Mennonite Soldier.

by Kenneth Reed

Mastie and Ira Stoltzfus, Mennonite brothers in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, face the draft in World War I.

Ira chooses the traditional Mennonite position of conscientious objection to war. He refuses to cooperate with military officials at Ethan Allen Camp in Georgia, suffers repeated indignities, and is sentenced to 25 years in Ft. Leavenworth for refusing an officer's order to plant marigolds.

Excommunicated from church, Mastie joins the Army against the wishes of his parents and his intimate Mennonite girlfriend, Annie. Following basic training, he is shipped to the front lines in France and mans a machine gun in battle with the Kaiser's troops.

As the story shifts back and forth between Ira and Mastie, you will be caught up in a powerful examination of love and war, duty and conscience, and the starkly different experiences of two boys from the same Mennonite home.

518 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1974

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the Author is a Mennonite, he apparently agrees to both sides of fighting in war. Reading this book underlines the flaws of the Mennonite religion. They take the Bible literally, whereas, they should be taking the Word with context to what the scriptures actually say whether your reading in the OT or the NT. The lens of both characters shows the, 1st son (Mastie), the gung-ho of going to war, his unfaith, and excommunication from the church for his rebellious ways and his change throughout the war. Seeing death and being apart of it can for sure change a man to become a pacifist in a hurry. I've recently read a book with an example of a non Mennonite becoming a pacifist just because he saw so much evil in the world, including what he had to do to survive. The 2nd son (Ira), bound by the ignorance of his faith, heading into war a complete conscientious objector in everything the war had to offer. Turning to his beliefs he then found in a court-martial due to hitting an officer and disobeying orders, contradicting himself. This is the 1st world war, where the men were drafted no matter their religious beliefs. In the 2nd sons end, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison and was made to sound very depressed and his faith falling apart. On the other hand the 1st sons end was finding his faith and going back to a forgiven full life with friends, family, and love.