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Conscientious Objector Launches Web Site

by Open-Publishing - Monday 7 February 2005

Edito Internet Wars and conflicts USA

WINTHROP, Maine - A 22-year-old veteran from Peaks Island, Maine who was granted conscientious objector status from the Army last November is taking to the Internet to share what he learned with others. Perry O’Brien, who served a tour in Afghanistan as an airborne medic before he was honorably discharged, on Saturday launched his online guide - http://www.peace-out.com - at a Winthrop Area People for Peace breakfast at the Winthrop Congregational Church.

"The Army doesn’t make this information widely available, and many soldiers don’t even know that the option of CO (conscientious objection) is available to them," O’Brien said. "This is a comprehensive, online resource for COs. We’re already talking to three soldiers on how to avoid all the pitfalls."

"We have the Army sitting right in the lunchroom, handing out free pins. The Marines are coming next week," said James Perkins, a mathematics teacher in Lewiston. "If our students could hear (about the downside of war), it would be a bigger numeric consequence."

Michael Waters, a physics teacher at Messalonskee High School, said students should be told about the positive benefits of joining the military service and also the potential downside.

"It should be balanced and fair," Waters said. "One of my students came back to me last week who had his leg shot off. I’m thinking of having him talk about his experience."

Information "needs to be balanced. Then let the kids make their own decision."

Cathy Murray, a retired guidance counselor who worked in the Gardiner school system, said she was not allowed to give names of students to colleges but had to give their names to recruiters.

"We used to restrict access of recruiters. If (students) wanted to go to them, they did so on their own. But that has been taken away," said John Rainsborough, a retired Maranacook guidance counselor. "There has been a real bias with increase of access to students by recruiters."

Arthur Whitman, state treasurer of Veterans for Peace, said his organization would support O’Brien’s efforts to present an alternative perspective of life in the military.

"These kids look at this as a job, . . . income, an entryway into public life; but they’re blinding themselves to what might happen," Whitman said.

© 2005 The Associated Press.