I was a conscienscious objector to the Vietnam War. I was given a 1-W classification and assigned to work in a hospital laundry in Macon, Mississippi. I worked under Mennonite Voluntery Service. I left my native Indiana, and became immersed in the greatest people's movement since Biblical times - the Mississippi civil rights struggle.
My assigned work was hard, the pay was 90 cents per hour and I supported myself on those wages. When I wasn't working for the hospital, I helped people register to vote, took them to doctors, worked at a Native American church mission, and was in and out of trouble for reasons that I cared about the poor people around me. I remember the day that Martin Luther King was killed. Black people were weeping tears of sorrow and white people were jubilant. It was and often still is, this seedbed of racism and selfishness that I and my family have had experiences in Noxubee County. I married my childhood girlfriend, went to college in the south and own a farm now in Macon, Mississippi. I am a teacher in public schools and am active lots of community development activities. I am member of the county Democratic Committee and consider it a privilege to see so many challenges still to be attacked in my area. I thank God for safety and wisdom. I live in the county neighboring to Neshoba County and I know where most of the civil rights spots are. So if you want to come and visit, make our place an overnight stop.
Copyright ©
Webspinner:
webspinner@crmvet.org
(Labor donated)