The chaplain is still mediating the case of the soldier who has become a conscientious objector while serving in the army.
"The chaplain would need to emphasize the fact that personal integrity or self-respect requires that the soldier's actions are consistent with his values." (p. 42)This, of course, seems like it would be a central part of the case the chaplain would be making. And it was a major issue with me in the Vienna mission, also. Well, besides that, it may have been problematic anyway because of my father's work in SDI at Boeing, but other than that, it was clear that I had some values differences with the Vienna mission. But the problem was that it shocked me that I should have these differences because I had come with great respect for the mission, and certainly its credentials were what some people would call "impeccable." They were certainly above suspicion for the kind of thing that I found when I arrived.
So I was faced with a dilemma also. However, the fact that these issues were secretive was another problem, so that added another whole problem. Here's how I'd compare the Vienna mission with the Army:
- soldier enters army
- soldier doesn't like what he sees/experiences and in the process...
- soldier becomes conscientious objector
- soldier goes through rigorous process to determination whether or not he is eligible for honorable discharge
- I arrive in Vienna
- I am shocked by what I witness and experience
- I am unable to completely accept the mission's values and norms
- I have the following options: a) leave and probably have the mission's ire trying to make me into truly a crazy loon in the process, because the things I disagree with are not common knowledge; b) stay and succumb to their wishes and change my way of thinking; c) stay and hold on to my way of thinking and live a double life; d) some combination of b) and c).
- The differences I found the mission was unlikely to publicly acknowldge even existed (at least for the most part); and
- There was not mediation process or any kind of grievance process of any kind in place at the Vienna mission.
***
Here the author is talking about the two conscientious objector cases of the military doctors described at the beginning of the article.
"The chaplains did not function as specialists in the field of religion...
I have no idea whether the military chaplains in the H.R. Department at the Vienna mission, ever played roles like this in the Vienna mission, but I never saw this side of them if so. All that I ever saw was this sort of belittling sort of man that thought he could use a stupid article on culture shock to convince me I had it and then use this forced fatherly countenance with me. It was like syrupy sweet. I'm not talking just now of how I feel about it, because my B.A. was in European Studies and I'd been to Europe on extended trips and I had a class in intercultural communication and I at least knew what culture shock was and this was so stupid and idiotic. These people thought I knew like nothing. I don't know, maybe they thought I crawled out from under a bush or something.
... He is the soldier's spokesman. It is of prime importance that the chaplain be considered just, fair, impartial, discerning, helpful, and convincing in order to mediate effectively." (p. 43)
But I can say most definitively that he never, ever was any of these things to me. But then neither was anyone else the whole time I was with the Vienna mission. And that includes my sending mission, too.
There was no effective grievance procedure in place. Period.
***
"The commanding officer may not be a virtuous man. He may not be able to acknowledge values higher than those of constitued authority. If this occurs the chaplain should become the soldier's advocate to salvage his claim." (p. 43)They were in bed together! Christian or no! Seminary or no! All the stuff from the last text applies here too. I had no support from anywhere.
***
"He is a citizen of a democratic country which grants him the right to follow the dictates of his conscience and to adhere to his religious beliefs, yet his political military community does not always grant him that right... Conflict arises when civil and military rights are not in total agreement." (p. 44)That's what I kept saying about my rights to in relation to my dad, but children with parents in certain high security positions don't have all the rights that everyone else has. I've always wanted to find a support group of other children of parent like that who have been detrimentally affected like I have. No one ever told me I couldn't have any career I wanted. Do you know how many years of my life I spent with political problems? It could have started as early as '83 (just being noticed among emigrants) and I'm not even going to say now when it might have ended.
I'm not even going to comment about the last sentence. That's the end of this article.
