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Objector to launch job training for soldiers

ATLANTA — For Kevin Benderman, being in the military was a part of life — his ancestors served the country as far back as the Revolutionary War.

But his 2003 tour of duty in Iraq caused the Hinesville, Ga., man to develop more than a sense of honor to his country and fellow soldiers — he also concluded the war was wrong.

“After I went to Iraq, I came back having feelings about some things I saw — I got the feeling it wasn’t right,” the 42-year-old said.

He tried to file for status as a conscientious objector but instead was court-martialed in July 2005 for missing movement for his second deployment in Iraq with the Fort Stewart, Ga.-based 3rd Infantry Division.

In August, Benderman finished a 15-month sentence in the stockade at Fort Lewis, Wash. The Army mechanic came Sunday to the Atlanta Film Festival for the world premiere of the documentary “Soldiers of Conscience.”

The film, which later will be presented in film festivals in Seattle and Massachusetts, is about Benderman and other U.S. soldiers whose experiences in Iraq prompted them to seek out conscientious objector status.

About 75 people attended the premiere, including Ted Brodek of Atlanta.

“I think he did the right process of analyzing” to make his decision to not return to Iraq, said Brodek, 64. “We need to be very worried about a military that is very separate from civilian society.”

Benderman currently is on administrative leave from the Army while his case is on appeal. His conviction reduced his rank from sergeant to private and he also will receive a dishonorable discharge from the Army. His decision also was embraced by anti-war activists but scorned by soldiers.

“If there’s anything I can get across to soldiers, it’s that I’m not against them. But I am against war,” he said.

Despite the hurdles, the 42-year-old has been focusing on positive ways to help other soldiers. He has been working with his wife, Monica, on Benderman’s Bridge Inc., a project to help troops returning from Iraq adjust to civilian life through job training and peer counseling.

They are trying to raise $20,000 to turn Paradise Motel, located near Waycross, Ga., into an on-the-job training site for veterans. They said they’ve received offers from people to help instruct veterans on everything from hotel and restaurant management to plumbing and landscaping.

“They come out of the military with just combat arms skills,” Benderman said. “They need something they can use on the outside,” he said.