The term ‘conscientious objection’ seems to be more synonymous with the Vietnam War-era than it does with the current ‘War on Terror’ in Iraq and Afghanistan. But veteran and New Rochelle resident Ryan Barry faced a battle on his way to pacifism, seeking to become a contemporary objector in a time where the concept has been mostly forgotten.

The 26-year-old former aviation ordinanceman recently self-published “Peace Thru Communication,” a memoir about how he went from being a member of the Navy to becoming a pacifist.

“I was actually responsible for loading bombs and missiles onto the aircraft,” he told The Harrison Report. “So I got into a lot of thinking about my job, my rate, and…I didn’t feel right about what I was doing and I wanted nothing to do with that rate anymore.”

While deployed in Nevada on a base dedicated to training for bombings and air missions, he started researching his options. Initially, Barry looked to simply change his job, seeking employment as a health technician because he believed it would have “less of an impact” on him. However, it was a legal correspondent in his squadron that urged him to become a conscientious objector because he no longer supported the war – although the process was not as easy as it sounds, according to Barry.

“It was a very lengthy process,” he said. “A lot of forms to fill out justifying your reasoning, and keep in mind you’re going against people who are for the military. So it was a pretty excruciating battle, to say the least.”

Conscientious objection, or the rejection of military service based on religious, objective, or moral grounds, dates as far back as the founding of the United States, with opposition to the second amendment to the Constitution. The success rate of those who apply varies, according to Maria Santelli, executive director of the Center of Conscience and War in Washington, D.C., a nonprofit organization that advocates the rights of those who oppose war.

“It’s a very confusing application,” she told The Harrison Report. “But we have a pretty good knowledge of how the process works and how the applicant is going to be evaluated.”

According to a 2007 Government Accountability Office study on conscientious objectors to war in all branches of the military, from 2002-2006, 425 applications were filed. In the Navy specifically, between 2003-2010, 84 enlisted sailors filed for conscientious objection, with 45 winning their cases. Seven Navy officers also applied between those years; all seven were granted discharge. In total, 52 cases out of 91 were approved across the board.

The term conscientious objection gained popularity during World War II – when the United States’ initiated the first peacetime draft – as well as during the Vietnam War-era. However, it was not until the 1970s that those who opposed war could claim it was for reasoning based on anything other than religion, as that was previously the only basis for objection.

According to Linda Berns, executive director of the lower Hudson Valley chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union, that change was made possible due to the 1970s Supreme Court case, Welsh vs. United States, which allows a person to leave the military due to their ethical and moral beliefs.

“None of this would be present because we have a volunteer army,” she said. “We certainly agree with the Supreme Court that you don’t just have to have religious objection to become a conscientious objector.”

The application process begins with a series of basic character-defining questions given by military officers, such as one’s name and the names of any previous employers, and then moves on to more complex-natured questions such as why one wants to leave the military.

Still, despite a varying success rate, Barry cited that some of the attitudes of those he was surrounded with in the Navy made the process even more difficult.

“It was probably the most uncomfortable experience of my life because [I went] against my division officer, who I served under for two years,” he said. “I was like the No. 1 airman, and he was completely stunned why I was applying for this.”

He went on to say that it was also very challenging to prove that his reasoning for wanting to leave the Navy was genuine.

“Nobody believed me. They thought I just wanted to get out of the military and it was the easy way out,” Barry said. “People started not talking to you anymore. It was very uncomfortable.”

“The hearing, which is supposed to be from a Naval officer, happened to be a pilot, so that was even more uncomfortable,” he continued. “And he was basically bombarding me with questions, trying to make this a negative result so that when it went to Naval Personal Command in Tennessee, they would deny it immediately.”

Though his case – which took between eight to nine months to be evaluated – was ultimately denied, Barry was eventually granted an honorable discharge a year early before his service was due to be completed. Once he left the military, he decided he wanted to publish a book discussing his ordeal, as even some in the Navy weren’t familiar with what conscientious objectors were.

“I wanted to get my voice and opinion out there for anyone else that might be feeling the same way,” he said. “I wanted them to know that there are other people that feel that way.”
Looking back, Barry said that he did not regret his time in the Navy – or his decision to become a conscientious objector to war.

“It was a hard process when a lot of people who you were friends start hating you, but it’s worth it when you know what you’re fighting for; it’s important that you stand your ground.”
Barry’s book is currently available for purchase at blurb.com.