Objector Applications. Overview. Often when I preach on non-resistance, one of the most common questions I hear from the young men is what to do about signing up with the Selective Service. The most common scenario seems to be that they are turning 18 and the Selective Service is knocking on their door. What should they do? Other times, I'm contacted by people still in the military who are asking what they can do if they no longer feel they can conscientiously stay in the military.
For that reason, I decided to add this little appendix. I hope it will answer a few of the more common questions. Fortunately, today, quite a lot of information is available for those who find themselves in these situations. By way of a disclaimer, however, I must warn you that when you start looking for information about conscientious objection and non-resistance, you unfortunately might not always end up finding literature with God-honoring attitudes.
Many times, the overall spirit is more anti-American or anti-authority and does not represent a true Christian spirit of non-resistance. You can go to almost any library these days, especially if you are in the military, and have someone help you look up any resource you need and print it out right there on the spot. Again, just be careful with the spirit behind many of these sites. Witness. Most importantly, as you begin to walk through some of these things, remember, people are watching.
Whether you are a Marine in Afghanistan filling out your application for conscientious objector, CO discharge, or a young Amish man from Lancaster County filling out a declaration of your beliefs, you can use this procedure as a time to strengthen your faith and witness to others. I would have never guessed that my captain, the very man who conducted the CO hearings, would later have become a CO himself. Fill out your forms, face your interviews, and state your claim with conviction. People are listening.
The time in my life I've described was one of the most spiritually uplifting experiences I ever had. Your lifestyle matters. The most significant thing you can do, whether you're in the military or coming before a draft board, is to live out your beliefs radically with conviction. What the draft board is looking for is sincerity.
Taken straight from the very regulation that guides soldiers applying for conscientious objection, AR 600-43 states, "The most important consideration is not whether applicants are sincere in wanting to be designated as a conscientious objector, but whether their asserted convictions are sincerely held. Sincerity is determined by an impartial evaluation of each person's thinking and living in totality, past and present.
The conduct of persons, in particular their outward manifestation of the beliefs asserted, will be carefully examined and given substantial weight in evaluating their application. The task is to decide whether the beliefs professed are sincerely held and whether they govern the claimant's actions in word and deed." In an age when every click of your mouse and every swipe of your debit card is recorded and easily accessed, this judgment of word and deed could prove interesting. The truth speaks for itself.
It would be embarrassing, to say the least, if you make claims that you are too scrupulous to enter the military because of your Christian convictions while your draft board has in their hand the list of the pornographic websites you just visited last month, not to mention the receipts they acquire of your violent military computer game purchases.
Scripture says, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God; and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" Historically, in times of national tragedy or persecution, this has worked to purify the church. Part 1. Registering with the Selective Service. The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, CCCO, says, "If you're a male and a U.S.
citizen, you're legally required to register with the Selective Service System, SSS, within 30 days before or 29 days after your 18th birthday. If you're female, you don't have to register. In fact, you can't. Not that the military doesn't want you; recruiters have a special sales pitch just for women. Most male U.S. residents who aren't citizens are also required to register. The registration form is available at your local post office.
You'll be asked for your name, gender, Social Security number, date of birth, temporary and permanent addresses, phone numbers, and signature. The form has no space for claiming any deferments or exemptions, such as conscientious objection. Such claims could only be made after an actual draft was restarted and you've received a draft notice. In other words, you can't officially register as a CO until you actually receive draft papers telling you to report to the draft board.
However, there are things you can do now that will help you to register successfully as a CO when the draft comes. The timing of your convictions. Perhaps the biggest thing the Selective Service or the CO board considers is the timing of your conviction. If you are a young man who has never been in the military and you are facing a possible draft, then it would be in your best interest to prove that you were a CO before you got your draft papers.
The military is trying to distinguish between the conscientious and the cowards. Anything that you can do to document your convictions now will prove invaluable to you before a draft board. Previous well-documented proof of your conviction before the moment of crisis is your best resource when you stand before the board. The timing of this document is critical. Filling out your Selective Service Card. The Center on Conscience and War gives COs some good direction about how to register with the Selective Service.
They say that at a minimum, you should print in legible black ink across the middle of the registration form, "I am a conscientious objector to war in any form." You should then make a copy of this card and keep it for your records because the Selective Service actually just logs the information into a computer and then throws it away. They also suggest that you keep a copy of this card on file with your local church, together with any other statements you have made. Declaration of Conscientious Objection to War.
