspaper of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta)
When the United States had a military draft, conscientious objector status was mostly sought by people who opposed all war and wanted out of military duty altogether. But in the decades since the country has had an all-volunteer military, conscientious objection has almost always been about people who volunteered for military service, but once in came to have moral qualms about the specific conflict where they were expected to fight. A new campaign is seeking to ease the path for what is known as selective conscientious objection.
Religion & Ethics Newsweekly: “Religious Leaders Urge Attention to Moral Injuries of War”
Originally published 11/12/10 on PBS.org
This piece from PBS’ Religion & Ethics Newsweekly includes video interviews with Herm Keizer, Jake Diliberto, and Rita Nakashima Brock.
To mark Veterans Day, the Truth Commission on Conscience in War, a coalition of more than 60 religious, academic, advocacy, and veterans groups, released a report on the moral injuries suffered by service members.The report urged religious leaders to do a better job of educating communities about the criteria governing the moral conduct of war and the needs of veterans and their families.
The Christian Post: Churches Urged to Speak Out on War, Moral Conscience
by Stephanie Samuel
Originally published November 11, 2010 at ChristianPost.com
WASHINGTON – On the eve of Veterans Day, interfaith group Truth Commission on Conscience in War urged churches and religious leaders to break their silence regarding the moral conflict that America’s involvement in unjustified wars is putting religious soldiers through.
A group of evangelicals and Catholic soldiers, military chaplains and Truth Commission staff gathered in Washington, D.C., and testified Wednesday about their personal stories of moral guilt and confliction while serving their country in a war.
In their testimonies, veterans advocated for Christians to stand against wars that do not match the principals of just war. Church leaders were also encouraged to be vocal about the implications unjust wars have on the service men and women in their congregations.
Sojourners: “This Veterans Day, Honor the Consciences of Our Veterans”
by Rose Marie Berger
Originally published 11/11/10 at God’s Politics (Sojourners)
Today, on Armistice Day, 18 American military vets will commit suicide. This weekend, military veterans are gathering in Washington, D.C., for the second Truth Commission on Conscience in War. Today is also the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours: Patron Saint of Conscientious Objectors.
“War inflicts terrible, tragic consequences on all touched by it,” says Truth Commission member Herman Keizer (U.S. Army ret.). “Moral conscience should not be one of its casualties.”
NYTimes: “War and Conscience: Expanding the Definition of Conscientious Objection”
by James Dao
Originally published 11/10/10 at the NYTimes.com
[Today], Nov. 10, a coalition of around 60 mostly left-leaning religious, veterans and anti-war groups are calling on Congress to expand the definition of conscientious objection to allow opposition to a particular war. Leaders of the coalition, the Truth Commission on Conscience in War, assert that broadening the definition would probably lead to more troops applying to become conscientious objectors. But it would also allow for greater religious freedom in the military and improve morale among the troops, they say.
“For many of us, it is a religious freedom issue,” said Rita N. Brock, one of the main organizers of the commission. “The only religious conscience protected now is for pacifists. But the majority of people are not pacifists. I’m not a pacifist. We have a relative view of when violence is appropriate and not appropriate.”
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life: Coalition seeks moral objection to war
by Adelle M. Banks (RNS)
Originally published 11/10/10 at PewForum.org
WASHINGTON (RNS) On the eve of Veterans Day, religious leaders and veterans called for a reconsideration of conscientious objection to war, saying military members should have the right to object to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for moral reasons.
In a report issued Wednesday (Nov. 10), the Truth Commission on Conscience in War called on the military to revise its rules to include “selective conscientious objection,” and urged religious leaders to address issues of conscience during wartime.
“Training has made it so that our soldiers are much more reflexive than they are reflective about things that happen on the battlefield,”said the Rev. Herman Keizer, a retired Army chaplain who once oversaw chaplains in the European Command.
The Oklahoman: Coalition seeks moral objection to war
by Adelle M. Banks
Originally published 11/10/10 at NewsOK.com (The Oklahoman)
WASHINGTON (RNS) On the eve of Veterans Day, religious leaders and veterans called for a reconsideration of conscientious objection to war, saying military members should have the right to object to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for moral reasons.
In a report issued Wednesday (Nov. 10), the Truth Commission on Conscience in War called on the military to revise its rules to include “selective conscientious objection,” and urged religious leaders to address issues of conscience during wartime.
