KARAJAS, John

Family Name:

Karajas

Given Names:

John

Gender:

Male

Birth-date:

Unknown, probably 1947

Death-date:

Unknown

Marital Status:

Age/ Age Range:

23 years old

Location:

WA, Nollamara

Occupation:

National Serviceman

Primary Motivation:

Conscientious Objection, encouraging draft resistance

Reason for Court Appearance:

Applied for discharge as a conscientious objector

Court Name and Location:

Military Court, Western Australia

Court Hearing Date:

11November 1970

Court Outcome:

Discharged from the army before a hearing

Military Event:

National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972

Further Information:

John Karajas as a 23-year-old from Nollamara in Western Australia. He held a Bachelor Science with Honours in Geology. He was conscripted into the army under the National Service Act 1964-1972 (NSA). He wrote to the Tribune newspaper five months after serving in the army about his experience and his battle with his conscience. He stated that like most Australian youths he decided to take his chances in the birth-date ballot and registered as required by the NSA. He said he had always been opposed to all wars, but the spirit of excitement and adventure of war and a fear of prison led to him making the most foolish decision of his life. His birthdate was selected and after passing the medical John became a Private in the Army. John was selected as suitable for officer training and was sent to the Scheyville Officer Training Unit about forty miles north-west of Sydney. His experience was a bad one and he expressed very negative views about the nature and purpose of his training. He resigned from Scheyville and was transferred to the School of Military Engineering at Casula, New South Wales. He left Casula and returned to Western Australia where he was actively engaged in encouraging draft resistance and urging conscripts to leave the army. He sated that he quickly found out from soldiers returning from Vietnam that prisoners had generally two alternatives – to be shot, or to be raped and then shot. He stated he had once heard a warrant officer say, “if you should capture a woman, do the right thing by the troops…”. John informed that Tribune that after five months in the army he could no longer allow himself to be trained as a murderer and applied for discharge as a conscientious objector. In late September 1970 he was on leave without pay facing what he called his “trial”. He concluded his letter to the Tribune saying he hoped any person thinking of registering for national service would keep his experience in mind. Just before the 11 November 1970 date for his hearing, John received notice that he was to be administratively discharged from the army. This came three months after he applied to be registered as a conscientious objector and went on leave without pay. It was noted in December 1970 that John was working in Perth.

Confirmatory Sources:

Tribune, 30 September 1970, p.11; 11 November 1970, p.1 and p.11; 9 December 1970, p.11.