On March 21-22, 2010, the Truth Commission on Conscience and War explored the concept of "selective Conscientious Objection," the objection to participation in a particular war based on just war principles. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has supported selective Conscientious Objection since 1969.
During the Public Hearing on Sunday, March 21, leaders from academic, faith, veterans, and advocacy communities spoke about issues of conscience, just war, military service, selective Conscientious Objection, and the rights and regulations governing Conscientious Objection.
Video clips of their presentations are available.
The Rev. Dr. Kaia Stern, Chair of the Truth Commission on Conscience in War, welcomes the audience to the Commission's Public Hearing at The Riverside Church on March 21, 2010. Dr. Stern is the Director of the Pathways Home Project at the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School.
Chaplain (Colonel) Herman Keizer, Jr., U. S. Army Chaplain, retired; Director of Chaplaincy Ministries for the Christian Reformed Church in North America; Former Chair, National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces America.
Gold Star Mother Celeste Zappala
Jake Diliberto, Marine Veteran, Founder of Veterans for Rethinking Afghanistan, Fuller Theological Seminary
Tyler Boudreau, former US Marine Captain, Iraq War veteran, and author of Packing Inferno: The Unmaking of a Marine
Joshua Casteel, Army veteran and conscientious objector, former Army Interrogator at Abu Ghraib; featured in the documentary, Soldiers of Conscience
Logan Mehl-Laituri, Army veteran and co-founder of Centurion's Guild
Camilo Mejia, Army veteran and conscientious objector, author of Road from Ar Ramadi, featured in the documentary, Soldiers of Conscience
Part 1