“Training has made it so that our soldiers are much more reflexive than they are reflective about things that happen on the battlefield,” said the Rev. Herman Keizer, a retired Army chaplain who once oversaw chaplains in the European Command.
Beliefnet.com: “Coalition Seeks Moral Objection to War”
Originally published 11/10/10 at Beliefnet.com
On the eve of Veterans Day, religious leaders and veterans called for a reconsideration of conscientious objection to war, saying military members should have the right to object to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for moral reasons.In a report issued Wednesday (Nov. 10), the Truth Commission on Conscience in War called on the military to revise its rules to include “selective conscientious objection,” and urged religious leaders to address issues of conscience during wartime.
“Training has made it so that our soldiers are much more reflexive than they are reflective about things that happen on the battlefield,” said the Rev. Herman Keizer, a retired Army chaplain who once oversaw chaplains in the European Command. “And when they do get an opportunity to reflect, that’s when the moral issues really begin to roll.”
“‘Truth commission’ urges change in conscientious-objector status”
by Bob Allen
Originally published 11/10/10 at ABPNews.com (Associated Baptist Press)
Objector status, recognized since the Civil War, originally applied to members of certain religious groups known for their pacifist beliefs, such as Quakers and Mennonites. The Supreme Court expanded the definition in 1971 to include not only members of specified religious traditions, but also anyone with “deeply held beliefs that cause them to oppose participation in war in any form.”
The truth commission pointed out that the current exemption still applies only to pacifists, a small minority among Christians, while leaving out those in the “just-war” tradition embraced by the vast majority of Christians.
Sojourners: “Truth Commission on Conscience in War Gathers in D.C.”
by Claire Lorentzen
Originally published 11/10/10 on God’s Politics (Sojourners)
This week, the Truth Commission on Conscience in War, a coalition of 60 army veterans and anti-war groups, are meeting in Washington, D.C., in hopes of gathering support in Congress for legislation that would provide the legal right to selective conscientious objection, in which soldiers who object to particular wars are recognized. Today, the Commission will be holding a press conference where they will release their study, “Truth Commission on Conscience in War: A Report,” which includes a series of recommendations for legislation. On Thursday and Friday, they will be holding an, Inter-faith Service and a teach-in on selective conscientious objection.
VIDEO: Soldiers Fight a Battle of Conscience
by Walter Smith Randolph
Originally published 4/7/10 at NY City News Service
The Truth Commission on Conscience in War is a group of religious leaders and scholars who have joined together to discuss the theory of just war, international law and freedom of conscience during times of war.
The 70-member commission recently held a public hearing at Riverside Church, where soldiers spoke about their war experiences. The hearing, inspired by a documentary, “Soldiers of Conscience,” launched a six-month campaign that aims to spur discussion of issues of war and conscience.
Watch video: http://nycitynewsservice.com/2010/04/07/soldiers-fight-a-battle-of-conscience/
CRC Chaplain Hosts Truth Commission
by Chris Meehan
Originally published 3/26/10 at CRCNA.org
Rev. Herman Keizer, former director of Chaplaincy and Care Ministries for the Christian Reformed Church, served as the Honorary Host this past weekend at the Truth Commission on Conscience in War at Riverside Church in New York City.
The two-day event, says Keizer, was an attempt to start a national conversation among community and religious leaders, veterans, advocacy groups, and others about just war, international law, and greater freedom of conscience for US service members.
Full article: http://www.crcna.org/news.cfm?newsid=1867§ion=1
Soldier of Conscience Granted Clemency, Released
by Dahr Jamail
Originally published 3/25/10 at Truthout.org
Rev. Herman Keizer Jr., the commission’s honorary host, is a retired Army chaplain, Vietnam veteran and former chair of the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces. Keizer is also an outspoken leader in a growing movement for “selective conscientious objection,” the right to object morally to a particular war.
Current military regulations only recognize objections to “war in any form.” In a recent letter to President Obama, Keizer argued: “The conscience of the selective objector deserves the same respect as the conscience of the pacifist.”
Full article: http://www.truth-out.org/breaking-dahr-jamail-soldier-conscience-granted-clemency-released58011
Moravian College students participate in research project with soldier who became conscientious objector
by Sara K. Satullo
Originally published 3/22/10 at The Express-Times
Logan Mehl-Laituri joined the Army in peacetime before Sept. 11, 2001.
In 2004, he shipped out on a 14-month tour of Iraq. When he returned home in 2005, everything for him changed. He began taking his Christian faith more seriously and found it in conflict with his career.
