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Watching the Film

Whether a soldier decides to kill or not can have life-changing consequences. We asked military chaplains, human rights activists and veterans groups to comment after watching Soldiers of Conscience.

Herman Keizer Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel) Herman Keizer, Jr.
US Army (retired)

"In training for combat, young men and women are conditioned to set aside much of their moral upbringing and take on a different moral code." | Read more »

Brian G. Koyn

Chaplain Brian G. Koyn
"In polite conversation and pop culture, war is full of heroics, camaraderie and honor. While this certainly can be true, it is not the whole story. There exists one terrible constant in war — young people will be called upon to kill." | Read more »

Charlie Clements

Charlie Clements, Vietnam War veteran and president and CEO of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
"We need to give support and voice to the soldiers who, despite being trained to kill without thinking, actually begin to think."
Read more »

Deryck Durston

Deryck Durston, M.Div., S.T.M., associate director of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education
"Honest people come at the decisions relating to war in all sorts of different ways. We turn away from what we abhor." | Read more »


Soldiers of Conscience: Kate Dahlstedt

Kate Dahlstedt, clinical psychotherapist and co-director of Soldier's Heart
"Our military is made up of young people who want a future that seems out of reach otherwise. Many want an education they can';t afford on the wages offered them. Most are capable, disciplined, men and women who see honor in service." | Read more »

Soldiers of Conscience: J.E. McNeil

J.E. McNeil, executive director of the Center on Conscience & War
"Of course, the problem is people of conscience often do cause trouble. It happens in the difficult situations they find themselves when they realize that conscience is the thing from which they cannot escape, the thing that suddenly drives their actions, drives their lives."| Read more »

  • Posted on October 16, 2008
  • Updated on May 25, 2009

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All too often we point our fingers at nations and presidents and huge institutions as if they are responsible for everything. We believe that is only partly true. Each one of us is also hugely responsible.”

— Gary Weimberg & Catherine Ryan, Filmmakers

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