Showing widespread support for soldiers who resist is one of the best ways
Sgt. Ricky Clousing sentenced to three months in the brig
“I’d rather spend a year in jail than participate in an illegal war and be part of the machine suppressing Iraq” -Sgt. Ricky Clousing Sgt. Ricky Clousing, who served as a U.S. Army Interrogator in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, plead guilty to "absent without leave" on Thursday October 12 at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. Clousing was sentenced to three months confinement, forfeiture of 2/3 pay while confined, and a bad conduct discharge. At his sentencing hearing, Sgt. Clousing continued to voice his concerns about the abuses of power that go without accountability and the everyday devastation of the occupation of Iraq. “My experiences in Iraq forced me to reevaluate my beliefs and ethics,” he told the judge. “Ultimately, I felt like I could not serve.”
Ricky is currently being held in a military brig atCamp LeJune in North Carolina and it is urgent that he receive your words of encouragement and support! Please write to Ricky today! Here's How... Supporters gathered in downtown Fayettville, N.C. the day of the court martial to demonstrate their support of Ricky's courageous stand. Please show him your support today by writing and donating to his legal expenses. Clousing left Fort Bragg, North Carolina where he was stationed in 2005 after returning from Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division. He had been AWOL until August 11th, 2006, when he called a press conference in Seattle, Washington coinciding with the annual Veterans for Peace national convention where he went public with his stand against the war. View video of press conference or Read Ricky Clousing's entire statement . For breaking news, to donate, and for updates about actions you can take to support Sgt. Clousing vist: http://www.sdmcc.org/rickyclousing/ Kyle Snyder, AWOL Iraq veteran and war resister, to return from Canada and turn self in at Ft. Knox later this month. Your support is urgently needed!
"Going to Iraq meant I was going to reconstruct a city, not kill people. That’s what I believed I was going to do," explains Kyle Snyder, a 22-year-old Iraq War veteran. After arriving in Iraq, the heavy construction equipment operator was reassigned to a security detail. Kyle quickly realized that no reconstruction was taking place with the exception of military bases. "I can’t take this anymore!’ That’s what I thought to myself." A survivor of string of foster homes since he was 13-years-old, Kyle joined the Army in 2004. Faced with few job prospects and wanting to provide for himself and his family, "I was an easy target for recruiters, plain and simple," explains Kyle. "This is not what I signed up for and it’s not what’s being shown to the American public. So, why the hell should I fight?" While on leave, Kyle fled to Canada in August of 2005. Now he is returning to face the Army later this month at Fort Knox, KY. More details to come soon..we'll keep you posted! Video: Kyle Snyder speaks at Peace Arch Park August 13, 2006 Donations are urgently needed for legal fees. Please donate today! Bob Watada embarks on a national speaking tour. Father of Iraq war refuser Lt. Ehren Watada, to organize support and raise funds for his son's courageous stand.
Bob Watada is embarking on a national speaking tour to raise awareness of his son's courageous actions, organize support, and raise money for his defense. Events are scheduled from Texas to New York! Lt. Ehren Watada is the first US commissioned officer to refuse to deploy to the unlawful Iraq war and occupation. He has been charged with "contemptuous words" towards President Bush and conduct unbecoming of an officer. These charges represent the first military persecution of an objector for First Amendment speech since 1965. Including the charge for not deploying to Iraq Lt. Watada faces over eight years in military prison. On August 17, U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren Watada succeeded in placing the war on trial during an Article 32 pre-trial hearing in a military courtroom at Fort Lewis, Washington. Three hours of the four-hour hearing were devoted to testimony by former United Nations Undersecretary Denis Halliday, Army Colonel Ann Wright (ret.), who resigned in March 2003 to protest the invasion of Iraq, and University of Illinois Professor Francis Boyle, an international law expert. These witnesses backed Lt. Watada's assertions that the war was indeed illegal, and as such, he had an obligation to refuse to be a part of it. On August 24, the Article 32 pre-trial hearing investigator recommended a general court martial on all charges. On September 15, an additional charge was added. By placing himself on the line for the truth, Lt. Watada has issued a challenge to all of us. Help Lt. Watada put the War on Trial! For more information and to donate visit: www.ThankYouLt.org |
Bob Watada embarks on a national speaking tour
