Reservists Seek to Be Objectors in Face of War : Call-ups: Support groups say they have been flooded with inquiries since last week’s notification of 20,000 inactive personnel.

Hundreds of panicked inactive reservists have contacted support groups for conscientious objectors since the Army called up 20,000 of the nearly retired personnel last week, pacifists said Monday.

Churches and other anti-war groups called on the military to allow more time for people in the Army’s Individual Ready Reserves--those with only two or three years of service left--to file as objectors.

“It’s an outrageous thing that they can call people while their (conscientious objector) claims are pending, and we’re calling on them not to do that,” said David Freedman of the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors in San Francisco.

Those in the midst of filing papers must report for duty and face possible action in the Persian Gulf, or become absent without leave and face harsh penalties, said Freedman, who spoke at a news conference at Montclair Presbyterian Church in the hills above Oakland.

Many of the people in the Independent Ready Reserve asked to be placed there because of ongoing medical and psychological problems, said Cynthia Crowner, an assistant pastor at the church.

Others became inactive reservists after serving years in the military and never expected to go back to active duty, church officials said.

In the meantime, their political and philosophical views may have changed, said the Rev. Marilyn Chilcote of the Beacon Street Presbyterian Fellowship in Oakland.

“They are mature enough to see that war, the way it is waged today, is wrong,” Chilcote said.

Freedman said recruiting officers often don’t clearly explain that inactive reservists may be called on to serve in a war. The possibility is explained in “four pages of fine print, which they really don’t give you a chance to read.”

Jeff Schutts, 27, made it to Army lieutenant before he had a change of heart that led him to file for conscientious objector status in November, 1988. At a Boston college on an ROTC scholarship, Wilson said, his moral and ethical opposition to war grew.

“When I signed up in high school, I believed what was right for the U.S. was right for the rest of the world. I read Time magazine and I believed it,” said Schutts, a San Francisco resident who spoke at the news conference.

He said he received a screening letter from the Army last week confirming his address for a possible call-up. Now, he works full time helping others file as objectors.

The letter from the Army was a nightmarish surprise, he said.

“When I thought all this was behind me, I find now that I’m eligible for call-up,” he said.

Another conscientious objector, Matthew Cater of Oakland, spent two years in active duty and said he’s weighing his options since receiving orders to report to the Army.

“I don’t think I can participate in any way in the slaughter of my brothers and sisters in a foreign land,” said Cater, 22, who trembled and appeared near tears.

Donal Wilkinson served six years in the Navy and nearly two years in inactive reserve. Now, he worries that if he re-enlists, it will cost him his restaurant business.

Six churches in Alameda County and one in San Francisco have declared themselves sanctuaries for conscientious objectors. The designation means the churches provide counselors to talk to those thinking about becoming war objectors.

The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors in San Francisco has received 500 calls a week since fighting began in the gulf.