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Case dropped against Lt. Ehren Watada! Iraq vets
rally
against Stop-Loss at Ft. Lewis Free Cliff Cornell now!
'There is no way I will deploy to Afghanistan'
By Alice Embree, The Rag Blog. May 7, 2009 In a photo taken at Under the Hood Café in Killeen, Texas (right), Victor Agosto stands soldier tall, flanked by two older women peace activists from Fort Worth. Victor doesn’t talk a lot, but when he does he reveals a resolve and intelligence that seems far older than his 23 years. Victor has served three years and nine months in the U.S. Army, including one tour in Iraq. His Estimated Termination of Service (ETS) date was until very recently August 3, 2009. With his impeccable record and accrued leave, he was slated for release at the end of June. That date slipped away, apparent victim to the Stop Loss clause that renders the phrase “voluntary service” meaningless. The Army has told Specialist (SPC) Victor Agosto that he will be deployed to Afghanistan. He has told the Army he won’t go. Victor’s Facebook page posts the specifics. His Counseling Form dated May 1st states the Army’s position:
Victor’s Session Closing statement is succinct:
Victor has been something of a fixture at Under the Hood. In the small house turned gathering spot, a free speech zone has been created for GIs, military families and friends. Coffee, snacks and GI Rights literature is available. A large world map featuring U.S. interventions takes up one wall. The first interventions posted were Iraq and Afghanistan. Gradually, more countries and dates have been added: Chile, 1973, the CIA-backed military coup; Guatemala, 1954, the Marine invasion; Iran, 1953, the CIA-backed overthrow of the democratic government. Under the Hood is a place where GIs can talk, relax, and think. It is the thinking that has brought Victor to his decision. In his words, “The supportive ‘family’ that I have found at Under the Hood helped me muster up the courage to resist.”
Case dropped against Lt. Ehren Watada!
Mark Jensen. May 8, 2008 On Wednesday, at the request of the Justice Department, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dropped the government's case against Lt. Erhen Watada, which has been followed closely on this web site since June 7, 2006, when Lt. Watada publicly stated at Associated Ministries in Tacoma the reasons for his principled refusal to deploy to Iraq. -- The Associated Press said that "Watada's attorney, James Lobsenz, said in a news release that his client anticipates he will soon be released from active duty and 'plans to return to civilian life and to attend law school.'"[1] -- Army officials at Fort Lewis said they were considering pursuing still unresolved aspects of the case and complained that Watada was escaping punishment on a "legal technicality," the *Seattle Post-Intelligencer* reported.[2] COMMENT: This assertion is simply false: the preponderance of the evidence is that an Army judge deliberately aborted Watada's court-martial when it was clear that it was going in his favor. [1] Justice Dept won't pursue war objector case [2] No court-martial for Watada on refusal to deploy
Iraq vets rally against Stop-Loss at Ft. Lewis
Iraq veterans led a rally directly outside Fort Lewis in Washington State on Saturday to oppose the Stop-Loss policy of recalling soldiers for repeated overseas deployments. Fort Lewis, the largest Army base on the West Coast, will deploy three infantry brigades to Iraq and Afghanistan over the next four months. Of the 10,000 soldiers previously deployed, some have been involuntarily stop-lossed. |
'There is no way I will deploy to Afghanistan'
Two
weeks ago Courage to Resist supporters took action to ask the
Solicitor General to drop the Army's appeals against Iraq War refuser
Lt. Ehren Watada. Recently he did just that!
Seth Manzel and Andrew VanDenBergh, GI Voice. Updated May 13, 2009
