We Will Be There

September 21, 2009

As of September 2, I have racked up 10 years as the Center’s executive director (albeit some of that time  as a part-time interim executive director).  Looking back , I can say with some pride that the Center has made great strides  even as  the world has presented new challenges.

When I began working here in September 1999, there was only one other staff member – a Brethren Volunteer.  The finances of the organization were in a nose dive.  And every time I went out to speak about the Center (still mostly referred to as NISBCO), people would look mildly surprised and either say, “Oh, I thought NISBCO didn’t exist anymore.” Or “Oh, you must not have much to do since there is no draft.”

The visibility and the general understanding of what our work was did not exist at that time.  We were seen as the “Military Draft” conscientious objector organization and nothing else.  So no draft, no NISBCO.

In reality, then, as now, we provided information and support on what would happen in a military draft.  We met the needs of military service members through the GI Rights Hotline and our own phone and webpage.  We provided support and training for counselors and lawyers.  But we did so on a small scale because our resources were small.

I brought financial and legal experience to the Center.  My passion for the mission of the Center—to support conscientious objectors to war—was long standing as was my connection to the Center having been a volunteer attorney for some 20 years at that point.   My desire to bring the mission into greater focus and the Center into greater visibility went hand-in-hand with my desire to bring financial stability to the Center and help it grow its program and staff again.

The first big change I made was to hire Bill Galvin.  This is the decision I made of which I am most happy.       He has been here since January 2000, reaching out to communities in ways that I could not.  His years of experience have given him connections and friendships.  His easy going personality appeals to those who find me too brusque.    His vision of a just world helps the Center keep a focus on the big picture while we are working on such a tiny slice.  He has provided valuable historical insight and continuity to a complicated issue.

The second big change I made was to focus on conscientious objection to war as an environmental issue.  On September 10, 2001, in fact, I reported to  the Center’s board that I had made a grant proposal and  taken the first steps that would lead to a symposium on “War: the Ultimate Environmental Disaster.”

The next day, by 10 a.m., I dumped those plans.

In the years from 2001 through 2004, the Center focused a great deal on the possibility of a draft as we worked to stop the seemingly inevitable wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  We produced current materials about draft issues.   But we also focused on the needs of those serving in the military through the GI Rights Hotline and our own phone and webpage.  We provided support and training for counselors and lawyers.  We had high visibility by this time and lots of work.

By 2004, peace organizations had popped up like mushrooms in the rain, each with a slightly different vantage point.  We began to look old-fashioned as we continued down the same track, never advocating illegal actions, not aggressively seeking publicity if it would harm the people we were supporting.   We did, however, work in coalition with many if not all of these organizations.   And we took a lot of hits for it.  At one time we would be criticized for our radical stance of supporting those who took illegal actions.  The next time we would be criticized for our complicity for working with active members of the military who opposed the war.  But we stayed firm in our commitment to work with anyone who opposed war whatever action they took.

In 2007 we added a focus on truth-in-recruiting, providing inspiration, support and information for others who go into the schools and malls.  We were actively involved in court briefs supporting conscientious objectors as well.  We were less visible in the increasingly crowded peace organization field but still working.  In fact, we worked hard to keep up with all the requests for help at this time.

When the financial crisis came, the years of rebuilding the financial health of the Center paid off.  Though the income of the Center, like virtually all other non-profits, dropped, it dropped only a small amount.  The staff – now 4 fulltime, a part time attorney and several volunteers– has not been faced with furloughs and layoffs.

This past year, we spent a great deal of time completing written materials, beginning again the cycle of providing current information for counselors and attorneys.   All the while during this ten year period, we were providing information and support concerning any military draft and continuing to meet the needs of military service members through the GI Rights Hotline and our own phone and webpage.

For the future, even a future without a large war, the Center will provide information training and support for counselors and attorneys about a potential draft, truth in recruiting, and GI rights.  We will continue to work to meet the needs of military service members through the GI Rights Hotline and our own phone and webpage.

Regardless of our visibility.  Regardless of whether there is a popular war or an unpopular war.  We will be there for all the people who need us for as long as there is war.

J.E. McNeil
Executive Director