World War II Conscientious Objectors: Germfask, Michigan the Alcatraz Camp

by Jane Kopecky

A small group of World War II political dissidents reveal how they survived what they called America’s Siberia Concentration Camp. Before the Vietnam War Americans considered conscientious objectors equal to criminals. This book sheds much needed light on the little known conscientious objector camp at Germfask, Michigan, how the local community responded to the camp, and how opinions have changed.
Michigan Historical Society Award
Michigan UP Notable Book Award

Genres: Nonfiction, Historical

200 pages, Paperback

Published August 12, 2020

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was utterly fascinating and more readable than I expected. What was both surprising and beneficial to the overall story was the loose organization. Kopecky tackles the Germfask camp as an outsider first -- offering some context as well as information from interviews and letters from former inmates. In part two, more extended individual reminisces are offered. There is a lot of repetition in this approach, but it allowed the camp to be seen from many different perspectives, and so as a reader I felt as though while there was no cohesive, chronological story, the information presented ultimately gave a pretty comprehensive view of the Germfask camp and the way the U.S. dealt with conscientious objectors (COs) in WWII. Comparisons were made between the CO camp and the Japanese Internment camps, as well as a German POW camp that was located not far from Germfask.

I found it fascinating that the COs in religious camps were expected to pay for their own upkeep, and that they were treated as kind of a cross between prisoners and unwilling civil servants. They were not as restricted as prisoners, and were frequently granted leave (and some took leave without permission), but they were still forced to report to these camps, were transferred between them, and were supposed to do productive work while there.

The disparity between how these inmates were characterized is fascinating, too. Germfask was supposed to house the most difficult COs, and there is some discussion of mental health issues, but the reality of a "difficult" inmate was one who protested being forced to work by... working slowly. I mean, it was more than just that, but on one hand, these were the "troublemakers" and on the other hand they viewed themselves (and each other) as very intelligent, community-oriented men. They helped each other through legal troubles and family illness. There was also the way that an almost-violent incident in the neighboring town of Newberry is described on one hand as a response to one of the inmates raping a local girl (no evidence for this seems to exist). But the inmates themselves describe the incident as simply local resentment toward the COs. And it's easy to see how their could be local resentment stewing: these men are sitting comfortably while others' sons, brothers, husbands, fathers are off fighting a war that they did not necessarily want to fight either.

The descriptions of the process of being designated a conscientious objector are interesting, and the fact that Germfask was not the only camp in Michigan -- the others must have held less problematic objectors, but there are several other camps listed in the appendix. Also included are camp protest songs (quite a few), and a short tidbit about the COs being part of starvation medical experiments -- voluntarily it looks like.

There's just a lot here. And when taken alongside the way the U.S. treated Japanese Americans at the same time, it's a fascinating look at liberty vs. duty.

Bonus: the author served on the Selective Service Draft Board for 20 years to better understand this issue. That kind of commitment elevated this entire book.

[Linda Ethier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane Kopecky's book is about the little known CPS (Civilian Public Service) camp near Germfask, Michigan, which held Conscientious Objectors from 1944 to 1945. Unlike most CO/CPS camps, Camp Germfask was not sponsored by a religious group opposed to war like the Mennonites or Quakers. Rather, it was set up to hold those who objected more on philosophical grounds and those who caused problems in other camps.

The book itself is a collection of background information, photos, primary documents, and the transcripts of numerous interviews of the administrators, locals, and detainees themselves. Although it could be better organized, the collection would be worth reading for anyone interested in UP (Upper Peninsula) history or in the Conscientious Objector topic.

[Jerry Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

World War II Conscientious Objectors: Germfask, Michigan the Alcatraz Camp by Jane Kopecky (2020) was of great interest to me. I was a conscientious objector (CO) during the Vietnam War. I did my two years of alternative service here in Michigan. I found reading about the experiences of COs from three decades prior to my civilian service to be very interesting.
Germfask was created to be the camp for CO’s that had strong objections against World War II. During WW II there were many religious COs from the “peace churches” (Mennonites, Quakers and Brethren). And their were anti war pacifists who saw their assignment to a CO camp service-without-pay. They were not easily integrated into regular CO camps which housed mostly members of the peace churches. Thus, the Selective Service System need a camp for these COs who were anti-war pacifists. And Germfask was created.
The book tells the story of Germfask and how it was operated. And it has many reflective pieces written by the conscientious objectors ordered there as they recalled their experiences at Germfask some 35 or more years earlier.
I found it to be a fascinating read.

[Mariah Oleszkowicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic history of conscientious objectors and first-hand accounts of those co's during WWII. We get background information about how these units were formed, why there were in certain locations and why Germfask was so different. We also get a history about the town itself which is interesting. I also found it interesting that the religious objectors were more violent and more every-man-for-himself, while the non-religious men were more willing to work together. The interviews given by the detainees were great. Their explanations of why they did what they did were very humble and well-said. The only person I took a dislike to was Ickier Bjorn. His memoir was very haughty and he clearly thought he was a better man than most. Very off-putting.

[Annika · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely fascinating book of memoirs, documents, correspondence, and interviews about a conscientious objector camp in Germfask, a tiny town in the Upper Peninsula, during World War II. The scant information I previously knew about COs came from reading a biography of Bayard Rustin, but I had no idea of just how many CO camps there were across the U.S. or how they functioned.

I do wish that there had been some more introductory and explanatory material rather than just primary source documents, and there didn't seem to be much thought behind the order that the documents were put into. Still, there was a certain charm to piecing together the story of the camp through so many different perspectives and told in such a variety of ways without any external guidance from the author.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting read with regards to the Conscientious Objectors during WWII and the camps that housed them. Particular focus is placed on a Germfask, MI camp near where the author, Jane Kopecky, grew up. The Germfask camp held all of the "Bad Boys" that were "weeded out". Personal accounts of who these men were and what they stood for is a side of WWII history that is seldom covered.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s hard not to draw comparisons between the different perspectives depending on if it’s towns people or conscientious objectors and how still today, if you don’t agree with somebody they’re crazy and mentally unstable or lazy or unpatriotic when maybe that’s not actually the case.

It’s fascinating how all of these primary sources describe the same event with varying degrees of differences.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting to read about this camp located in a small town near where my husband grew up. How fortunate the author was able to do interviews before the verbal history is lost.

[Mary Vogelsong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye-opening read about conscientious objectors who refused alternative service.

[Ann Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating. I had no idea.