Memory, Conviction, and Karma: The Life of Robert W. Norris

In this episode of The Interlocutor Podcast, host Tyrel Cameron Eskelson speaks with California-born author and professor emeritus Robert W. Norris. Robert shares his journey from growing up near the redwood forests of Northern California to enlisting in the U.S. Air Force during the peak of the Vietnam War. He discusses his turning point as a B-52 guard, his decision to refuse combat orders following the Kent State shootings, and how figures like Muhammad Ali inspired his path as a conscientious objector.Robert details his court-martial, serving time in military prison, and how precise legal phrasing saved him from a five-year sentence. He also reflects on moving to Japan in 1983 with a one-way ticket, building a 40-year career as a university professor teaching peace education, and the personal inspiration behind his memoir, The Good Lord Willing and The Creek Don't Rise.

My Interview on Kent State: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLxKzP6p2Dg

Learn more about Robert: https://robertwnorris.com/

Robert's Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B000APHVPC

#VietnamWar #ConscientiousObjector #JapanExpat #PeaceEducation #Memoir #InterlocutorPodcast #RobertWNorris

Robert W Norris, Tyrel Cameron Eskelson, The Interlocutor Podcast, Vietnam War conscientious objector, GI resistance movement, military court martial, Air Force draft resister, Kent State shootings 1970, living in Japan expat, teaching in Japan university professor, peace education, The Good Lord Willing and The Creek Don't Rise, Pentimento memoir