natur08,
Thanks for the information. I was wondering if you have gone through the process of modified oath regarding bearing arms yourself.
I am just not sure what exactly would "establish" that "I am opposed to any type of Service" and "the beliefs are sincere, meaningful and deeply held"
I will provide a letter from my religious organization, but am not sure if simply writing in brief in the cover letter about the above two points would be enough.
If you went through this process yourself or knew someone who did this, that would be great.
Thanks.
I did go through the process myself and had my oath modified. There are actually a number of posts from me on the subject on this forum, so you may be able to find more information by searching it. In a nutshell, you need to establish:
To qualify for the exemption from the promises to bear arms and to perform noncombatant service in the military, a petitioner must show each of the following; (1) that he is "opposed to any type of service"; (2) that his objection is grounded in religious principles, as construed by the Supreme Court in Welsh v. U.S. , 398 U.S. 333 (1970), and U.S. v. Seeger , 280 U.S. 163 (1965); and (3) that his beliefs are sincere, meaningful, and deeply held.
You should request the modified oath in a cover letter (and have the letter from the religious organization at the interview). Only request the modified oath and state the points above in the cover letter, do not give a lengthy reasoning which can be turned against you.
Your religious organization can support you in that, but whoever writes the letter needs to cover the legal points. A long attestation to your character may be meaningless if the letter does not address them. (Ask whether they have done this before. If they have not, get advice from an organization such as the Center on Conscience & War.)
You also need to check "No" on question 36, 37, and 38, and "Yes" on questions 34, 35, and 39. Checking "No" on question 39 will get you denied.
Be prepared for some significant pushback from the IO who may not understand the subtleties or be hostile to a modified oath. If you have any other issues with your application that requires IO discretion, the request for a modified oath may work against you (even though in a perfect world, it shouldn't).