WHAT HAPPENED to Jehovah’s Witness young men and WHY did it happen?
______In the 1960s men of draft age were called upon to either serve in the Military
(during the Vietnam War) or to comply with the Alternate Service option: serving in a hospital or community in need.
Non-Jehovah’s Witnesses were faced with only one refusal: Military Service.
JW boys and young men were instructed (in private) to refuse the Alternate civilian service as well.
The Superior Authorities had made this exemption for people of conscience.
The law was clear on this. If we worked in a hospital community we would be free to go about our Witnessing ministry - if we double-refused: we would languish in prison.
A no-brainer to them. But to us? Our leaders applied pressure to “not compromise.”
Was the Superior Authority trying to stop us from preaching? No.
Was the Superior Authority trying to punish us for our beliefs? No.
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DUTY to Jehovah vs duty to Superior Authority
We young JW Brothers were admonished to omit public mention of “any influence” at all by others.
(“Others” means our overseers and organization leaders acting in private).
We were told to say to the authorities that it was our personal conscience at work without undue influence or pressure to act against our own best interests.
WAS IT OUR CONSCIENCE or the influence in secret by our leaders pushing us
toward double refusal of legal alternatives to Military service?
(Were we telling a white lie?) (Theocratic Strategy?)
This is where the Seagoville Prison story really begins
The U.S. Government saw us as one group within a larger group of men refusing to comply with the law - not for political protest but for reasons of deeply-held beliefs.
(Jehovah’s Witnesses, Hutterites, Mennonites, 7th Day Adventists, etc.)
The following is an excerpt from a study analysis conducted by our government.
These documents are found online in the President Gerald Ford Library of records.
I discovered this recently and was quite fascinated in terms of our JW community and the other C.O.’s in their community.
To the analysts, we were a case study in human behavior.
An odd group of ages, races, psychological types, and special motivations.
TAKE A LOOK BELOW.
Fascinating? Yes, I think so. A perspective is possible using this information.
To see ourselves as others saw us is an amazing gift.
Let us continue…
“He did indicate that he would be willing to perform similar services under a court order of probation.”
How is this not the exact definition of “compromise”? Any Brother who performs alternate Civilian service under the Law as it stood and the same Brother performing alternate Civilian service under Probation differ not at all - except for the fact that Brother is disrespecting the authority of Caesar by dictating his own terms.
If a Policeman wants to give you a ticket for speeding but you insist he let you off without a ticket and only THEN you’ll comply with the speed limit - is this not disrespect and a high-handed sense of entitlement? Asking for or demanding “special treatment” would place JWs in an Elite category outside the law. Historically Christians have not demanded such privileges.
In a sense - by refusing Alternate Service we Brothers shot ourselves in the collective foot. Rather than being free to go door-to-door or conduct Bible studies in a regular community as well as rendering Samaritan-like aid to injured or sick persons in a hospital setting (as Alternate Service provides) - most of us placed ourselves in a strait-jacket of idle time constraints and the pressure and anxiety on our families was considerable.
(All the above is excerpted from Gerald Ford Presidential Library and Museum:) https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0193/18558946.pdf
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What follows is :
A Transcript from National Public Radio:
(4,500 Jehovah’s Witnesses during the Vietnam War. ¾ of 6,000)
WHAT ABOUT: Alternate HOSPITAL WORK?
MILITARY SERVICE was off the table as soon as we announced we are Conscientious Objectors.
I was arrested and sentenced as a Youth and “Conscientious Objector” (age 20) to an indeterminate span of up to 6 years. (1967-1969 served. On parole until 1973))
While under the oversight authority of the Seagoville Federal Correctional Institution, I had been attacked and sexually abused. I was paroled at the age of 23. I have written the book, “I WEPT BY THE RIVERS of BABYLON (A Prisoner of Conscience in a Time of War) about my prison experience.
The month following my parole, this article was published.
"If you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things. Why not? Because all the evidence in fulfilment of Bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years. Of the generation that observed the beginning of the "last days" in 1914, Jesus foretold: "This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur."-Matt. 24:34. Therefore, as a young person, you will never fulfil any career that this system offers. If you are in high school and thinking about a college education, it means at least four, perhaps even six or eight more years to graduate into a specialized career. But where will this system of things be by that time? It will be well on the way toward its finish, if not actually gone!"
Awake! 1969 May 22 p.15
JW Reasoning:
Higher education? Who needs it now? Armageddon is coming SOON!
A career in Medicine? Who needs it now? Armageddon is coming SOONER!
Marriage and children? Not now - did we mention Armageddon?
Financial Planning for security in your old age? “You will never grow old …”
QUESTION: Were Jehovah’s Witnesses being guided, led, persuaded, pressured into abandoning a “normal” life by setting aside everything but the promotion of “imminent Armageddon” by Watchtower leaders? Or were they free to ignore the excitement and assurances and remain in good stead?
Most of us were taught, instructed, inculcated to view our governing leaders as reporting prophetic words direct from Jehovah! In fact, we were told we’d be “bloodguilty” if we did not engage in this message and lifestyle.
As the “only” true religion headed by the “mouthpiece” of God (Faithful and Discreet Slave) were they prophets?
