Editing Mennonites (section)

=== Alternative service ===
[[File:CPS141ratpoison.jpg|thumb|Mennonite conscientious objector Harry Lantz distributes rat poison for [[Endemic typhus|typhus]] control in [[Gulfport, Mississippi|Gulfport]], Mississippi (1946).]]

During [[World War II]], Mennonite [[conscientious objectors]] were given the options of noncombatant military service, serving in the medical or dental corps under military control, or working in parks and on roads under civilian supervision. Over 95% chose the latter and were placed in Alternative Service camps.<ref>Gingerich p. 420.</ref> Initially the men worked on road building, forestry and firefighting projects. After May 1943, as a labor shortage developed within the nation, men were shifted into agriculture, education and industry. The 10,700 Canadian objectors were mostly Mennonites (63%) and [[Doukhobor]]s (20%).<ref>Krahn, pp. 76–78.</ref>

In the United States, [[Civilian Public Service]] (CPS) provided an alternative to military service during World War II. From 1941 to 1947, 4,665 Mennonites, Amish and [[Brethren in Christ]]<ref>Gingerich p. 452.</ref> were among nearly 12,000 conscientious objectors who performed ''work of national importance'' in 152 CPS camps throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. The draftees worked in areas such as soil conservation, forestry, fire fighting, agriculture, social services and mental health.

The CPS men served without wages and with minimal support from the federal government. The cost of maintaining the CPS camps and providing for the needs of the men was the responsibility of their congregations and families. Mennonite Central Committee coordinated the operation of the Mennonite camps. CPS men served longer than regular draftees, not being released until well past the end of the war. Initially skeptical of the program, government agencies learned to appreciate the men's service and requested more workers from the program. CPS made significant contributions to forest fire prevention, erosion and flood control, medical science and reform of the mental health system.