Draft / Selective Service

by james_woods 3 Replies latest jw friends

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  james_woods

  Tried to enter this a moment before, but I think I lost it. I wanted to get some comments on the draft issue.

  * Did anyone else here face the issue or know someone who did time for the WT?

  * Where did they go (I.e.what prison facility)

  * What happened to them after they got out? Did it harm them mentally? Did the congregation appreciate their sacrifice?

  * Do we know how many were convicted during Vietnam and other eras?

  * Did anyone else consider running away to Canada or actually joining up to avoid prison?

  * Does anyone remember how the Society strictly told us not to mention them; this had to be OUR OWN DECISION!!!

  My comment - for a lot of us younger guys this was just as invasive to our lives and sanity as the blood transfusion thing.

  James
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  AK - Jeff

  I had to register for the draft - it was 1973 and the Vietnam war was winding down - I was classified AAAA I think - which meant I did not have to worry about getting drafted.

  One brother in our cong came here to do 'alternate service' of osme sort - I don't think he was baptized until a little later - and I don't think the local elders understood the alternate service issues at the time - he actually worked for a Catholic institution here in liew of military service.

  No - I don't think many ever really gave much thought to what he did to stay out of the military - of course he had to quit working for the Catholics after he was done with his 'sentence' - and he stayed in the area. He reports 1 hour a month for the last 30 years I think. Think that will save him at the big 'A'? No one ever seemed concerned to 'snatch him out of' his apathetic fire though.

  Jeff
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  james_woods

  Interesting - I do remember my attorney telling me that there were certain "soft" federal judges who would either give a suspended sentence or else actually "sentence" you to do consciencous objector jobs. This was OK I think so long as you were sentenced but did not volunteer for it. I hear its ok now to just volunteer for non combat duty.

  One of my friends actually paid the real Hayden Covington to represent him for 10,000 and he blew the case. The poor guy got the full 5 years and Covington went off to defend Muhammed Ali instead of doing an appeal.

  This is probably a forgotten issue now, but you can bet I was hot-red-ass when I read about people in Mexico being able to bribe themselves off in the Crises of Conscience.

  My case was a lot like yours; I finally got a 4a but when the Nixon draft lottery came in my number was so high that I got eliminated right away and then the war ended. Well, at least something happened back in 1975!
• 

  Haereticus

  * Did anyone else here face the issue or know someone who did time for the WT?

  
  

  
  Finland has never had selective service.

  * Where did they go (I.e.what prison facility)

  For years we were detained in an old auxiliary prison, but not sentenced but ordered to hard labour by the Social and Health Ministry. The average time was somewhere around 2,5 yrs to 3 yrs.

  * What happened to them after they got out? Did it harm them mentally? Did the congregation appreciate their sacrifice?

  I feel the worst harm was already done before, we were all dubs there, so it was just waste of time. Most of my contemporaries (1966-1968) have been or are still elders, some CO's. Most the ones I know that did not make their way to the upper level of the spiritual nutritional chain are mainly part of the famous Da Judge's Boozing Society. I know for sure two of my contemporaries have succeeded to kill themselves with their life style. I would be astonished if those are the only ones. This reminds me of the other of those two mentioned. For a period we shared the same cell and had numerous arguments about even mentioning alcohol, by that time he was a teetotaller number one. Another teetotaller is nowadays elder and obviously having a problem with his daily rations.

  Actually, knowing dubs relation to alcohol I cannot say that these experiences I happen to know would be outcome of our common past.

  * Does anyone remember how the Society strictly told us not to mention them; this had to be OUR OWN DECISION!!!

  Our own decision, no way! We had very specific directions from our branch office not heed any orders and therefore we were wanted by the police. That added a three months sentence in the court of law. This sentence was served elsewhere and was like a paid holiday from hard labour.

  My comment - for a lot of us younger guys this was just as invasive to our lives and sanity as the blood transfusion thing.

  After all, you may be right with this sanity thing, I was a jehophile for 25 years after my DF. During which time, according to a surgeon, my life was saved with a blood transfusion. Only for past ten years I have been able to understand the real nitty gritty of "the truth".

  Markku