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| Navajo Marine granted objector status |
| 2007-01-28 |
| Ronnie Tallman says that when he joined the Marines, he never expected a spiritual transformation that would put his newfound Navajo tribal beliefs in conflict with his military duties. A military screening board interviewed psychiatrists and a chaplain, among others, before determining Jan. 11 that Tallman's newfound status as a type of Navajo medicine man was "simply a means to avoid combat deployment to Iraq." On Wednesday, however, the military changed course, granting Tallman conscientious objector status. "I didn't expect this. I'm really happy right now," Tallman said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from the California base. In November 2005, about a year after enlisting and shortly before he was to be deployed to Iraq, Tallman says he discovered — quite unexpectedly — a gift as a special type of medicine man known as a "hand trembler." Such status is rare and deeply revered by the tribe. Tallman says by tradition, his status as a healer rendered him unable to kill or harm, or even think negative thoughts, thereby making him unfit to continue with his commitment to the military. Tallman decided not to return to his base in Twentynine Palms, Calif., and was deemed on "unauthorized absence" until he filed his application to be a conscientious objector, based on religious beliefs, in January 2006. Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Cox, of the Marine public affairs office in Twentynine Palms, said he did not know why Tallman's application was approved after the initial denial. Marine Lt. Col. T.V. Johnson, a spokesman for Marine commandant Gen. James Conway, said "it's an administrative action. I don't think (Conway) would go into why." Tallman told Marine officials that although he was still learning the rules of traditional hand trembler practitioners, "the most important ones are that I can't hurt other living things and I can't even think about hurting other living things or carry negative thoughts." Months before his spiritual experience, during bootcamp, Tallman recalled how he felt when he heard chants that ended with new Marines shouting the word, "kill." He remembered being scolded as a boy for saying he would kill an animal, and wondered whether he could continue on with the Marines. "It was emotionally tearing me apart because I didn't know whether to follow my heart or fill this commitment," he said in a phone interview from the California military base. In his application to leave the military, Tallman wrote: "I had a very powerful experience where my left hand started to shake, and at the same time, an amazing feeling of calmness came over me ... My heart slowed down, and my breathing, and I felt peaceful. "My hand kept trembling and I started to notice the energy in the people around me and I started to know things about them that I could never have known, things about their lives and what made them sick or in pain," he wrote. Since his spiritual experience, Tallman has been sanctified as a hand trembler in a ceremony conducted by his uncle and grandfather. He then became a certified medicine man with the Dine Hataalii Association, a group of medicine men. Tallman's uncle and grandfather also are hand tremblers. "I'm going to start learning from all the people I grew up listening to," he said. "I'm going to sit down with them and pick their brain." Cox said Tallman is the only Marine within the past year to apply for and be granted conscientious objector status. Tribal leaders, including Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr., had expressed support for Tallman. Cox suggested that might have played into Conway's decision. Tallman's mother, Nora, said she's proud of her son for standing up for his beliefs and looks forward to him joining other hand tremblers on the reservation. "Our medicine men, some of them are getting too old, and some have gone," she said. "And we do need medicine men to help people. ... It's a good thing that he got this gift." |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #7 Did he do any brig time after the UA episode? Either way, my solution would've been an interservice transfer to the U.S. Navy where he could've worked as a RP (religious programs) or in other words - a chaplain's assistant. That way he could fulfill the rest of his military obligation w/out having to worry about killing anyone and the U.S. Taxpayer would get their $$$ out of him. I.E. - like he could deploy w/the 7th Marines from the Stumps and help run the religious programs or whatever for his fellow servicemen but wouldn't have to shoot at hajjis. If he refused that offer then I am quite sure I have pegged his type - the same I've seen a hundred times in my career. I have no real problem w/any true objectors (quakers, amish, etc), but usually those people never join the mil in the first place except during the draft periods (though IIRC the amish were always draft exempt). Any time we entertain this it sets a precedent and I guarantee the junior officers and SNCO's will be inundated w/a bunch of new objector requests because of this kid. The proverbial good intention on the part of the Commandant will pave the way for much paper non-sense for me and my peers. After dealing w/plenty of "pseudo" conscientious objectors at Parris Island I am very skeptical about any "personal spiritual revelations" while in boot camp - i.e. "new found Najavo tribal beliefs". Every cycle I would have at least two recruits claim they had an epiphany where Jesus or whoever appeared to them in their sleep and told them he didn't want them killing people etc. My typical response was that Jesus also came to me last night in my sleep and told me they would be pulling this shit in the morning. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2007-01-28 12:32 |
| #6 DD and he can catch the Banning Stage out of town. Trembling hands screw up your aim anyway. |
| Posted by: Phineter Thraviger 2007-01-28 11:53 |
| #5 Actually, this demonstrates the system does respect authenticate changes in 'religious' beliefs. Don't knock that, respect it and celebrate it. The system is pretty good at picking out those who are just cowards and unhonorable [as in recanting their oath]. And yes, there are objectors, who in a draft war, did do their time in a manner that awes all of us. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2007-01-28 09:28 |
| #4 Uh huh. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-01-28 09:05 |
| #3 This happens. Back in the 1980s, I knew a promising Dineh (Navajo) ROTC cadet who was really looking forward to being an army officer, until he attended the traditional wedding of a Marine friend on the reservation. The old medicine man leading the ceremony pointed him out and said, loudly, that he was going to be a medicine man. He said a comparison would be if he was a good Catholic boy in a Catholic country visited by the Pope, and the Pope said that he was going to make him a Cardinal, so "Somebody fly him to the Vatican next Thursday and I will make him one", in front of the television cameras. A few phone calls later, his ROTC contract was over, and his future was set in concrete. On the plus side, he said, "At least I'm not going to have to learn Korean." |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-01-28 08:52 |
| #2 give him a DD, make him repay any $ spent and get rid of him. You don't want someone like this in a volunteer military |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-01-28 08:52 |
| #1 The top U.S. surgeon in Iraq was among the 12 soldiers killed when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed near Baghdad, military officials said Thursday. Col. Brian D. Allgood, 46, was one of two active-duty soldiers killed in Saturday's crash in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad. Some "medicine men" have the guts to serve and put it on the line for their country. Some don't. I salute COL Allgood and all the soldiers who died in that crash. May they rest in peace. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-01-28 08:50 |