What do veterans, conscientious objectors and World War I have in common? Wednesday, Jan. 21, the panel discussion “WWI and America” in Gibble Auditorium explored connections between these three things. It was the final event of Elizabethtown College’s one-year focus on World War I.

Dean of Curriculum and Assessment, College Registrar and professor of history Dr. Brian Newsome lead the panel discussion. The panelists were World War II Army veteran Herb Ridyard, professor of anthropology and Vietnam War Navy veteran Dr. Robert Wheelersburg and Vietnam War conscientious objector Herman Bontrager.

Ridyard served as a rifleman and ammunition bearer for a heavy-machine-gun squad with the 94th Infantry Division in Patton’s Third Army. He was in combat for eight months during campaigns in Northern France, the Ardennes, the Rhineland and Central Germany. He received four campaign battle stars, the Combat Infantry Badge and the Bronze Star for Valor for his service.

Wheelersburg joined the Navy two weeks after graduating from high school in 1973. Two years later, he volunteered as a medic in the Vietnam War. He received fourteen awards before retiring from the reserve in 2003. He has also received two Fulbright Fellowships.

From an Anabaptist background, Bontrager served as a conscientious objector in El Salvador during the Vietnam War. Afterwards, he continued to work in Latin America for about half of his working career.

After introducing the panelists, Newsome compared the public’s reaction to the U.S.’s involvement in World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War. According to Newsome, U.S. entry into World War I was controversial. After the tragedy of Pearl Harbor, U.S. entry into World War II was less controversial than World War I. U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War was the most controversial.

“The Vietnam War was, of course, far more controversial than World War I ever was,” Newsome said.

Since no survivors of World War I are still living, Newsome connected the discussion to the war by asking the panelists three questions based on readings from “WWI and America: Told by the Americans Who Lived It.”

He also asked panelists to share their experiences with and opinions of topics like patriotism, pacifism and America’s role in the international community.

The first question was what the panelists remembered about the public’s reaction to U.S. entry into the war that they were involved with. Ridyard spoke about his experience in World War II first.

“It is true that after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the country was united,” Ridyard said.

Despite this united reason to join World War II, Ridyard also remembered prominent figures like his hero Charles Lindberg and Henry Ford speaking out against U.S. involvement in the war. He recalled his neighbors expressing opinions against the war as well.

“We pulled their chestnuts out of the fire in World War I, and we’re not going to do it again in World War II,” Ridyard remembered one neighbor saying.
Wheelersburg spoke next about how the U.S. draft during the Vietnam War caused Americans to ask the same questions that people asked during the draft in World War I. Wheelersburg believed the draft caused the public to be more interested in the war and question why the U.S. was at war.

“If we’re going to have a war, I feel we should have a draft,” Wheelersburg said.

Bontrager spoke about what it was like to be a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. He recalled people viewing those of his faith as “yellow-bellied.” He decided to serve in El Salvador because he felt he should serve abroad like those fighting abroad.

“Harming or killing another person was not an option,” Bontrager said. “We were willing to die for what was right but not kill for it.”

The second question was about the role of chance and luck during wartime. For this question, Ridyard started the conversation with a story about his first day in combat.

He had just laid down to rest when the German artillery started firing on them. Luckily, he managed to dive into a nearby trench. After this, Ridyard felt he both learned what fear was and how to live with courage. He also believes the Holy Spirit, not luck, is what kept him alive during the war.

Bontrager continued with information about his civilian service in El Salvador. He found it fitting that he taught locals how to farm newly acquired land since he grew up on an Amish farm. Like Ridyard, Bontrager also remembered experiencing fear.

“The bullets were flying,” Bontrager said. “Granted, I was never the target of those bullets like you were, Herb. I just want to acknowledge that. So, it wasn’t the same, but I felt that fear.”

Wheelersburg spoke about working for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for five years. He felt guilty thinking like the enemy and imagining possible terrorist attacks.

One scenario he came up with was a UPS truck driving a bomb into the Pentagon. Soldiers responded to this scenario as part of their training. A month later, Sept. 11, 2001, an airplane hit the Pentagon, and those same soldiers responded to the attack.

Newsome’s last question was about the panelists’ road home and experiences after the war.

Wheelersburg started the conversation with how the public treated returning Vietnam veterans. He remembered prominent figures calling them “cry babies” and some companies refusing to hire them.

When Bontrager returned, he was surprised that his community was not more interested in learning about the poverty of the El Salvadoran people he had learned to love. He also wished society would tell the story of pacifists who made sacrifices during wars like they tell the stories of war heroes.

Ridyard remembered returning from the war with more muscles and better health than when he left. He also believes the GI Bill was the best thing about after the war. He was able to pursue a degree in engineering thanks to this bill. He also talked about coming to peace with the German people after World War II.

Senior Sara Bates attended the panel discussion for Peacemaker in Residence at the Center for Global Understanding and Peacemaking Dr. Jonathan Rudy’s Peacebuilding Themes and Trends class. She learned that war is a complex issue with many gray areas. She also learned more about conscientious objectors.

“It was nice that the College got [the panelists] together to share their different experiences peacefully,” Bates said.