In the back of this book, I've included a postcard taken directly from the form that the Selective Service sends you at the time of a draft, SSS Form 22. Simply fill out this card and mail it to yourself. It will act as dated proof that you held a previous conviction against fighting. Getting it notarized would be icing on the cake, but at the very least, a stamp and dated postcard would be a choice thing to have when you face your draft board meeting. What if I go to a peace church?
Recent military regulations state that merely belonging to a historic peace church is not enough to warrant a CO discharge. They want to see proof that you hold these convictions personally. Army Regulation 600-43 states, "Mere affiliation with a church or other group that advocates conscientious objection as a tenet of its creed does not necessarily determine a person's position or belief." This is not to say that belonging to a peace church would not help.
In reality, it probably would do a lot to help substantiate your case. However, if the only thing you can say for yourself when you go to the draft office is, "The church says so," then you could be in big trouble. One more thing you should know is that the military recognizes only complete conscientious objection to all wars. They do not grant CO status to those who consider only a certain war unjust or wrong. Part 2. If you are currently in the military.
If you are currently in the military and want out, then you need to prove that you have undergone a change in your conviction. Otherwise, they will have to assume that you originally enlisted fraudulently. The Marine Corps puts it this way, "A Marine who possesses qualifying beliefs which became fixed or crystallized before entering military service is not eligible for conscientious objector status." That underlined "before" in the preceding quote is from the actual regulation.
I think that this underlined word demonstrates the thrust of their investigation. What changed in your life? Were you born again? Did you discover the writings of the early church? Did you read the Sermon on the Mount for the first time? What was it that caused a change in your convictions since the time that you enlisted? The journey. The first thing you need to do is go to the library and get a copy of the regulation that governs your conscientious objection process.
The regulations for the various services are listed as follows: Army Regulation 600-43, Naval Military Personnel Manual, MILPERSMAN 1900-020, Convenience of the Government's Separation Based on Conscientious Objection, Marine Corps Regulation MCO 1306.16E, Air Force Regulation AFI 36-3204, Coast Guard Regulation COMDTINST 1900.8. These documents actually are a great blessing. If you truly have had a change in your convictions since your enlistment, then these regulations can almost work in your favor.
Following these procedures can help you avoid pitfalls that could lead to a dishonorable discharge. I personally can attest to the help they were to us when we went through the process. I feel I need to mention a couple of things here. First, just like civilians filing with the Selective Service, the military recognizes only complete conscientious objection to all wars. They do not grant CO status to those who consider only a certain war unjust or wrong. Second, early on they may offer you a non-combatant status.
You need to know that if you accept this option, the military regulations state that you cannot later change your mind and switch it to a complete CO discharge. Third, the military regulations also state that if you in any way break conduct code or uniform standards, then you will no longer be entitled to the normal CO procedure. So it is a good time to be as respectful and law-abiding as you possibly can. You don't need to run a wall.
The military does grant a lawful honorable discharge for those who can prove a sincere change in conviction, but you must take the time to go through the proper legal channels that the regulations provide. Applying for CO status. The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors has a pretty good book that helps to guide you through the whole CO process. Advice for Conscientious Objectors in the Armed Forces by Robert A. Seeley.
Once you submit the application, the procedure usually is pretty standardized for most people. The steps of the process are as follows. One, pray. Two, make your decision. Three, get a copy of the regulations from your branch of the military. Four, write out a rough draft of your convictions, stating in particular what happened to change your views since you enlisted. Five, gather support letters from friends, family, or anyone who can testify of your convictions.
Six, get a Christian counselor to help you if you can. Seven, share your written material with your counselor. Eight, submit your complete application. Nine, after you submit your application, the military is required to make every effort to place you on duties that conflict as little as possible with your stated beliefs. This usually means you'll be assigned to a job that doesn't involve the use of weapons.
Ten, interview with a chaplain and a psychiatrist, then finally undergo a hearing with an investigative officer. Eleven, wait and pray. While waiting, you should be kept on duty that presents minimum conflict with your beliefs. Twelve, while you're there, share your faith with others. Thirteen, write me a letter and tell me what the Lord has done in your life.
Allegiance, from the Anglo-French word "léguance," literally translated, "Loyalty of a liege man to his Lord." One, the tie or obligation implied or expressed which a subject owes to his sovereign or government, the duty of fidelity to one's king, government, or state. Two, loyalty or devotion to some person, group, cause, or the like. Three, the obligations of a servant to his Lord.