WT 7-1-73 p.402: Looks like they are answering the question right here.
This prophetic message had a dramatic effect on all of Jehovah’s Witnesses and especially young people such as myself. In 1974 the Kingdom Ministry reported that the number of pioneers boomed, with people commended for selling homes to spend the short time left in God's Service. Likewise, it was recommended to put off raising children. Was this only a “suggestion”? Or was it promoted with a dramatic certainty nobody on earth could afford to ignore?
I signed up for the regular Pioneer work at 100 hours per month starting the day I was paroled.
I mention this only to indicate my level of sincere determination and depth of commitment.
"Yes, since the summer of 1973 there have been new peaks in pioneers every month. Now there are 20,394 regular and special pioneers in the United States, an all-time peak. That is 5,190 more than there were in February 1973! A 34-percent increase! Does that not warm our hearts? Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the pioneer service. Certainly, this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked world's end."
(Our Watchtower spirit-led leaders cheered selling your home and property- why would they later blame those same zealous Pioneers as erratic fringe fanatics rather than apologize for their own complicity?)
Kingdom Ministry May 1974 p.3 How Are You Using Your Life?
"Today there is a great crowd of people who are confident that destruction of even greater magnitude is now imminent. The evidence is that Jesus' prophecy will shortly have a major fulfillment, upon this entire system of things. This has been a major factor in influencing many couples to decide not to have children at this time." Awake! 1974 Nov 8 p.11
Of course, there are always skeptics and critical thinkers like the
“Bereans who examine the scriptures daily to see if these things are so.”
To those people, the Watchtower and Awake! writers had surprising admonition:
“One thing is absolutely certain, Bible chronology reinforced with fulfilled Bible prophecy shows that six thousand years of man's existence will soon be up, yes, within this generation! (Matt. 24:34) This is, therefore, no time to be indifferent and complacent. This is not the time to be toying with the words of Jesus that "concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matt. 24:36)
To the contrary, it is a time when one should be keenly aware that the end of this system of things is rapidly coming to its violent end. Make no mistake, it is sufficient that the Father himself knows both the "day and hour"!
Watchtower 1968 Aug 15 p.494 Why Are You Looking Forward to 1975?
It is now the year 2022. The “Faithful” Slave was dead wrong. Their handiwork was indiscreet. (Define Discreet: careful and circumspect in one's speech or actions, especially in order to avoid causing offence or to gain an advantage.
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The words ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN came from our Governing Body. Should we ignore these words as incriminating in their complete lack of “careful and circumspect” language?
Can we honestly say this End Times warning came at “the proper time”? 
LINK TO ABOVE: shorturl.at/bvUW7
SHOULD WE really BE TALKING ABOUT THIS NOW?
(NOTE: Elders today become jittery, uncomfortable, and aggressive in my experience when anybody dares to raise the topic of WHAT HAPPENED in 1975.) The history of what really happened exists in print by the Society.
1975: Did it happen the way we all remember it – or not??
Have you heard the term “gaslighting?”
How often have we heard young Elders who didn’t live during the run-up to 1975 try to tell us “It didn’t happen that way”?
What I hear time and again is that only “immature” brothers and sisters got carried away. But following the Governing Body’s explicit admonition is not a “take it - or leave” choice for any member. Is it? Not unless you wish to be labeled “apostate.” See below the official pronouncement on the matter.
Really? Was it IMMATURE to take the Governing Body at its own printed word?
The Annual Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses reveals
a loss of about half a million members. Were they stumbled or just immature? Or worse- were they stumbled?
Those who expected THE END were definitely led to believe it.
WE BROTHERS WENT TO PRISON specifically as a matter of FAITH in submitting to the Faithful Slave. That entity represents itself as the spirit-led official Truth from Jehovah.
Bible Only just doesn’t seem to fly. Instead, it is Bible (as interpreted) by Governing Body guesses.
Respect for the right of a government in Romans 13:1 Superior Authorities - to give us an “out”: Alternate Community Service meant our conscience could be clear if we worked in a hospital or hospice.
However ...
The Faithful Slave claimed authority to override our legal alternative choice and told us what to say and do. We did it. We were asked to do more than what the Bible required of us.
The current official policy is - it’s not anybody’s business; only a matter of personal conscience.
(That change in policy which came on May 1, 1996, WT does not mention or admit to any change in policy and makes no reference to the previous stand and its change from the stand previous to that.
It is common practice for the WTS to omit mention of the previous doctrine when introducing changes. This hinders newer JWs from knowing what was taught previously and in the present instance means no apology is made to those JWs who went to prison needlessly or to their families who anguished as to their safety.
After all - didn’t we say “it is our conscience speaking and not theirs?”)
Under Rutherford, brothers defied the governments thinking they were right to do so. Jehovah and Jesus were their Superior Authority.
Under Nathan Knorr and Fred Franz, the earthly government clearly had the Superior Authority to offer an alternative for people of conscience. It was Brother Knorr and Brother Franz who asked more of us - not the Bible.
We did not argue. We did not second guess. We did exactly as we were told to do.
The question is: Were we faithful to men or God? Sadly - to most of us that doesn’t matter. Wow!