Then and now - military service

larc

Recently, I had a phone conversation with onacruise. He encouraged me to write about the early years of life as a JW. Later, I talked to AlanF and he encouraged me to do the same thing.

I am 64 years old and was raised as JW. Live as young JW was very different than it is today. In the 1940's my mother's cousin spent three years of a five year term in prison. By the 60's jail time was reduced to one year. We all expected to spend time in prison. Today, JWs can do alternate service - quite a change indeed.

My sister's husband lucked out. The judge sentenced him to work at a hospital. You couldn't ask for it, but if the judge gave you that sentence, you could accept it.

BluesBrother

I am sure that there is a lot more that you can tell us larc. Did you serve time?

When I was a lad in the Borg, National service was still in force . All the teenage witness boys had to conscientiously object to that. We grew up in the expectation of having to serve perhaps three months in jail. I knew one lad who served a year though for some reason. But by the time I reached 18 they had stopped the call up.

Undecided

I fought it for several years, the FBI investigated my case and came into my workplace and asked fellow workers questions about me and also my neighbors. I fought for a 4-D (minister) classification. I had to go for the military examination and passed. I was called up for military service and expected to go to prison but the day before I was to go I got a letter in the mail giving me the 4-D ministers classification.

My cousin had to go for induction and acted so strange to the officials that they told him they would make it so he could never be inducted, they gave him a mental disability classification.

Some others were sentenced to prison for several months.

It was strange, it didn't really stress me out, I thought I was doing God's will and whatever happened was right. I was married and my wife got a job so that she could support herself while I was in prison, she was pioneering at the time. It may have saved my life, actually.

Ken P.

JAVA

I had nearly the same experience as Ken P, except I didn't marry until the draftboard finally gave me a 4-D classification. From 1965 to 1968 I didn't know from one day to the next if I was going to jail or not. Looking back at it today, it could have saved my life. The thousands that lost their lives for a war we shouldn't have been in seems so useless. When will we ever learn?

larc

Brother Blue,

No, I did not spend time in prison. I was deferred as a minister. That is how active I was. When I faded away, I was deferred as a college student.

In the mean time, I visited a friend of mine in an honor farm in West, by God, Virginia. His life was pretty good considering the circumstances. He told me that he was told that he could make a lot of money bringing moon shine from WVA to Ohio. He did not do that, although it was tempting.

Honesty

I always wondered how the JW's came up with the no military service rule.

Fox's Book of Martyrs Chapter 2 disagrees with the WTBTS position several times.

Who's got it right?

kaykay_mp

I really don't know who has it right. I served in the Army for 4 years--and you could have your religious affiliation on your dog tags--and that included Jehovah's Witnesses. I always wondered if a soldier died in combat and was sent home in a body bag and had that affiliation on his or her dog tags, would the congo provide a funeral service for him? Would they completely blow him and his family off? Boy, that would be one f**ked up situation right there.

laters

kaykay_mp

Haereticus

During 1966-1968 I wasted 2 years 4 months and 15 days in this silly game of theirs. After my disfellowshipping I still remained pro WT, but the change of view towards alternative service was a definite turning point. I felt like being betrayed and I still feel the same.

Mark

Then and now - military service

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