Ensign Michael Izbicki recently graduated Annapolis was honorably discharged last week after several years of trying to get the Navy to let him out of his enlistment agreement. He is a Quaker (a Christian denomination famous for its pacifist beliefs) but the investigator in the case thought they were some sort of cult, according to the Christian Post. It seems this was a progressive development following being asked in a psychological screening in 2009 whether he could fire a nuclear missile and led him to realize he couldn’t kill because of his religious beliefs. This follows a similar case in 2005 of a West Point graduate (Joshua Casteel) who claimed Conscientious Objector status after a jihadist challenged him on his Christian principles in Iraq. Izbicki will have to pay back the cost of his education as part of the decision. Casteel was under no similar obligation, having served for 8 years. Though I disagree with their interpretation of Scripture, I think both cases were (at least in the end) properly handled. Moreover, I’m tremendously glad our military recognizes conscientious objection as a legitimate religious disqualifier to military service.
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