John

CO

I've lived in Minnesota for most of my life, and before that I lived 15 years in North Dakota. In between, while I was in high school in the late 1960s and early 1970s, I lived in another part of the country.

As I approached my 18th birthday and the Viet Nam War was still going on in 1970-71, I knew that I could not participate in that war.

My high school had a military recruiting site in the building, and I arranged for a different site to educate students about becoming a conscientious objector.

I became the first conscientious objector from my county.

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03:09

A row of young men in suits, looking to the center figure. Caption reads: "Bratt (John Bjork) explains to the office employees that "a secretary is not a toy."

University High School yearbook photos.

One of my teachers recommended that I read "Johnny Got His Gun." That book made a great impression on me.

I could not imagine myself using a gun to fight in the Vietnam War since by then, in particular, it wasn't clear to me--and I think it wasn't clear to many Americans--that that was a war worth fighting.