My respect hierarchy is:
1. Those who risked their lives because they believed in the cause
2. Those who avoided the war because they didn't believe it was just
3. Those who believed it was unjust but picked up a rifle and killed anyway
I suppose I have a modicum more respect for those who faced trial, but it's not the dividing line between cowardly and not. At the time, those who were drafted didn't have to look far to see someone of wealth and privilege exempted from having to face the dilemma, so it's hard for me to fault those underprivileged who felt it was nearly as unjust to face prison as it was to face war.
|