change of command issue #3 - spring 2010

8/9/2019 Change of Command Issue #3 - Spring 2010

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C E N T U R I O N S G U I L D

hange of Command

After a day of flights and a nightn the heart of Camden, NJ, my

wife and I settled into a quaint

nd comfortable bed and

reakfast on the edge of Harlem.

We were there so that I could

ttend the Truth Commission on

Conscience in War (TCCW) as a

ommissioner. As we headed into

he heart of the city to take in the

ights we stopped for a short

reather in Central Park. I had

tepped away for a minute to

ome back to my wife engaged in

onversation with a young

middle-eastern woman. Dawning

he full head scarf in keeping with

slamic modesty this young girl

was ogling over our two-month

ld daughter we had brought

long for the ride. I sat and

watched for a minute, the joy that

lled this womans face; in her

yes, I saw something of a pure

oul so I decided to give her the

est As-Salmu `Alaykum this

Tennessee boy could conjure up.

For some reason this incident is

ne of the few moments that

efines the TCCW for me. It was

Gods grace that I got to meet this

woman on the eve of a

onference to discuss conscience

n war. Come to find out it was

most appropriate of God toarrange this short meeting, the

woman and her family were

refugees from the war in Iraq.

They had lived in Baghdad. The

absence of a father on their little

walk in the park was even more

haunting given this revelation,

who knows if he was merely at

work or if he was gone?

Nonetheless, this meeting gave

me a newfound conviction about

my attendance of the TCCW; no

matter how small or large the

crowd, the event, or the outcome,

we must speak against the

senseless wars that are carried out

in our name and on our behalf.

Rewind a few months back to an

article published by an extremely

right oriented think tank called

The Institute on Religion andDemocracy. The author

perceived this commission as

being composed of, a whos who

of far-left religious activism. The

testifiers are mostly a small circle

of embittered veterans and

conspiracy theorists . . . This

couldnt have been further from

the truth. Take for example Jake

Diliberto an unashamed

evangelical and politically

conservative Christian who would

combat that notion in a heart-

beat. Or consider the many

commissioners who where Just

War theorists, something I did not

expect outright and was

rather surprised about.

Many times when

someone would dive too

far into pacifism the Just

War Theorists were there

to bridle us back into the

true intent of our

commission, which was a

conversation about the

need for just and equitable

regulations for military

conscientious objectors.

Primarily we were there to

discuss the notion of selective

conscientious objection.

Selective conscientious objeis the idea that a military me

should be able to object

certain campaign, war

operation without having to

for an administrative discharg

is the notion that service men

women have the right to a

and it should be cast not e

four years, but by

conscience everyday. This i

some hyper-liberal rhetoric.

times past we have been wa

by the likes of Presidents Tru

and Kennedy, as well

Libertarian economists suc

Henry Hazlitt that the numbe

stifle of our liberty is the mi

industrial complex. War

money is a vote for oppres

war tempered by conscience

to a more just peace.

This is such a radical notion t

wonder if our critic might

been somewhat frightened b

that is if they even read up o

agenda. I wonder how fe

they might be of ideas such a

disbanding of the military

each war or of a

interventionist foreign policy

(contd next page)

A quarterly community newsletter published by Centurions GuildFor God and Country (in that order) Issue #3 - Spring 20

Executive

Officer Logan

Mehl-Laituri

spoke as a

testifier at the

Truth

Commissionon Conscience

and War. His

testimony can

be found on

YouTube

Reflection by Kyle Caldwell


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Change of Com

elect ive Conscient ious

Objection (SCO) was at the

enter of many discussions I

ither overheard or participated in

uring the TCCW. SCO as a

ational military policy would

uarantee individual service

members the right to conscience

n each conflict they are asked to

erve. That sounds incendiary,

iven our volunteer force, but I

ssure you, it is not. The problem

f moral agency sits at the center

f the debate that often unfolds

round conversations about faith

nd service.

We are all moral agents; God

ave us free will and we make

moral choices everyday that

affect others as well as our selves.

Moral agency is at the core of

free will, it is the nucleus of the

liberty molecule, so to speak.

When a person makes a choice

that has an injurious effect on

someone else, it is often

considered either a sin or a

criminal act. Therefore, a person

exercising moral agency is

accountable to their actions, since

they had the freedom to choose to

commit the act. Someone who is

not a moral agent (infants, the

mentally impaired, etc.) cannot as

clearly be held accountable, since

their capacity to make informed

decisions has been inhibited.

