Mellen Thomas-Benedict - EFTBooks.com

Mellen-Thomas Benedict’s Near-Death ExperienceAt that time, they were threatening either two years in themilitary or two years in prison, and that seemed to be theonly options. So I announced to my family that I was goingto resist the war and I wasn’t going to be drafted.And everybody turned on me. My Mother, my brother, myfather—I was immediately disowned. I pretty much foundmyself on the streets. So I didn’t talk to my parents formany, many, many years after that. I didn’t like them. I didn’tlet them know if I was alive or dead.Angela: So I take it you didn’t go to jail?Mellen: No. I had never heard the word pacifist before,conscious objector, all those were new words to me. I justkept telling them “I don’t believe in this, I will never killpeople on orders. If I ever kill anybody, ever in my life, thatwill be between me and my conscious.”Oddly enough, I got a letter weeks later—this was after Ihad been disowned and all that—I got a letter saying thatthey had checked my medical history—because I did fill outall the forms and everything in the beginning of the draftprocess—and they found that in the fifth grade I’d had a leginjury that precluded me from military service.At the time, I was skydiving, I was a pole vaulter and I heardthis voice, clear as day—I was going to say, “But wait, I’man athlete,” and this voice as clear as day said “shut up!”© Mellen-Thomas Benedict 2008 • 11 • & Angela Treat Lyon 2008Mellen-Thomas.com • All rights reserved • Protected Internationally • EFTBooks.com