Sarah E. Marsh

I, Sarah Elizabeth Marsh, first met Daniel J. Lakemacher at the Evangelical Free Church of Crystal Lake youth group when I was in eighth grade and he was a senior in high school. Dan was a charismatic outgoing young man who was a respected and involved student leader in the group. Over the next several years he dated and married my older sister, thus my contact, interactions, and friendship with him grew and have continued to this day.

From my interactions with Dan he impresses me as someone who is deeply introspective and actively strives to make his personal beliefs and his life actions congruent. Early in my friendship with Dan he taught several Sunday-school lessons in the youth group we both belonged to. One such lesson was paralleling the drive and devotion needed to excel at sports and the drive and devotion that should be put into Christian faith. In that lesson Dan told the story, which exemplifies his life, about wanting to become the best ping-pong player and spending hours practicing by himself and with others in order to hone his skills. While Dan's beliefs in God and Christianity have changed drastically since that lesson roughly a decade ago, the enthusiasm, determination, and congruency with which he approaches life has not.

When Dan first enlisted in the military the sincerity of his belief in the "War on Terror" was evident. He proudly announced his decision to friends and family, avidly read books written by soldiers and military experts, embarked on a self-motivated fitness routine, pursued SEAL testing, and discussed ideas of staying in the military for his career. Dan seemed physically, psychologically, and emotionally content and happy with life in the military. When he deployed to Guantanamo Bay we kept in touch through periodic e-mails and instant messaging, and it was during this time that I distinctly saw his ideas and beliefs beginning to change. He began questioning not only his role in the military but also the military and government's role in society and the world at large.

Several months ago when Dan first explicitly discussed his intention to file for status as a conscientious objector with me, it came as no surprise. Just as with other major paradigm shifts in his life Dan had been discussing, reading, and reflecting on his new beliefs for some time. Being a man of integrity and honesty I knew that Dan must would change his actions to coincide with his beliefs, despite the fact that filing for conscientious objector status would, and has, drawn harsh criticism from family members and friends who he cares about deeply.

Dan and I disagree, to an extent, on issues of war and God; but, their is no doubt in my mind that Dan sincerely and honestly believes war is immoral and that being a part of the military means he is supporting an institution he vehemently believes to be immoral and wrong. Due to Dan's deeply held belief in the immorality of war I believe it is in his best interest emotionally and psychologically to gain status as a conscientious objector.

Sincerely,

Sarah Marsh