During the Vietnam War (1955 - 1975) young men reaching the age of 18 were required by law to register for the Draft within 30 days of that birthday.
Jehovah's Witnesses included.
Most JW's did NOT (perhaps never did) understand the situation faced by young brothers in the congregation.
The general "understanding" among the rank and file went something like this.
1. JW's serve Jehovah as ruler rather than men.
2. We believe "thou shalt not kill."
3. We are all ministers. We deserve a ministerial deferment.
And so forth.
But wait--there's more!
About 300,000 young men were being drafted EACH YEAR from the general population.
Of 16,000 men convicted of draft resistance during the war (and sentenced to a maximum of five years), 6,000 were rejected Conscientious Objectors, and 3/4 of those were Jehovah's Witnesses.
That's 4,500 Jehovah's Witness boys between 18 and 25.
Got that?
25,000 Conscientious Objectors were assigned to non-combat military duty.
GOT ALL THAT?
Good, let's move on.
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Hardly any rank and file Jehovah's Witnesses have been exposed to the details of the decision, the actual choice facing young members of the Kingdom Hall congregation in the U.S.
Here are the true facts of the matter.
ANY person drafted into Military Service in the United States was required to do 3 things.
1. Register for the draft immediately upon reaching the age of 18.
2. When notice arrived in the mail, the draftee had to report locally for an Armed Forces Military physical examination.
3. A meeting with a local Draft Board must be scheduled, but only IF A REQUEST of deferment from duty for cause was tendered.
I did all three.
Note #3 above. Before your local Draft Board, the objective for a JW was to convince the board you were an actual minister and NOT JUST a person of conscience. What's the difference?
The person officially recognized as a religious minister of a denomination was automatically granted
a classification if 4-D .
4-D - Ministers of Religion - Exempted from military service.
Otherwise (as in my case) you simply received I-A-O.
My draft card classified me as :
1-A-O -Conscientious Objector - Conscientiously opposed to training and military service requiring the use of arms - fulfills his service obligation in a noncombatant position within the military. Those classified 1-A-O are conscientious objectors available for noncombatant military service.
Legally, all I was required to do was report for non-combat community service!
Ready for the big twist-ending?
My congregations elders (overseers) privately took me aside. I was counseled NOT to ACCEPT
assigned alternate service in a hospital!
I was told it was a "compromise" of my faith.
I was to REFUSE my lawfully assigned alternate service.
So, instead - go to prison to demonstrate Jehovah's Witnesses were not like other false religious organizations.
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See how different this understanding is of imprisoned brothers?
We weren't AVOIDING going to war. We weren't saving our own ass.
We were never legally required to enter the military since we were classified a non-combatants.
My choices were:
I would never have gone to Vietnam. I would have helped sick people.
This is the "dirty little secret" hidden from most JW's all this time.
I was sternly admonished never to tell any officer of the court or law I HAD BEEN DIRECTED by my religion to do this, saying only "It is a matter of conscientious ; a Bible-based conscience."
Are you surprised?
One more surprise.
There was only ONE EXCEPTION allowed.
IF your Judge "SENTENCED YOU" to hospital work - you COULD accept.
Why?
You were under compulsion - NOT by the Military - but by the Law itself.
Crazy enough for you?
I knew a brother who hired Hayden C. Covington ($10,000) to represent him for jury trial.
(Wealthy family.)
Covington got his sentenced reduced to 2 years instead of 5 as a plea deal.
(It came out later Covington knew all along most JW's only served 2 years till parole anyway.)
My friend asked Covington not to accept such a plea. Covington talked him into it. Hayden C. Covington had been telephoned by Cassius Clay's family (Muhammed Ali) and asked to take the boxer's Draft Evasion case for a million bucks. Covington had to get out my friend's case in a hurry.
Just thought you should know. For the record.