When people make the argument

against SCO, the basis is that the

enlistee signed a contract, that

they consciously agreed to be

bound by its terms and have

forfeited their moral agency.

Does the enlistment contract

legitimately inhibit ones moral

accountability?

If service members are NOT

moral agents, they cannot be held

accountable for their actions,

since they are acting on our

behalf, not having chosen the

action themselves. If, however,

they ARE moral agents, they

similarly are accountable to their

actions and bear the full

responsibility of their behavior.

In boot camp, recruits are told

they are not paid to think, to

instinctively obey their supe

(who assume moral agenc

accountability). But when

send them to war, we tell

that they are required to dis

unlawful orders (though su

thing is nowhere defined in

Uniform Code of Mi

Justice), which begs the ques

how may they discern unla

orders if they are require

disable their cognitive proces

We throw our troops unde

proverbial bus when we ask

to perform mutually excl

moral tasks. SCO would se

freedom of conscience and

moral clarity to the ambigui

armed service.

The Imperative of Moral Agency

Conceptual Exploration by Logan Mehl-Laituri

Centurions Guild is anofficial co-conspiringcommunity ofCONSP!RE Magazine!Contact us to get a freecopy and check outKyles and Loganscontribution to thethird issue: OurCommon Life

New Novitiate!

Daniel Blain comes tous from Springfield,

MA. He is an Armyreservist currentlyapplying for dischargeas a conscientiousobjector. You can findhim on Facebook. If

youre interested inbeing a novice yourself,

get in touch with us!

Connect with othersjoining in ourphilanthropic work:causes.com/centurionspurse

Social Media:

Search Centurions

Guild on these sites:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

(contd from page 1)

If it is these ideas that they

loathe, then they loathe the

very core ideas behind the

American Revolution in the

first place, ideas which

should be seen as

conservative if we are goingto be generous to the term.

I think the best synopsis of

the event came when Shane

Claiborne stated that he

thought that this was one of

the best events of its kind he

had attended. I asked why

and he replied that it had all

the right people in attendance

at the right time. The Truth

Commission on Conscience

in War was just that. It was

fair in that it brought diverse

voices to the table. It was justin that the testifiers were

former chaplains, Marine

officers, Army Sergeants and

a mother who lost her son in

Iraq. If these are people that

we easily dismiss then in

essence we have already

dismissed ourselves. The

most memorable quote came

the first night from author

Chris Hedges, who said that

for centuries America has

spoken a language of

violence to the world, andnow the world is speaking

back to us i n o u r

language.

To learn more about the

Truth Commission on

Conscience in War and the

Guilds continuing work w

that project, go to

www.conscienceinwar.org

You can also Like the

commission atwww.facebook.com/

conscience.in.war. Look o

for the final report due on

Martinmas (Nov.11th) this

year. - Ed

Calling all Saints!

Wed like to hear fromsaintly soldierswrestling betweentheir dueling duties toGod and country. Weknow how it feels towonder if anyone elseout there reallybelieves in the crazyenemy-love that Jesuscalls us to.

If you or someone youknow of needs somepeer support, please bein touch with us. Webelieve in being thecommunity in whichthose sometimesconflicting allegiancesare sorted out. Let usbe that rallying point if

you or someone youknow feels lost oralone.
mailto:[email protected]?subject=novitiate%20candidacyhttp://www.conspiremagazine.com/mailto:[email protected]?subject=novitiate%20candidacyhttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1016647836&ref=tshttp://www.causes.com/centurionspursehttp://www.causes.com/centurionspursemailto:[email protected]?subject=novitiate%20candidacyhttp://www.conspiremagazine.com/mailto:[email protected]?subject=novitiate%20candidacyhttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1016647836&ref=tshttp://www.causes.com/centurionspursehttp://www.causes.com/centurionspursehttp://www.facebook.com/conscience.in.warhttp://www.facebook.com/conscience.in.warhttp://www.facebook.com/conscience.in.warhttp://www.facebook.com/conscience.in.warhttp://www.conscienceinwar.org/http://www.conscienceinwar.org/http://www.causes.com/centurionspursehttp://www.causes.com/centurionspursehttp://www.causes.com/centurionspursehttp://www.causes.com/centurionspursemailto:[email protected]?subject=novitiate%20candidacymailto:[email protected]?subject=novitiate%20candidacyhttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1016647836&ref=tshttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1016647836&ref=tshttp://www.conspiremagazine.com/http://www.conspiremagazine.com/


