Solidarity
for
resisters in German prison New
war resister audio interviews Also: Portland's "Street Roots" reports on recent "Army of None" tour with Courage to Resist organizer David Solnit and Iraq vet Chanan Suarez Diaz. Disarming Force—Opponents of military recruitment tactics and the Iraq war organize to create an “army of none” by Joel Preston Smith
Successful actions at eight Canadian Consulates nationwide support war resisters
"It's great that people all across Canada and the US are coming out to show support for the war resisters," said Patrick Hart, a former sergeant in the US Army who came to Canada in 2005 with his family. "My family could be told we have to go back to the States anytime now. We just want to be able to live here in peace and raise our son, Rian. We hope that the politicians will let us do that."
Demonstrators
say, "Let War Resisters Stay" The following day on Saturday, January 26, the War Resisters Support Campaign (Canada) staged a Canada-wide mobilization to ensure that deportation proceedings against U.S. war resisters cease immediately, and to support a sanctuary provision. If you have not already done so, please sign the letter, "Dear Canada: Let U.S. War Resisters Stay" today. Although we delivered thousands of petitions and letters to Canadian Consulates across the country last Friday, it far from too late to get involved. We still need to make our voices heard before the issue is taken up by the full House of Commons in Ottawa—possibly within a few weeks. Reports and photos from around the country
Solidarity campaign for GI resisters in German prison
Germans launch international solidarity campaign for U.S. war resisters confined in Mannheim Prison for refusing Afghanistan deployment BERLIN, GERMANY (January 30, 2008)—When Iraq veteran and conscientious objector Agustín Aguayo was confined in the U.S. military prison in Mannheim, Germany from October 2006 until April 2007, he received hundreds of post cards and letters from German supporters. On December 21, 2007, when Agustín was awarded a German peace prize in Stuttgart, he told an audience of hundreds how much the letters and post cards—many in broken English—will always mean to him. Now Germans are launching a nationwide initiative to send postcards and letters to three U.S. soldiers who have been confined in Mannheim since this past fall for refusing deployment to Afghanistan: Andrew Hegerty, Jeffrey Gauntt, and James Blanks. The three GIs are all members of the 173rd Airborne, which is presently deployed to Afghanistan and previously fought in Iraq. The 173rd Airborne is headquartered in Vicenza, Italy, and has units in Schweinfurt and in Bamberg, Germany. Vicenza has been the site of massive Italian and European protest demonstrations against U.S. plans to enlarge the military facilities there. Andrew Hegerty, age 19, will be confined in the U.S.
military
prison in Mannheim, Germany, until about August 2008 and will receive a
dishonorable discharge for desertion and for failure to follow a lawful
order. Andrew was stationed in Vicenza, Italy, and was deployed to
Afghanistan from May to September 2007. In September, while on a leave
in Vicenza, he went absent without leave. He visited his family in
Wisconsin, then turned himself in at Fort Knox, Kentucky, hoping for a
discharge. However, the Army sent him back to Vicenza. There he refused
an order to take part in a meeting to prepare to return to Afghanistan.
At his court martial in November 2007, in Vicenza, Andrew pled guilty
to charges of desertion and failure to follow an order. He told the
court, “I’m not really able to pull the trigger and shoot
anyone.” Jeffrey Gauntt will be confined in the U.S. military
prison
in Mannheim until about April 2008 for going AWOL and for missing
deployment. He pled guilty to the charges at a court martial in October
2007 in Vicenza. Jeffrey has not been in combat. He was stationed in
Vicenza and left his unit on May 21, 2007, the day before his unit
deployed to Afghanistan. On June 19, he turned himself in at the U.S.
military base in Rota, Spain. His punishment is ten months in jail,
loss of all pay and benefits, and a bad-conduct discharge. James Blanks will be confined in the U.S. military
prison in
Mannheim for about another month for going AWOL, missing his unit’s
deployment to Afghanistan, and disobeying orders. He pled guilty to the
charges at a court martial in September 2007 in Vicenza. James was
stationed in Bamberg, Germany and left his unit on April 20, 2007. His
battalion left for Afghanistan on May 17, but James did not return to
Bamberg until May 21. He briefly deployed to Afghanistan before
traveling to Vicenza to face charges. He will forfeit pay and receive a
bad-conduct discharge. Read more, send letters online
Courage to Resist presents three new interviews 
When her son was being recruited by the U.S. Army, Jackie Burden also became the target of military recruiters, who blatantly requested sexual favors from her. She tells her story to Courage to Resist. Listen online at couragetoresist.org/audio
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