Conscientious Objection Today

Military regulations today allow discharge or transfer to noncombatant status for people who object to participation in war in any form. The military's regulations parallel the civilian law, so any time a court rules on an issue like what a conscientious objector is, the court's ruling applies both to the draft and to the military.

Under today's law, you have to object to war on moral or religious grounds. You have to be against all war. And you have to be sincere. All of these standards are easy to understand--though military officials sometimes don't know very much about them. You'll find more about the laws on conscientious objection in Conscientious Objection and the Law and Selective Objection.

Although the standards for COs are easy to understand, deciding whether or not you're a CO, and applying for CO status, can be very hard. The moral issues are probably among the hardest you'll ever face. And when you apply for discharge or transfer, you may find that military officials try to talk you out of your position, don't understand what you're doing, or don't even know about the CO provisions.

But don't be discouraged. And don't be afraid to apply. It's your life, not someone else's, and you must live with your own conscience. Members of the GI Rights Hotline are available to talk with you about your position, help you prepare your application, and give you plenty of support as you go through the CO processing. And as you'll see later in this book, if you're sincere and you qualify under the CO provisions, the law is on your side. There's a good chance that either the military or the courts will recognize your claim if you stand by it.

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