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Noah
Bearinger recalls an incident that tested the faith of the COs.
“A
week later I was helping the group of boys burn brush when a truck
stopped and let a passenger off. It was Hans and he came in our
direction. The way he walked and the look on his face told me
that he had something in store for us. When he got closer he said,
“Well boys, this beautiful morning I have good news for you all.
Remember those two men in uniform who drove up here in a jeep?
Well, they were from the [army] training centre at Camp Borden.
They said it is a shame to have so many able-bodied men up here
in the northern wilds. So they decided to take you all out of
here. They are going to put you in uniform, and with a rifle slung
over your shoulder, march you off to war.”
“We
were too stunned for words. With all the rumours the previous
week, and now hearing these words from the lips of my respected
friend, I had no choice but to accept it as the truth.”
“The
words of a great poet flashed through my mind:
'Once
to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide –
In the strife of truth and falsehood, on the good or evil side.'
“What
a wonderful chance to give a testimony of our faith, and we almost
missed it. Hans looked us over from head to foot, as if he saw
us for the first time. Truly he saw us the first time in such
a shocked condition. Finally one boy had the courage to say, ‘They
can take me away from these camps and put me in uniform. They
can even sling a rifle across my shoulder and send me to war,
but as long as I am in my right mind, I will never shoot a man.
No never!'”
“Hans
looked us all straight in the eyes one by one. After looking again
at the boy who made this brave statement Hans said, ‘I believe
every word you said, Cornelius, and…' After a brief pause he added,
‘you can forget about everything I just said.'”
“It
is almost impossible to describe the weight that was lifted from
our hearts and minds. It was a blunt rude way for Hans to put
our faith to a test, but I still regarded him as a friend. Hans
explained later that the two men were actually from Camp Borden,
but they were sent to check on camp conditions.” [ASM,
101]
Although
Hans was just joking around, this scenario was common in other countries.
Canada respected the COs, so they were not forced into the army.
Soon after the CO program started, however, the COs learned that
their four months of service would be extended
indefinitely.
David Jantzi went to the
CO camp not knowing how long he would be there. It was hard
to leave a young family behind.
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| Drying dishes at Clear Lake |
COs at the East Gate at Clear Lake |
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