Conscientious Objectors During WWII

[barnhart]

I took an American history class in college which featured some stories of the experiences of outsider groups. One group was conscientious objectors in WW2. The teacher showed pictures of seminary students in Manhattan being loaded into a police van to be taken to "labor camps." She was a bit surprised when I told her both my grandfathers were in those camps as well and they were pleased to be there. I think her storyline would have more juice if she had used the experiences of WW1 CO's instead.

[ken_sylvania]

I took an American history class in college which featured some stories of the experiences of outsider groups. One group was conscientious objectors in WW2. The teacher showed pictures of seminary students in Manhattan being loaded into a police van to be taken to "labor camps." She was a bit surprised when I told her both my grandfathers were in those camps as well and they were pleased to be there. I think her storyline would have more juice if she had used the experiences of WW1 CO's instead.

Do you know if the pictures were of COs who refused to register for the draft or refused to report as ordered?
I was under the impression that normally CO's were responsible to report to camp on their own rather than being hauled there in police vans.

[Ernie]

It's quite possible that we will face another time where Americans resent those who opt out of fighting wars.

That potentiality could escalate dramatically if the culture wars heat up into wars where people are forced to take sides.

I think we are at a unique time in our nation's history whenever support or opposition to war is not so much based on ideology but rather on tribalism. Many people who are very opposed to war under one administration become very supportive of war under a different administration.

How this will affect us CO's I am not sure.

[barnhart]

I took an American history class in college which featured some stories of the experiences of outsider groups. One group was conscientious objectors in WW2. The teacher showed pictures of seminary students in Manhattan being loaded into a police van to be taken to "labor camps." She was a bit surprised when I told her both my grandfathers were in those camps as well and they were pleased to be there. I think her storyline would have more juice if she had used the experiences of WW1 CO's instead.

Do you know if the pictures were of COs who refused to register for the draft or refused to report as ordered?
I was under the impression that normally CO's were responsible to report to camp on their own rather than being hauled there in police vans.

I don't remember that detail.

Edit: after a little Google, I think they refused to register.

[Neto]

....
... it was often hard, during the Vietnam War, to get Conscientious Objector status even with clearly strong Anabaptist beliefs.
....

Some draft locations in Oklahoma considered the practice of hunting as an automatic CO status failure, apparently equating killing animals with killing human beings. I could see that attitude more now than back then, and was surprised to hear about it from men who went through that experience.