Marine Corps Reservist Stephen Funk has publicly declared his conscientious objection to war, turning himself over to theU.S. military authorities on Tuesday morning, April 1, 2003 at 9 am. He explained his decision to the media at the 1st Beach TerminalOperations, 4th Landing Support Battalion, located at 901 E. Mission Street in San Jose. Funk, who grew up in Seattle, is one of an unknown number of reservists and active duty service members who have declared themselves Conscientious Objectors in current Iraqi conflict and any other war.

"I refuse to kill," says the twenty-year-old reservist. "It is scary to confront the military, because the military teaches you to submit to orders even when you object. I may not be a hero, but I know that it takes courage to disobey. I know that it demands courage to say "no" in the face of coercion."

Funk enlisted in the Marine Corps in February 2002 and easily made it through six months of Marine boot camp where he specialized in assisting helicopters land. But as he trained in the use of weapons and how to kill with a bayonet, Funk became increasingly uneasy about what his new career really meant. According to his attorney Stephen Collier, Funk went on Unauthorized Absence (UA) early this year, but has always intended to turn himself in.

"I cannot in good conscience take part in war. I object to war because I believe that it is impossible to achieve peace through violence,"says Funk, who added, "I hope that other soldiers will find the courage to follow their beliefs. I hope other soldiers will listen to the voice of their conscience and come, in their own ways, to question the "logic" of war. I hope other soldiers will come to see that they are more than cogs in the machinery of war, but free individuals with the unconquerable power of free will."

It seems that the reservist may not be alone in his concern. Calls to the G.I. Rights Hotline, a group that counsels soldiers about their legal rights, have spiked recently, doubling since 2002. 3,582 calls were recorded in January and 3,118 in February, 2003. There were1,585 calls in September of 2002. The number for the G.I. Rights Hotline is (800) 394-9544.