FRIDAY,' DECEMBER 20, 1968
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
PAGE 3
.Men
ook i
alternatives
dralt
nto
"When I was in high school," reflected one
University student, nearing graduation, "there was
no reason to 'consider the alternatives.' You just
went to your local board and registered for the
draft."
But, today, when graduation means draftable,
many male students are looking into the legal
and extralegal alternatives to the draft and serving
in the military.
BASICALLY, there are four alternatives: com
ply with induction and serve the nation's "in
terests;" apply for, the deferment and individual
may be qualified for, resist the draft altogether
and face the law; or leave the country.
No matter which alternative is chosen, there
are rules to follow.
The simpliest game, of course, is to follow
the rules of the military and be inducted. To
SSS surveys
male subject
The Selective Service System is exactly that
selective.
Through a complicated set of classification
criteria, all males in the United States are subject
to the scrutiny of a group of local government
inspectors.
TO PLAY the deferment game, one must
first know what deferments are available, and what
steps to take to be classified in the category he
believes he best fits in.
The classifications currently enforced by the
Selective Service System are as follows:
CLASS I
Class I-A: Registrant available for military service.
Class I-A-O: Conscientious objector registrant available for non
combantant military service only.
Class I-C: Member of the Armed Forces of the United Slates,
the Enviromental Science Services Administration or the Publi
Health Service.
Class I-D: Qualified member of reserve component or student Uk
In military training, includng ROTC and sccepted aviation cadet appli
cant. Class I-O: Conscientious obpector available for civilian work con
tribuiing to the maintenance of the national health, safety, or interest.
Class I-S: Sudent deferred bv law until graduation from high school
in- attainment of age 20, or until end of his academic year at a college
or university. . .
Class I-W Concientlous objector performing civilian work contribut
ing to the maintenance of the national health, safety or inerest, or
who has completed such work.
Class 1-V: Registrant qualified for military service only in bme
ot war or national emergency.
CLASS II
Class II-A: Occupational deferment which Includes apprentice train.
Ing.
Class II-C: Agricultural deferment.
Class 11-S : Student determent.
' CLASS III
Class III-A: Extreme hardship deferment, or registrant with a
child or children.
CLASS IV
Class IV-A: Registrant with sufficient prior active service or wh
is a sole surviving son.
Class IV-B: Official deferred by law.
Class IV-C: Alien not currently liable for military service.
Class IV-D: Minister of religion or divinity student.
Class 1V-F; Registrant not qualified for any military service.
CLASS V
Class V-A: Registrant over the age of liability for military service.
IN ORDER to classify a registrant, his local
board (determined by the locale of his initial
registration at the age of 18) will send a question
naire which aids in determining his classification
status.
After a registrant has received a notice of
classification he can appeal that status within 30
days. His right of appeal extends to the Presidency,
as long as there has been a dissenting vote at
any appellent level.
No classification is permanent. All may be
.reviewed and changed upwards or downwards on
the classification table. But there are certain pro
cedures which should be followed to insure the
most equitable handling of an appeal.
THE SELECTIVE Service itself proclaims that
"the right of appeal was intentionally made so
broad and simple that no one could sincerely claim
prejudice or unfairness on the part of any local
board."
The appeals procedure is set up so that any
person can appeal his classification by simply
writing his board that "I want to appeal." No
reasons have to be given.
The person will be advised when his appearance
before the board will be. He then states his case
and the board makes its decision. This can be
carried on until all legal machinery has been consumed.
THE CLASSIFICATIONS which most often
concern the university student include: I-O, cons
cientious objector status; II-S, deferred for full-time
study; I-Y and IV-F, both concerning the health
or qualifications which would make him unavailable
for military service.
Medical problems constitute the bv-'ik of
deferments issued by the SSS, according to
government handouts and those distributed by the
local draft resistence group.
If one thinks he has a physical disability which
would make him ineligible for the draft, both
sources suggest that he contact his local board
immediately.
.
HE SHOULD request I-Y or IV-F status and
ask for a medical interview. Some boards do not
grant such interviews but request information from
his doctor explaining the ailment.
Statements, x-rays, clinical reports anything
that can substantiate a physical disability should
be sent to the local board.
Most boards send this material to the pre-in-duction
physical center when the registrant is
ordered for a physical. There the person is tested
for disabilities, among other things.
STUDENT deferments are issued to persons
"actively and satisfactorily pursuing a full-time
course of instruction, and making proportionate
progress each academic year, until he receives
his baccalaureate degree, ceases to perform
satisfactorily or attains the age of 24."
After Oct. 1, 1967, no person who accepted
a II-S deferment can qualify for III-A deferments
because of fatherhood. Graduate student deferments
have been in question since the new laws went
into effect a year ago.
