I was in college during Vietnam.  Supposedly you had a deferment as long as you were in college.  I ended up staying in college for three years, but I only had it for your deferment.  I ended up getting drafted.

When it came time, I went but I refused induction.  I refused to step forward when they called my name at the draft center in Oakland.  I was posted give the oath, take a step forward but I told them that my conscience wouldn’t let me.  Immediately a couple of guys grabbed me and got me out of there because they wanted to make sure I wouldn’t influence anyone else.  They took me into a room and said: “are you sure you wanna do this?”

I said: “yes, I’m not going to serve.”

They asked if I wanted to be part of the medical team or part of the band, but I said no.  The military was a part of a war that I did not believe in.

I didn’t go, and I won!

I remembered getting that thing in the mail: United States of America versus John Rialson.

Today, I’m not sure I feel the same way.  I’m a pilot, and I can shoot, and I would have been useful as a soldier.

It wasn’t the fear of being killed; I just didn’t think that men should be shooting one another.

During the Vietnam War, Joan Baez was very active.  She was even outside of the induction center the day I got there.  There was a whole group of people encouraging people to resist the draft.  I didn’t get to talk to her, but she had a school for nonviolence in Carmel Valley.

My parents were fully supportive.  I had talked to religious people about the Vietnam War; I had been reading books about it… I knew that I would probably get drafted eventually.  For about a year or two I tried to figure out exactly what I would do.  Then it was another year or two before it went to court.

I had to appear in court and number of times for various hearings.  I remember refusing to have jurors.  I just didn’t think it was fair to pull in all these other people.  The husband of Joan Baez went to jail.

I have an attorney from Santa Cruz; he was a very dignified older gentleman.  I was surprised that he felt like I did.

The judge was refusing to hear our arguments.  All of a sudden, my attorney got up and said: “this is beginning to sound like Gestapo court.  Your honor, you’re going to listen to these arguments.”

The judge backed down and heard the arguments of why I should not be in the army.

I had a good support team; I would not have wanted to go to jail.  If I’d a chance to bolt I probably would have taken off to Canada.  I didn’t go to Canada, I wanted to go through the hearing.  I won and I finally got an official letter saying that I was a conscientious objector.

Now, I’m probably more of a fighter.