Cliff, West Virginia, 1969. No. 168: Induction Refused

I arrived at Duke in 1970 to start graduate school. I had previously applied for conscientious objector draft status in my sophomore year of undergraduate school. My CO file was quite large as you were allowed to submit anything you thought was relevant. While at Duke I also did draft counseling. My CO application was turned down during my first year at Duke, after which I received my induction orders. 

On induction day I refused induction and potentially faced up to five years in prison (3 to 5 years was the typical sentence then in my draft board’s area). Released on bail, I returned to Duke to continue my studies and awaited trial. My file went to the state’s attorney’s office for prosecution. I thought about Canada as a possibility but never gave it serious consideration.
 
Almost a year later I received word from my attorney that the state’s attorney’s office had dropped charges as my file was too large, the case too complex, and my CO hearings had been unfair. My attorney said that my file would go back to my local draft board where I would receive the CO classification. I would then do two years of CO service.

Sometime later my draft board surprised me. They did not classify me as a CO. Instead they gave me the classification that meant "my year of eligibility was up."

I am the only person I have ever known who refused induction into military service AND did not go to prison, did not go to Canada, and did not do CO work.