Employers can request local boards to defer
employees for "essential occupations," but the
criteria for this deferment is also in considerable
dispute.
WHAT IS important, though, Is to realize that
page after page of information is available from
various sources on the deferment game.
The Selective Service System prints all of the
legalities of the system. Religious groups, such
as the Quakers, offer a large selection to choose
from, for instance. The Rochester, N.Y. Resist
ance group has reprinted the medical fitness
standards for induction in a peacetime army, which
are applied during the Vietnam, war.
some, this can be done with no qualms of cons
cience; to others, it is snathma.
"Many persons join the Armed Forces because
they believe that a strong armed force is necessary
to maintain peace until the causes of war are
removed. They choose the combatant position."
THAT QUOTE was taken from "The Draft
and Your Choices," leaflet distributed by the
Friends Peace Committee, a Quaker group
generally associated with the conscientious objec
tors' movement.
The article continues that "few who choose
this position feel that the killing and destruction
which are a part of war are good or right, but
they do feel that in the present circumstances
the military is the only way in which to preserve
justice and maintain peace."
Serving one's country and patriotism are
generally regarded as synonymous and are two
reasons often given for going into military life.
THE NATIONAL Selective Service System
wrote in July of 1965 that patriotism "has been
interpreted to mean many different things. Men
have always been exhorted to do their duty.
But what that duty is depends upon "a variety
of variables, most important being the nature of
the threat to national welfare and the capacity
and opportunity of the individual."
So, in a time of national crisis, such as during
the current war in Vietnam, many national leaders
have told young American men that it is their
duty to serve in the armed forces of their country.
Many heed the call.
THE CALL, although an administrative
Gargantua, is a simple process. ,
According to Selective Service Law, a man
may enlist or volunteer for 2 years of active duty
by Larry Eckholt
Nebraskan Staff Writer
j
Or, what if they threw a war and nobody came?
C. O. rulings strict
i sing of Olaf glad and big
whose warmest heart recoiled
at tvar,
a conscientious object-or
e. e. cummings
Con scientious objection
may be the most difficult
game to play if one is opposed
to the Vietnam war because
the rules are the strictest.
Opposition to a particular
war does not constitute a
reason to request CO. status.
The Military Selective Service
Act of 1967 states that the
government has no intention
of letting a person go to war
"who, by reason of religious
training and belief, is cons
cientitiousiy opposed to
participation in war in any
form."
THIS EXCLUDES objection
to war for "political,
sociological, or philosophical
views, or a merely personal
code.
There are essentially two
forms of conscientious objec
tion: noncombatants and
alternative service men.
Noncombatants, classified
1-A-O, accept the necessity of
military force, but have a
sincere repulsion against
taking another man's life.
They are willing to relieve the
suffering of wounded men,
and many serve as medics in
the armed forces.
Many noncombatants have
been decorated for bravery
because of their service in the
Vietnam war, and other wars.
Others are assigned to duty
which does not involve the use
of weapons.
ALTERNATIVE service
men. 1-0's, acknowledge an
obligation to perform a period
of socially useful service
under civilian direction. They
are opposed to both comba
tant and noncombatant duty.
Many of these C.O.'s serve
as attendents in hospitals.
Some are employed by
governmental or social
welfare agencies in this
country while some serve
overseas. The draft law is set
up so that this CO. spends as
much time in alternative
service as a regular draftee
in the armed forces.
His work is closely watched
,by his local draft board,
assuring his just contribution
.to society.
CO. STATUS is not limited
to those persons of the
Brethern, Quaker, or Men
nonite faiths, often a common
error. Statements made by
Catholic, Jewish and Protes
tant groups have recognized
the need for conscientious
objection to war.
Recently, the United States
Bishop's Conference of
Catholic prelates expanded
their thoughts on this subject,
making that religion's posi
tion more clear.
The belief in a God or
Supreme Being weighs
heavily in the quest for CO.
status.
A 1965 U.S. Supreme Court
decision broadened the con
cept of Supreme Being to in
clude a supreme concept or
central belief. To say that one
does not believe in a God
poses difficulty in obtaining a
CO. status.
THERE ARE a number of
organizations which offer a
large selection of material
concerning conscientious ob
jection. Included are: the
Central Committee for Cons
cientious Objection, the Na
tional Service Board for
Religious Objectors and the
American Friends Service
Committee.
These organizations have
counseling services set up
across the country to answer
questions concerning the
draft.
The most basic advice they
offer is, "Don't Dodge the
Draft-Oppose It."
tn the armed forces, or enlist in the reserve and
active duty programs.
If he does not enMst, he is then liable to
be called up for induction by his local draft board.
The draft board gives the individual a chance to
enlist, and if he doesn't the wheels of induction
begin to turn.
