Unconscionable

'One Man Has Stopped Killing'

Sgt. Kevin Bendermen Is an American Conscientious Objector
By Mickey Z.
February 17th, '05



"What is wrong with a country where war is glorified and fighting for peace is cowardly?” --Monica Benderman


When I saw the recent news report about the U.S. military moving toward the use of robot soldiers, I could not resist the obvious retort: Wasn’t that already the case? No less an authority on mass murder than Henry Kissinger once remarked: “Military men are dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns for foreign policy.” To buy into this mentality, however, is to write off any possibility of solidarity with American military personnel...like, for example, Sgt. Kevin Benderman.

Benderman, a decorated Iraq war veteran with 10 years service in the US Army, is stationed at Ft. Stewart, GA, with the 3rd Infantry Division. He initially joined the military in 1987 when he was 22. “His family has a long history of military service, dating back to the revolutionary war,” Benderman’s wife, Monica told me.

“Kevin felt a responsibility to serve because of this heritage. He left the military in 1991 and ran his own sub-contracting/flooring business for 8 years. In 2000, after continuing conversations with his father, who was a WWII veteran, he felt that he had not fulfilled his obligation to service, and re-enlisted.” He served one combat tour in Iraq, from March 2003 until September 2003...as part of the 1-10 Calvary 4th Infantry Division from Ft. Hood, Texas.

Overall, not a particularly unusual story for an American soldier, right?

Before you answer, consider one more thing: Sgt. Benderman, a man who believes “War robs you of your humanity. It makes people do terrible things they would otherwise never do,” filed for Conscientious Objector status in December 2004.

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