World says
Huang Yiyun
From Knoxville, USA
Stills from Hacksaw Ridge
In Mel Gibson's film Hacksaw Ridge, the protagonist, Desmond Doss, as a believer in the Seventh-day Adventist, has always adhered to the creed of not killing and refusing to use weapons. However, in the current war, he resolutely joined the U.S. Army and became a medic in the 77th Division. Dawes has been ridiculed and bullied by his comrades several times, and even imprisoned, but he still does not turn his back on his faith. In the Battle of Okinawa, he went in and out of the enemy position several times alone, saving nearly a hundred comrades- In October 1945, President Truman awarded Dawes a Medal of Honor in recognition of his bravery. Dawes thus became the first "non-service recipient" in American history to receive a "medal of honor." The "refusal to serve" that first appeared in the Colonial Period in North America has become a special symbol of American culture.
The United States reformed conscription law in the late seventies after the end of the Vietnam War, in which "conscientious objectors" were no longer forced recruits, but soldiers who voluntarily enlisted but refused to take on combat tasks because they opposed "unjust war." In a 2007 U.S. Department of Defense regulation, a "person who refuses to serve" is defined as "a determined refusal to enter into war or use weapons out of faith." Applicants are required to fill out a four-page application form to indicate their religious beliefs and to explain the specific parts of the religious beliefs that they violated by entering the war or using weapons. In addition, applicants need to describe in detail how their daily lives have changed as a result of their religious beliefs. Once the applicant is found to meet the requirements, he is required to be questioned at the local "selective service" office, which determines whether to grant the applicant the status of "conscientiously refused service" based on the materials submitted and the testimony. If the application is rejected, the applicant may choose to appeal.
△ The first two pages of the "refusal to serve" application form issued by the U.S. Department of Defense
Today's "refusal to serve" mostly appear in newspapers or court records in the form of individual cases. For example, the New York Times reported in 2011 that Michael Izbicki, a naval academy graduate, was granted the status of "conscientious refusal to serve" on repeated appeals after his application was rejected because he refused to serve on the Navy's ballistic missile submarine and refused to control the button of launching a nuclear bomb. My friend David Adkins, a veteran of the U.S. military in Japan in the late '90s, although he has never personally seen or come into contact with "refusers," admires the group for being able to hold fast to its faith in extremely dangerous situations. Talking about the recent global hit "Hacksaw Ridge" and its protagonist Dawes, David did not hesitate to praise himself, "Dawes is a hero, he really does what he says and does. He served his country without violating his beliefs, made sacrifices, and was a model for the American military. ”
My friend David Adkins served in the U.S. military in Japan in the late 1990s
△ Medal of Honor, the highest honor for U.S. military personnel
△ Desmond Dawes wearing a medal of honor and his wife Dorothy Image source: www.people.com
"Refusal to serve" has reservations about participating in war and taking lives out of religious beliefs or moral principles, either by refusing to participate in any form of war or by participating in war in a manner that does not use violence. For example, as a medic, mechanic or field priest. In the modern history of the world, the earliest example of a conscientious refusal to go to war appeared in 16th-century Switzerland, where two Zurichers named Tek and Gross were exiled by the authorities for refusing to serve zurich in the German Peasants' War. In the North American colonial period, "conscientious refusal to serve" has emerged, for example, Pennsylvania has introduced relevant laws that recognize and protect the right of "conscientious refusal to serve" not to join the army. However, during the American Revolutionary War, those who refused to participate in the war for religious and moral reasons were persecuted, either exiled or imprisoned. During the Civil War, the United States passed the first military service law, which stipulated that "non-service applicants" who were conscripted into the army must be exempted from combat tasks by paying three hundred dollars or finding someone to replace them, but there were still "refusals" who were executed.
△ This cartoon, written during the Civil War, reflects the scene of forced conscription at that time Image source: Civil War Daily Gazette
The United States recruited large numbers of troops during both World War I and World War II, but the domestic anti-war movement was in full swing, and tens of thousands of young conscripts of appropriate age chose to apply for the status of "refuse to serve." During World War I, these "refusal to serve" were sent to Army barracks across the United States, where they had to prove that they refused to participate in the war for reasons of faith, but they were also abused and even tortured to death by other officers and soldiers. Some of the "refusals" who were willing to take on non-combat tasks were sent to the battlefield, and some were sentenced by military tribunals for refusing any form of service and imprisoned in federal prisons and correctional barracks. In world war II, as many as 70,000 young conscripts of appropriate age applied for "refusal to serve" status, of which 25,000 became non-combatants, and Desmond Dawes was one of them, who proved with his actions that patriotism and the performance of duties do not necessarily violate his beliefs.
△ A field ambulance team with "refuse to serve" as the backbone during World War I
Image source: BBC
△ "Refusal to serve" during World War II in correctional barracks
Dawes was the first "refusal to serve" to receive the Medal of Honor, but not the last. After Dawes, two other "conscientious refusals to serve" were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, both of whom were medical soldiers who were martyred in the Vietnam War. One of them, Joseph Lapointe, was drafted into the army in 1968 as a "conscientious refusal to serve" as a medic in the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. He was killed in a plane landing operation in 1969 to rescue two of his comrades. David had been in contact with his family, who was very humble, but was reluctant to say much about La Pointe.
△ Portrait of Joseph Rappointe
David argues that the existence of "refuse-to-serve" represents freedom of belief, one of America's fundamental tenets. But on the other hand, he revealed that some "refuse-to-serve" aversion to war can change after experiencing the brutality of the battlefield, citing World War I hero Alvin York as an example. York is a household name in the United States, having received the Distinguished Service Cross and his deeds were released in the United States in 1941 as Sergeant York. A devout Christian, York initially refused to take part in combat missions on the grounds that his beliefs were "forbidden to violence," but changed his mind when he joined the 82nd Infantry Division and threw himself into the Western Front. He picked up a gun and showed heroism in battle. In a battle in 1918, after York's platoon suffered more than half of the casualties, he resolutely took command, leading the remnants of 7 men to capture German machine gun positions, destroying 35 machine guns, killing 28 enemy troops, and taking 132 prisoners, so he was awarded the "Medal of Honor". In a dangerous situation, York seems to deviate from his own faith, and as a hero on the battlefield, Dawes's dedication to faith seems to be even more moving.
Left: Alvin York; Right: Poster for the movie Cobia of York,
Starring Gary Cooper
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