TO BE ELIGIBLE for the draft, one must
first be classified I-A by his board, which would
mean he had passed his pre-induction physical.
Although not quite as simple as it may sound,
the draftee then undergoes his basic training and
serves out the remainder of his time. The benefits
are many: veteran's benefits for loans, educational
assistance and other personal aid.
Many prominent national figures feel that the
military rounds out a man's life, that it gives
him a common experience to relate to his peers,
and that it also helps to rid society of juvenile
delinquency and other "social diseases."
Canada Eden
of resistance
A simple direct-distance phone call to Canada
might seem like a person-to-person call to Paradise,
especially to someone tired of worrying about the
draft, the war and domestic ills.
"I'm not uptight about the war or the race
problems anymore," said the person on the Cana
dian end of the line. He was a graduate student
at the University before accepting a position at
a Canadian university to teach and work on his
doctorate.
BECAUSE OF relatives near the University
and because of legal complications concerning draft
evasion, the person will remain annonymous at
his request.
"I would never change my decision about leav
ing the States," he continued, "even though it
means not seeing our relatives."
To him and to his wife Canada is not much
different from their former country. Canadians
have been friendly, even sympathetic to his cause.
"Even a policeman who stopped me for
speeding once asked me if I was here to evade
the draft," he said. "He just winked when I said
yes.''
THE FORMER Nebraskan has been approved
for landed immigrant status but has not renounced
his American citizenship. After five years he hopes
to become a citizen of Canada. Until then he can
obtain a passport from the U.S. Embassy to travel
throughout the rest of the world, but he said he
will not risk re-entering the United States.
"All-in-all, we are happy. Once we passed the
border we felt so free," said his wife. "That's
a strange feeling escaping from the 'land of
the free.' "
THE FORMER Nebraskan said that the univer
sities where he and his wife are attending "are
packed with American students, especially grad
students."
"The only resentment I can find from Cana
dians is that the influx of Americans has made job
hunting harder," he said.
SOME RESISTERS simply drop out of society
stateside. Many blacks can slip into the obscurity
of the ghetto and never be found. Others refuse
induction only to face harsh prison terms and fines.
There are many types of resisters: frightened,
disillusioned, idealistic, horrified. All share one
common bond hatred of the draft.
IF FOUND guilty by the law of the land for
resistance to the draft ranging from burning
one's draft card to failure to step forward at induc
tion a person is subject to a maximum penalty
of 5 years imprisonment or a $10,000 fine, or both.
He is, upon conviction, a felon and subject to
lifelong repercussions.
Some professions which require state licensing,
such as architecture, dentistry and medicine, are
closely scrutinized by the licensing agencies.
They often contend that having a felony convic-
tion is evidence that the applicant is not qualified
to receive a license.
BUT RESISTERS either have their heads in
the clouds or are completely sincere. They point
to Henry Thoreau's teachings concerning civil
disobediance. They also point to Christ, Ghandi,
the leaders of the Reformation, the American
revolutionaries, all being examples of persons who
have bolted authority.
The University has its share of resisters, in
addition to those who have left for Canada.
JOHN DIETZ, who took over the Nebraska
Draft Resistance Union when its founder left for
Canada, turned in his draft card on Sept. 27, 1968,
and was subsequently classified 1-A delinquent. He
has since had a personal appearance before his
local board earlier this month.
His position then was that he should not be
reclassified by the board but should be prosecuted
by federal authorities for turning in his cards in
violation of the Selective Service Act of 1967, he
said.
Dietz's case is still in the appealing stages.
Another draft card returner is Steve Burkland,
an English major from Clay Center but who drop
ped out of school in October, "for personal
reasons."
"WE ARE being denied the right to stand
back and say, 'this war is wrong,' " Burkland
said. "This is not much different from a dic
tatorship which says what is right or wrong."
In answer to his turning in his cards, Burkland's
local board asked him to apply for conscientious
objector status.
"I couldn't truthfully answer that I object to
all forms of war because I don't he explained.
Burkland does not have the support of his
family in his endeavors, and has lost some friends
because of his actions. But he has not felt ostracized
by society.
"MANY PEOPLE still have a Manifest Destiny
outlook about this country," he continued. "They
believe that the U.S.A. has been given special
privileges by God to watch over the world. I reject
this philosophy."
Recently active in the anti-ROTC movement
on campus, Burkland does not think of himself
as a martyr to a cause and has not considered
immigration to Canada as a means to escape.
"This country has great potential," he said.
"I want to work here, to try to help changed the
untemperate climate which now exists here." -
In short, the resistance alternative to the draft
must be considered the most personal one. It in
volves soul-searching leading up to the ultimate
decision. No one else can make the final decision.