It’s fire season in the West. Spring fires consumed 35,000 acres in Colorado by mid-April. Continuing drought has left large sections of the Rocky Mountain region vulnerable to wildfires. But the blazes aren’t limited to lands west of the Missouri River. The fires of war in Iraq and the Middle East are surrounding Americans as well.
Linking Western wildfires with war might seem to be a leap in literary license. Montana writer Mark Matthews has compiled a story illuminating this nearly forgotten link. “Smoke Jumping on the Western Fire Line: Conscientious Objectors During World War II” fills a gap in the history of the American West. It shines a light on a way of life ridiculed during World War II and still misunderstood by some Americans today.
In 1994, while attending the University of Montana as graduate student in journalism, Matthews became aware of a slide-show presentation at the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center in Missoula. The program detailed the contributions made by conscientious objectors of the Civilian Public Service (CPS) to the development of smoke jumping during the 1940s.
Matthews, a former wildland firefighter, was intrigued with the story. He began by enlisting the aid of 84-year-old Missoula resident Roy Wegner, who once had been the director of CPS Camp 103 near Huson, Mont. Together Matthews and Wegner conducted interviews of former CPS smoke jumpers. Matthews combined those interviews with written testimonials and biographical sketches into a valuable, if uneven, history of the development of smoke jumping techniques and the contributions made by the “conchies” during World War II.
Camp 103 was home to 250 conscientious objectors during the war; the camp was one of 218 camps throughout the country that housed men who worked on projects of “national importance” rather than serving in the armed forces. They labored in areas such as soil conservation, farm work, Bureau of Reclamation projects, staffing mental hospitals and smoke jumping.
These men, whose beliefs caused them to be scorned as outcasts, were harassed, humiliated and often called yellowbellies. Smoke jumping gave them a feeling of pride and accomplishment in the face of public ostracism. At Camp 103, the young men gained experience and the skills necessary to confidently jump out a Ford Trimotor airplane and fight wild fires for the United States Forest Service. Though these men were not the first to “hit the silk,” they performed an important role during this formative period of smoke jumping.
“In some ways, the conscientious objectors functioned as guinea pigs. After observing the CPSers’ experiences, Forest Service specialists developed current smoke jumper training, parachuting, and firefighting techniques that have since become standard practice.”
Matthews gets off to a good start. The opening chapters provide a solid overview of the history of conscientious objection in the United States and explain the role played by three recognized peace churches. He crafts a solid narrative showing how these men came to grips with their choice to not take up arms and the struggles they faced during the war.
He concludes with thoughtful analysis from the former smoke jumpers revealing how, upon reflection, this period served as a window onto the wider world and helped solidify their belief in pacifism.
“As the years rolled along I found it easier to talk openly about my CO experiences and my pacifist beliefs, in essence making a witness to a philosophy not readily accepted or understood by the majority of our society,” one said.
The book loses some intensity in the middle section. Chapters dealing with the day-to-day life in the camp become bogged down by the author’s inclusion of insignificant details and too many story tellers.
Still “Smoke Jumping” is worthwhile to readers interested in the history of the West or wanting information on the contributions made by conscientious objectors. It gives due to these brave young men who contributed to America during World War II. Words written in 1993 by one jumper are worth thinking about today: “The military-industrial complex that has held us as hostages for many generations will be rejected universally. Peace will break out, the air, land and waters will be pure and safe, and happiness will prevail on Earth.”
Julie Foster is a freelance writer living in Sacramento and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle.
Smoke Jumping on the Western Fire Line
Conscientious Objectors During World War II
By Mark Matthews
University of Oklahoma Press, 320 pages, $29.95
