Bishop Rights: Coffee Strong Welcomes Travis Bishop

Bishop Rights: Coffee Strong Welcomes Travis Bishop

Travis Bishop walked into Coffee Strong on Thursday morning, March 25, released from the Ft Lewis brig after serving a seven and a half month sentence, for conscientious objection to service in Afghanistan. He seemed dazed by smiling faces in greeting, and then offered a big hug.

Many people helped with his early release: Gerry Condon and VFP 92, Jeff Patterson and Sarah Lazare at Courage to Resist, the great reporting skills of Dahr Jamail; Seth Manzel, James Branum, LeGrand Jones, Coffee Strong crew, and Amnesty International Puget Sound; 538 letter writers who were persistent! It felt like a community cared, and soldiers gathered to extend their appreciation. Good food and guitar strumming marked the occasion.

“Travis is an inspiration to all who want to actively oppose the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am very proud to have met him and am glad he is part of the Coffee Strong community,” said one of the soldiers.

Sergeant Bishop refused to serve in Afghanistan, based on his Baptist upbringing, and current convictions that Jesus practiced a strict pacifism. His convictions earned him the title of Prisoner of Conscience from Amnesty International. And he wished he had known sooner that he could have filed conscientious objection paperwork. (Travis thought this was an anachronism from the Vietnam War era).

We talked about how difficult it was to get letters delivered, once he had people listed on his “acceptance list.” He said even his mother’s letters were returned.

The most critical part of his journey remains to unfold. Attorney James Branum wrote last Fall about his dedication to pursuing what he terms “Bishop’s Rights”—the right for every young soldier to be apprised of their conscientious objection rights, without punishments (that include loss of rank, loss of benefits and dishonorable discharge, not to mention isolation, jail sentences, and possibly, abusive treatment).

While Travis is recovering from this experience, and planning what he will do next, Branum assures us the Bishop’s Rights effort continues, heading to Congress for approval.

Because Bishop literally did not know he could file conscientious objection paperwork, he was denied rights initially by both the Ft Hood command, and the Pentagon.

Bishop could see that the last minute nature of his filing made it difficult to lend credence to it in the eyes of the military. However, he says most of the military knows nothing about this option.

For this reason, James Branum will continue the clemency appeal he filed, which addresses Bishop’s unit not considering his conscientious objection filing; and the concerns articulated by others who witnessed the court-martial. And concerns were filed regarding treatment of Bishop and other prisoners during his Ft Lewis incarceration.

Travis will pick up his country western career, and is considering returning to school. He will continue to support other soldiers, who like him, are conscientious objectors.