Muhammad Ali was an activist and an icon. He bravely stood up for what he believed in, in a time where it was incredibly dangerous to do so. As a black woman, I definitely regard him as a hero. He will be missed.
Originally Posted by GemmaFox
For any conscience objector there was, and is, the opportunity to serve in a noncombatant role.
I personally knew more than a few young Amish and Mennonite men who at 18 had voluntarily asked for service (many young Amish men served with their wife and the government got two workers instead of one) to fulfill his draft obligation. All of the Amish and Mennonite people I knew were sent either to military hospitals or to the Veteran Hospitals. President Kennedy added the Peace Corps as an opportunity to serve, that counted as a draft fulfillment, just prior to the period we are discussing. Many people in religious communities used the Peace Corps as a way to fulfill the draft. But I knew of several ministers who accepted the draft to serve in the military and were pulled out of the seminary.
It depends on the person. But regardless, there were opportunities for all to serve.
The real heroes were Navy Medical Corpsman who served in every Marine Company. Many of these guys were Conscience Objectors. One I served with became a Navy Chief and received the Silver Star.
Mr. CC just refused service, or the chance to serve in other ways, at a time when it was reprehensible to most citizens to do so. As a minister, he would have had a noncombatant role. In the peace corps, he could have promoted sports.
He certainly called attention to his objection, but he was not respected for his actions.
JR