Frank Pauc: Why my son joined the Army

In our hallway we have a black and white photo of my father-in-law, Max Hanke. The picture shows Max as a young man. He is wearing a military uniform. In Max's case it is the uniform of an enlisted man in the Luftwaffe during World War II. My wife and I have a son, Hans, who is presently about the same age as Max was when this photo was taken so many years ago. Hans bears a strong resemblance to grandfather. They are similar in many ways.

When I was eighteen I went to West Point. My father had served for a while in a Navy during the early 1950's and he encouraged me to join the military. I graduated in 1980 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. I went to flight school and I flew helicopters for five years in the Army. I was stationed in Germany, and there I met and married my wife, Karin. I spent many evenings with Karin's family, talking in German with her father and her uncles. As time went on, they told me stories about their youth. I heard a lot about their lives during the Second World War.

Max had been drafted into the German military when he turned eighteen in 1938. He went into Poland during the invasion of that country. He was stationed in Italy for a while and then he wound up on the Russian front, like most of the other German soldiers. He ended up back in Germany with half of his lung shot out. He never went home. He had no idea where his family members were for months. Karin's Uncle Kurt was kept in a French prisoner of war camp until 1948. Her Uncle Friedolin was an German anti-aircraft gunner who only by sheer luck escaped being caught up in the firebombing of Dresden. Karin's Aunt Aga fled with her parents from Silesia ( now part of Poland ) just before the arrival of the Soviet troops. All these people suffered tremendously, and they all rebuilt their shattered lives.

The time I spent with Karin's family made me question the morality of my chosen profession. Everybody I had met had at one time been our country's enemy. But every one of them was a kind and compassionate person. It made me wonder why we were trying so hard to kill good people. It made me understand that every person, whether our enemy at the time or not, is a human being, just like me. In 1986 I resigned from the Army. I was beginning my journey toward pacifism. In 1987 Hans was born.

Time went by, and our children started growing up. 9/11 happened and then the invasion of Afghanistan. In 2003 our country invaded Iraq. As these events unfolded, I became motivated to speak out against the wars. I was ( and still am ) active in working to end the wars. Admittedly, I have not been as dedicated and passionate about it as many other people have been, but I tried to do what I could. I was very determined that our children would not have participate in these wars. When Hans turned eighteen, I went with him to the Quaker Meeting House in Milwaukee to learn how he could become a conscientious objector if the draft started up again. I worked with Hans on building a paper trail to show that he was a pacifist.

Hans went to MATC to study carpentry. He decided that he didn't want to continue in school. He decided instead to move down to Texas, where we have family, and try to make it on his own down there. Hans struggled for a couple years to make ends meet. He couldn't find work in construction, and he wound up in a minimum wage job in the mailroom of a newspaper. The economy took a hit and his job became less than secure.

In October of last year Hans called my wife and told her that he joined the Army. It would be a gross understatement to say that we were surprised by his announcement. " Shock and awe " would better describe it. It took a while for it to sink in, and it took a number of long distance phone calls to understand why he had made this decision. Eventually, it started to make sense.

The truth is that Hans' reasons for joining the Army are no different than my reasons for joining thirty-some years ago, and my reasons for joining are really no different than the ones my father had for joining the Navy in the prior generation. Primarily it was an economic decision. Hans is tired of being poor. He is tired of being in a deadend job. He wants to have things like a new pick up truck, or a house in the backwoods somewhere. He has dreams, and he needs money to bring those dreams to fruition.

It would over-simplistic to say that the decision our son made, like the decisions of many other young people, is solely motivate by economics. There is more to it. Hans wants to have an adventure. I understand that. A young man should have an adventure. A young woman should probably have one too. Part of youth involves risk-taking and participating in activities that are somewhat dangerous. Those of us who are older tend to play it safe, and we forget what a joy it was to do things that straddled the fine line between courageous and stupid. There is also an idealism in the young that often fades as time goes on. There is a desire to serve a higher purpose, even if that purpose is morally ambivalent.

My feelings about all that has happened are decidedly mixed. I admire Hans for making a commitment; it was a gutsy move. It was especially bold considering he knew that I would be deadset against it. I am sad because I had hoped so much to end this cycle in our family. I had hoped for my generation to be the last that felt the need to wear a uniform. I really had thought that I had driven stake through the heart of this nonsense. I fear for Hans, mostly for the condition of his soul. He has a gentle spirit; I would want him to keep that.

Hans starts basic training on February 8th. He came to visit us last week. He brought a sticker for our car. It says " Proud Parent of a Soldier ". I put it on the car near the sticker that says " War is not the Answer ". Both statements are true.

Frank Pauc
Oak Creek, WI

Frank Pauc is a member of Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice.