George Mische

George J. Mische (born 1937, some sources mistakenly list 1938) is an American Roman Catholic peace activist, best known for his part as one of the Catonsville Nine.[1] He was also one of the planners of the Milwaukee Fourteen.[2] On May 17, 1968, the group burned 378 1A draft cards with homemade napalm in a parking lot just outside the draft board office in Catonsville, Maryland.[3] Mische was one of the key organizers, and he has spent some energy in the ensuing decades correcting popular myths about the story.[4]

Early life and education

George Joseph Mische was born July 30, 1937, in St. Cloud, Minnesota to Cecelia and Louis Mische, and was one of five boys.[5] His father was a German immigrant and labor organizer who worked at a veterans' hospital, and had nearly been deported when he was accused of being a communist.[3] Two of Mische's brothers were also activists. Gerald F. Mische co-founded the Catholic-based Association for International Development in 1957.[6] Another brother founded a Catholic Worker house in Chicago.[3] George Mische spent time among the wounded and emotionally broken veterans at the hospital, and developed his anti-war stance.[7] He attended St. Cloud State College, dropping out after one quarter, and then joined the U. S. Army in 1955.[8] He was discharged in 1960 and first attended the Jesuit St. Peter's College, followed by Gannon College, graduating in 1963.[9]

References

  1. ^ Peters, Dave (May 14, 1978). "George Mische - From Catonsville 9 To the St. Cloud City Council". The Washington Post.
  2. ^ Sadowski, Dennis (September 1, 2018). "After 50 years, draft board protesters insist what they did was right". National Catholic Reporter.
  3. ^ a b c Peters, Shawn Francis (2012). The Catonsville Nine: A Story of Faith and Resistance in the Vietnam Era. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-19-982785-5.
  4. ^ Mische, George (May 17, 2013). "Inattention to Accuracy about 'Catonsville Nine' Distorts History". National Catholic Reporter.
  5. ^ Minnesota, U.S., Birth Index, 1935-2004.
  6. ^ Judkins, Jr., William F. (September 21, 1957). "Lay Missionaries Begin Training at Paterson". The Catholic Advocate. Vol. 6, no. 36. p. 11.
  7. ^ Berrigan, Daniel (1971). The Trial of the Catonsville Nine: A Play. New York: Samuel French, Inc. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-573-61699-0.
  8. ^ "Vietnam Era Oral History Project: Oral History Interview With George Mische, September 28, 2018". Minnesota Historical Society.
  9. ^ Lance (yearbook). Erie, Pennsylvania: Gannon College. 1963.
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