Military Experience & Opting Out

Reflections on military service, including experiences as an Air Force officer and pilot, and the transition to civilian life and conscientious objection.

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Voices from Service

Military experience shapes perspectives on authority, aggression, and peace in profound ways. At LibertyBug, we share firsthand accounts from those who served — and those who chose to walk away.

Jessica Pavoni — Air Force Officer & Pilot

Jessica Pavoni served as an officer and pilot in the United States Air Force before her journey toward voluntaryism and conscientious objection. Her transition from military service to anti-war advocacy informs much of the writing on this site, including her speech at the first annual Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity Foreign Policy conference in Virginia.

Dave Nierenberg — F-15E Pilot

Dave Nierenberg brought the perspective of a former F-15E Strike Eagle pilot to The Peaceful Podcast in Episode 5 (December 2015). His conversation explored the moral weight of combat aviation and the path toward rejecting aggressive force.

Eric Wasileski — US Navy

Eric Wasileski appeared on The Peaceful Podcast Episode 7 (May 2016) to discuss his time in the US Navy and his subsequent embrace of voluntaryist principles. His story highlights the tension between institutional duty and personal conscience.

Opting Out

Leaving military culture behind is rarely straightforward. These reflections examine the practical and philosophical challenges of conscientious objection, navigating the Selective Service, and building a life grounded in non-aggression after years inside hierarchical institutions.

For those questioning their own relationship with state-sponsored force, these accounts offer honest, unvarnished testimony — not prescriptions, but real stories from people who made the break.