“I didn’t want to get out but I knew I couldn’t carry a weapon again,” recalled Mehl-Laituri, a 28-year-old Hawaii resident who is participating in a research project with Moravian College student Jim Lavoy.
Full article: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1269230732120740.xml&coll=3
Groups to Discuss Soldiers’ Conscience Issues
by Mary Susan Littlepage
Originally published 3/20/10 at Truthout.org
On Sunday, more than 80 national religious, academic, advocacy and veterans’ leaders will lead a discussion titled, Truth Commission on Conscience in War. The event will be held at the Riverside Church in New York City, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his historic “Beyond Vietnam” speech, and recent veterans and national experts will talk about moral, psychological and legal dimensions of conscience and war.
Full article: http://www.truth-out.org/groups-discuss-soldiers-conscience-issues57831
When War is Unjust Should Soldiers Just Say No?
by Greg Barrett
Originally published 3/19/10 at The Huffington Post
In 2006, Laituri, who had served one tour in Iraq in 2004-05, had submitted a CO request asking that he not be forced to carry a weapon. Although he he had not killed anyone in his previous tour, he’d seen enough to know that he could. Deep down in him there was a Pandora’s Box that only combat could open. Even after Laituri had befriended everyday Iraqis such as his interpreter, empathized with Iraqi families subjected to random searches, and grieved for the dead he saw spilling from a morgue, he felt that the lines of his Christian morality were forever blurred. His “moral agency” was suspect. He didn’t fear the enemy as much as he feared himself.
He put the gun down before he did something that would cause him to toss and turn forever. Before his moral agency became a casualty of moral injury — and the victim of a wrongheaded war.
Full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-barrett/when-war-is-unjust-should_b_504050.html
Truth Commission on Conscience in War
by Chicago Theological Seminary
Originally published at Chicago Theological Seminary
Dr. Alice Hunt, President, explains CTS’ involvement with The Truth Commission, “we consider it important that CTS co-sponsor this event calling attention to the reconciliation work remaining before us all.”
Hunt will attend The Truth Commission along with Zachary Moon, M.Div. candidate ’10, as Commissioners. Over the two-day event at The Riverside Church UCC, the Commissioners will hear testimony from veterans and briefings from expert witnesses, before meeting for discussion and deliberation. “It is important to think about how we will take the stories shared at The Truth Commission and continue to share them whether it be in churches across the country or at our seminary,” notes Moon, “so that The Truth Commission is not an isolated event but is continued across the country.”
Full article: http://www.ctschicago.edu/index.php/component/content/article/39-uncategorized/166-truth-a-reconciliation
A Professor and Student Seeking Truth About War
by Moravian College
Originally published 3/3/10 at Moravian College
A Moravian College professor and student are preparing to delve into the complex, often murky, ethical issues associated with war: What constitutes a “just war?” What is a soldier’s duty as a human being? In what situations is killing right?
Kelly Denton-Borhaug, associate professor of religion, and James Lavoy ’10 (Greentown, Pa.), a political science and social theory major, will participate in the first Truth Commission on Conscience in War in New York City on March 21-22. After hearing testimony from recent veterans, religious leaders, ethicists, and legal experts, the Commission will compile a report that will be delivered on Veterans’ Day this November.
Full article: http://www.moravian.edu/default.aspx?pageid=3590
An Argument for Selective Conscientious Objection
Members of the military awaiting deployment to one of America’s wars must go or face punishment. “Soldiers now deploying to both wars are denied the choice of conscience that the president articulated in accepting his Peace Prize,” Jones and her co-authors write. “The rights of Conscientious Objection are currently too narrow to protect the moral conscience of soldiers. To claim this formal status, you have to show that, on religious or ethical grounds, you object to ‘war in any form.’”
Full article: http://www.utne.com/War-and-Peace/Argument-for-Selective-Conscientious-Objection.aspx
“How Do We Repair the Souls of Those Returning from Iraq?”
\”How Do We Repair the Souls Of Those Who Come Back from Iraq?\”
by Rita Nakashima Brock and Gabriella Lettini, truth Commission on Conscience in War organizers
“The hidden wounds of war do not heal when left unattended; instead, they may fester for years in depression, homelessness, addiction, and a half-lived existence finished by suicide, which doesn’t end the suffering for those who knew and loved the one who died. Unattended, moral injury will linger for generations. Understanding moral injury is a necessary first step in a much longer societal healing process. We should begin that process today.”