FEATURE - WWII CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS

During World War II, over 70,000 men applied for conscientious objector status. The Selective Service Act of 1940 allowed for men whose religious "training or belief" prevented them from fighting to defer legally.

Quakers, Mennonites and Brethren were the typical applicant, but Catholics, Muslims and Jews were also included in the mix. Each person would have to apply through their local draft boards, and each case was closely reviewed.

Typically, Quakers, Mennonites and Brethren were granted a deferment, but interestingly, Jehovah’s Witnesses, who were opposed to World War II, but not all wars, were often refused.

Along with religious objectors, there were pacifists who were morally opposed to the concept of killing another man, no matter how worthy the cause of the war.

In the end, over half who applied for CO status received it. Known as “conchies” in the slang parlance of the day, conscientious objectors weren’t just allowed to return to their civilian lives because they’d been given a deferment.

In fact, 25,000 were "enlisted" in civilian non-combatant duty and helped to build roads, and fight forest fires. 12,000 men were put in “Public Service Camps” that were funded with $7 million raised by pacifist churches.

There they worked 50 unpaid hours a week, living in the camps that were run with military rule. Many found life there unpleasant. Along with roadbuilding and firefighting, the "conchies" worked on conservation projects and even volunteered as medical subjects to fulfill their duties.

Some also worked at the front--most famously as medics. Initially considered cowards by enlisted men, these unarmed medics lost their reviled status as they braved the battlefield to rescue wounded soldiers.

Those that refused to work in the Civilian Public Service, were imprisoned, where they often held hunger strikes to get the federal prison system integrated. World War Two was considered to be a "good" war – with a universal cause worth fighting for.

It’s no surprise then, that the life of a conscientious objector was often extremely difficult, with friends and family rejecting them. Even those enrolled in the Public Service Camps found themselves reviled by the communities located nearby.

In one extreme example, a conscientious objector stationed in New Hampshire, recalls nearly one-third of the nearby town burning to the ground. No one was willing to call on the services of the trained firefighters (and conscientious objectors) in the camp. (For more of these stories go to: The Good War )

When the war was over, life for many of the conscientious objectors didn’t return to normal. Some took up the role of activism and went on to become key leaders in the civil-rights and anti-Vietnam movements of the later part of the century.

More Leads

PBS: The Good War and Those Who Refused To Fight It Focuses on the 40,000 conscientious objectors and what they went on to achieve.

PBS: America’s World War II in Color
The Perilous Fight: Conscientious Objectors

The Life of a World War II Medic: This homegrown site offers an in-depth and emotional look at the life of a medic