What is Civilian Public Service?
Civilian Public Service (CPS) was a program developed at the onset of WWII which provided those whose conscience forbade them to kill, the opportunity to do work of national importance under civilian direction rather than go to war. Nearly 12,000 men made this choice, and many women voluntarily joined the cause. They fought forest fires, worked in mental institutions, planted trees, did dairy testing and served as subjects for medical experiments in more than 150 camps scattered throughout the United States.
How can you help?
In files, drawers and boxes lie letters, photos, diaries, journals, and assorted papers of the nearly 12,000 men of CPS, plus letters of wives and girl friends. In this is a wealth of information that calls for preservation. CPS men, COGs, (Conscientious Objector Girls), families and friends are urged to place their records in established historical archives and to report to the website such placements.
Welcome to the Civilian Public Service story, a website created by CPS alumni to help tell the story of conscientious objectors choosing to live peace in the World War II era.