Charles Cooley was interned during WWII in CPS Camps 48, Marienville, PA; 16, Kane, PA; 56, Waldport, OR; and 21, Cascade Locks, OR.
"The Biblical phrase being 'Fools for Christ's Sake' is pretty marvelous because it doesn't mean that you're really a fool. It means you look like a fool to the average citizen because you're following Christ when they have no intention of doing that. I think that's what it means. The Scout Chief was the one fella that I suppose was giving me a hard time [about choosing to be a CO]. He said to me when I went to the Scout office to get a permit to take my troop to our camp.... 'Cooley, there's a rumor that I don't believe; it can't be true. Somebody said that you're claiming to be a Conscientious Objector.' Well, I said 'I am.' Oh, he was mad! He was a former Marine, and he was mad.... He wrote to the National Headquarters and told them that I was unpatriotic, and I shouldn't be leading a Scout Troop. Now, the sad thing is, I let him get away with it. It was before I had become what I call myself, a 'fighting pacifist.' [Today] I feel like insisting that certain things be worked out rather than just accepting them...."
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