Thirty-five years ago I volunteered for the United States Navy. I volunteered for the Hospital Corps because like this man I didn’t think I could kill people. It ain’t in me. No amount of training can overcome my most basic instincts and core values. Agustin Aguayo deserves a medal, but he’ll likely get jail time and maybe even a less than honorable discharge. Agustin’s got real guts. I’m praying for him. There are hundreds or perhaps thousands else like him. We decry the violence at places like Virginia Tech and imprison people like Agustin. We have deep problems here man, deep problems.
“When I hear my sergeants talking about slashing people’s throats,” he said, crying openly, “if I’m not a conscientious objector, what am I when I’m feeling all this pain when people talk about violence?” –Agustín Aguayo.