War Resister Faces New Battle--To Keep Teaching License in Calif.

By Daniel Gursky

John Dickinson thought his problems were behind him.

He was back teaching 5th grade in Santa Ana, Calif., this semester after a tumultuous year and a half that culminated in his spending six months in a military prison for refusing to serve in the Persian Gulf war when his Air Force reserve unit was activated.

"I loved teaching, and I loved being back in the classroom,'' recalled Mr. Dickinson, who was given a leave of absence from the Santa Ana school district while he served his sentence. "I thought, 'Maybe life will get...