to download PDF - Mennonite Central Committee Canada

swords into ploughshares. Is.2:4Strengthened in faith: the story of Sam MartinOf all the COs who spent time in prison, Sam Martin probably served thelongest—from 19 April 1944 to 23 October 1945—over eighteen months.Martin’s first call to report for military training came in late 1942. As apacifist Mennonite, he appeared before the Mobilization Board inEdmonton in February 1942 to claim conscientious objector status. ManyMennonites before and after Martin had done the same thing; what wasunusual, however, was that the board denied his claim.After this first sentence, Martin was forcibly inducted into the army.Guards stripped off his clothes and forced on a uniform. Now he was officiallyin the army and under military law. Martin took off the uniform thefirst chance he got, a serious offence since it disobeyed a direct order. As aresult he was sent to the military prison known as Currie Barracks for 28days. Still, Martin remained true to his faith. The sentence: another 28 days in prison. ByJuly 1944, the military was losing patience. They had restricted his mail, put him in solitaryconfinement, and put him on bread and water,but he refused to wear the uniform.Illustration fromthe book SamMartin Went toPrison.At times, Martin questioned his pacifist beliefs, but with the support of his church andfamily he remained strong. When he read certain passages in the Bible, he concluded thathe had no choice but to be a CO. During his incarceration the local community circulateda petition to have him released. It was signed by several hundred people and was responsiblein part for his transfer from a military to a civilian prison.He reflects, “If anything I suppose I would have to say that my convictions are evenstronger now than they were then. It’s not that there aren’t problems with the peaceposition, certainly different people have different ideas about it. It’s just that coming fromwhere I came from, coming from my interpretation of Scripture, coming from my backgroundbeing raised in a peace church, it was impossible for me to take arms and destroyhuman life. Or even to support a system that did.”—adapted from www.alternativeservice.caA longer version of this story is available in book form, listed in the Resources section.Serving as non-combatant: the story of Dan HildebrandDuring World War II Dan Hildebrand, chose to serve with the military and enlist as a noncombatant.Nowadays he proudly wears his uniform and marches in Remembrance Dayparades.“I was on a farm postponement,” says Hildebrand as he relates the events leading up tohis enlistment at the age of 21. In September 1943, he had gone to the Law Courts buildingin Winnipeg to apply for further farm exemption and was asked: “With assurance youwould not have to bear arms, would you join up?” He had not considered this before, andwithout hesitation agreed to join the army. He served in the medical corps as a healthinspector, testing water, inspecting sleeping quarters, food preparation, latrines, etc.He remembers being influenced by the Christian witness of other limited-enlistment buddies.Their lifestyle motivated him to make changes in his own life and to accept Christ’sforgiveness of sins and the life He offers those who follow Him. —Gladys Terichow, MCCCanadaStories and reflections10