Truth Commission on Conscience and War

With our concern for returning veterans and for the soldiers still fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, Christian Peace Witness was a co-sponsor of the Truth Commission on Conscience in War. The Commission held hearings March 21-22, 2010 at The Riverside Church in New York City to hear from veterans, a Gold Star mother, and expert witnesses on Just War theory, the law, moral injury, and psychiatry, each of whom examined U.S. military regulations for Conscientious Objection that require objection to "war in any form."

The final report was released Veterans' Day, November 11, 2010, during a worship service at National City Christian Church in Washington, DC. The report offers the following recommendations:

To Our Nation's Leaders

Revision of current U.S. military regulations governing Conscientious Objection to assure greater protection for religious freedom and moral conscience in war through the right to object to a particular war.

To Religious and Community Leaders

Education of our larger communities about criteria governing the moral conduct of war, about the needs of veterans and their families, including healing moral injury, and about the importance of moral conscience in war.

To Our Communities

Education about and support services to address moral injury and other needs of those serving in the U.S. military, veterans of military service, and their families.

Several CPW members were honored to be present for the three days of events surrounding the release of the Commission's report, meeting some of the veterans and experts who testified in March. It is in hearing the stories of the vets that we came to realize the great amount of damage that is being done every day to those who fight, and then to their families, communities and society as a whole when they return home. To learn more visit the Truth Commission's website.