April 26, 2010 issue
MMN signs agreement with Selective Service to officially host COs
Breaking news: updated version
By Hannah Heinzekehr Mennonite Mission NetworkSAN ANTONIO — If a military draft is ever reinstated, Mennonite Voluntary Service will be an officially recognized agency for hosting conscientious objectors.
Stanley Green, executive director and CEO of Mennonite Mission Network, shakes hands with Lawrence Romo, Selective Service director. — Photo by Ryan Miller/Mennonite Mission Network
MVS, a program of Mennonite Church USA, signed an agreement with the U.S. Selective Service System April 20 at San Antonio Mennonite Church to become a member of the Alternative Service Employer Network.
“This event gives us a formal avenue as a denomination to have expanded job assignments for our young people to perform this conscientious objector obligation,” said Hugo Saucedo, director of Mennonite Voluntary Service. “It’s particularly important for young African-American and Latino American Mennonites who the broader society doesn’t always recognize as Mennonite.
“We know that minorities are disproportionately represented in the armed forces, and this agreement gives them an extra level of assurance that they will be treated equally in the event of a draft.”
This event marks the first Alternative Service Employer Network signing in 25 years. MVS is the first faith-based service organization recognized by Selective Service as a member of the network.
MVS, established in 1946, has a history of coordinating alternative service for Mennonite COs. The agreement is the culmination of years of negotiations between MVS and the Selective Service.
In addition to Saucedo, Stanley Green, Mennonite Mission Network executive director, and Lawrence Romo, Selective Service director, will sign the agreement.
Arranging civilian alternative service for conscientious objectors is the Selective Service’s second mission, Romo said.
“Few people are aware of that second mission, but we take it seriously and devote time and resources to ensuring a just and productive alternative for men sincerely opposed to war,” Romo said.
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