What is a Conscientious Objector (CO)?
Conscientious objectors (CO’s) are people who refuse to participate in the military and war. Some are civilians who do things like oppose war taxes and work to reduce the role of the military in society. Others become conscientious objectors only after they have experienced being in the military firsthand, either during peacetime or wartime. Some speak out publicly after having served in the military, forming a GI resistance movement. If you think you might be a conscientious objector to registering for Selective Service (the draft) or you are in the military and you think you might qualify for a CO discharge, find out where you can get help and information.
In order to be a conscientious objector, you must be able to prove to a draft board that you have long-standing beliefs that you could not go to war. In order to prove that, it is helpful to have letters from teachers, ministers, papers written in school that reflect nonviolent or pacifist beliefs. The draft board does not seem to give much weight to recent documentation. They want to know this is something deeply held and believed, and not just self-preservation that motivates someone to request CO status. That is why we are beginning work before there is a draft.