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Change of Com

Meet a CenturionFormer Air Force Reservist Zach Cornelius

rom an early age I had two

lear goals: to obtain a four

ear college degree and serve

n the military. Afteronsidering the Army

Reserves right after high

chool graduation I decided

nstead to follow my older

rothers advice (and path)

y enlisting in the Air Force

Reserve and simultaneouslynrolling in Air Force

Reserve Officer Training

Corp (AFROTC) at the

University of Cincinnati.or three and a half years I

was a student at the

University of Cincinnati as

well as a cadet in AFROTC.During this time I finished

first in my AFROTC one year

and second in my class

another. I received manyother awards and finishednear the top of my class

during Officer Training

School in 2004. Also in 2003I began Officer Christian

Fellowship, a bible study for

cadets, at my detachment.During Christmas break of

2003 I met two individuals

who challenged me to think

differently. These two wereas devoted to Christian faith

as I thought I was but held a

completely different positionon violence and military

involvement. We had spiritedbut generous debates that

continued for two years.On the evening of my 21st

birthday in 2005 I read a

collection of sayings from

early church leaders on this

topic of peace and violence.After finishing the last saying

I sincerely felt a weight take

me from my chair and put meon the floor of my apartment.After much prayer, and

before I climbed back into

the chair, I promised God that

I would study and train for

war no more. That night Ibegan my Conscientious

Objector (CO) application.That night I wrote in my CO

application:

If I continue to partake in

AFROTC which requires the

study and training to take

human life my conscience

will have no rest. I must follow my conscience. Todisobey my conscience on

this matter unequivocally

points to death. Thisspiritual separation from God

would leave me a

psychological disaster and

fear of future separation

would produce in me a state

of emotional and mentalparalysis. By the hand, Iknow, God is leading me out

of the military, with due

respect to authorities; I will

follow Gods lead regardless

the cost.This resolution I have

reached is not new nor only

mine. Soldiers throughoutthe centuries have come to

believe there is no

justification for destroying

the image of God. In thedecades following Jesus

death the decision to join the

Church rather than return to

the ranks of Roman Legions

cost many their lives. MyLord has given me an order:to study and train for war no

more and to take up the cross

and follow. With Gods will.After years of grueling and only five months sh

my commission as a Se

Lieutenant, I asked

commander to be sepa

from the military en

After three months

sleepless nights and

meetings my desire

finally granted. I remember the exact sp

Cincinnati where I sat o

curb to answer

Commanders phone cal

told me that I could fiseparate from the m

and do so honorably I

I was honorably disch

in December 2005 from

Air Force Reserve.

Contribute:Centurion's Guild is sponsored by The SimpleWay, a not-for-profit corporation under sec501(c)3, for financial purposes. To make adeductible donation, send checks made ouThe Simple Way, being sure to inc"Centurion" in the memo line, and mail to:The Simple Way

PO Box 14751

Philadelphia, PA 19134

Contact:[email protected]

(215) 821-7882

Logan Mehl-Laituri - Army Veteran

Zach Cornelius - Former Air Force Reservist

Kyle Caldwell - Marine Veteran

James Tarter - Ohio National Guardsman

Daniel Blain - Army Reservist

About our Motto:

The motto of Centurions Guild is drawn from the same as that of the United States

Chaplaincy Corps. In fact, we have sometimes been referred to as an alternative

haplaincy for our work with fellow service members, veterans, and their loved

nes. Perhaps there is some truth to the claim that imitation is the highest form of

attery (we also have a tendency to imitate the early Churchs habit of reinventing

ational symbols and phrases).

Frustratingly, however, U.S. Chaplains sometime take ambiguous theological

tances on the separation of Church and state, confusing the power of the sword

with the authority of the Cross. We dont necessarily believe that the two are

mutually exclusive, but it has become clear to us that sometimes when you have

iven your very life God your life, there is rarely much left for Caesar. Our little

arenthetical reminder hopefully serves to remind our indivisible nation that to be

nder God is to subordinate our pledges and allegiances to our baptism, that

ometimes to pick up our Cross is to lay down our swords.
mailto:[email protected]?subject=Newsletter%20%232%20inquiryhttp://centurionsguild.org/http://centurionsguild.org/http://centurionsguild.org/http://centurionsguild.org/mailto:[email protected]?subject=Newsletter%20%232%20inquiryhttp://centurionsguild.org/http://centurionsguild.org/mailto:[email protected]?subject=Newsletter%20%232%20inquirymailto:[email protected]?subject=Newsletter%20%232%20inquiryhttp://centurionsguild.org/http://centurionsguild.org/

change of command issue #3 - spring 2010

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