Biography
Rudolph J. Vrena was a drafted man held at Camp Dix, New Jersey, for refusing military orders on international socialist grounds during World War I. Contemporary accounts describe his refusal to sign a soldier’s declaration and assignment card. A court-martial imposed a death sentence, but Brigadier General J. S. Mallory suspended its execution. The Public reported on January 11, 1918 that Vrena remained a prisoner and continued to refuse compliance. That report distinguished suspension from presidential commutation; it does not establish his eventual sentence or release. Mother Earth Bulletin also reported the case in January 1918, using both Vrena and Verna. Later references use Vrana. Sources: The Public, January 11, 1918, pp.56–57; Mother Earth Bulletin, January 1918, “In the Trenches.”
