Begin forwarded message:
From: "Thomas F Barton"
Date: January 16, 2007 10:36:48 PM PST
To: "Thomas B"
Subject: GI Special 5A16: " We Were Lied To"
GI Special:
thomasfbarton@earthlink.net
1.17.07
Print it out: color best. Pass it on.
GI SPECIAL 5A16:
[Thanks to David Honish, Veteran, who sent this in.]
“This Administration Has Betrayed Our Armed Forces”
“And We Were Lied To”
“I Don’t Believe In What We’re Doing Over There”
“The Threat Of Reprisal Isn’t Going To Stop Us”
Troops read a statement against operations in Iraq during an Appeal for Redress press event January 15, 2007, in Norfolk, Va. The petition was delivered to Congress on Tuesday. [M. SCOTTMAHASKEY / STAFF / NAVY TIMES]
[Thanks to Elaine Brower, The Military Project, who sent this in. She was there. T]
Jan 16, 2007 By William H. McMichael, Staff Writer, Navy Times [Excerpts] & BY JOHN M.R. BULL, Daily Press & BY ANDREW PETKOFSKY, TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER [Excerpts]
A small group of out-of-uniform active-duty service members, supported by veterans and academics, gathered inside a Norfolk, Va., church on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to hold a rally calling for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
[There were 25 standing together, as the story below by John Catalinotto reports, not exactly “small” considering what this was about. ]
Speakers invoked King’s message of nonviolent resistance, along with his eventual opposition to the Vietnam War, as an example worth following during a war many at the rally said echoes that controversial conflict of an earlier generation – and is a war that should end now.
“It is time for U.S. troops to come home,” said Marine Corps Sgt. Liam Madden, speaking to a crowd of about 80 – not including reporters – gathered in the sanctuary of the Unitarian-Universalist Church in downtown Norfolk.
He said active-duty troops have the right to speak out, and he said his opposition to the war is not driven by politics. “It’s not political when people heed the call of their conscience,” said Madden, 22, who is stationed at Quantico Marine Corps Base and who served in Iraq with Okinawa’s 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit as a communications specialist.
“Not one more of my brothers should die for a lie. This is my generation’s call to conscience.” The remarks drew cheers and a standing ovation.
“We’re not anti-war,” said Navy Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Hutto, 29, who enlisted in 2004 and is assigned to the Norfolk-based carrier Theodore Roosevelt, which deployed to the Persian Gulf in 2005-06. “We’re not pacifists. We’re anti-Iraq war.” The group’s message, he said: “There is an organized, constructive level of dissent with the ranks on this war.”
Department of Defense directives allow active-duty service members to speak their minds – short of disrespect for their commanders or the president – or make a “protected communication” with members of Congress as long as, generally, they’re in the United States, out of uniform and off duty.
Madden, Hutto and the other active-duty members who came to Monday’s rally are signatories to an online petition to Congress sponsored by Appeal for Redress, a group for active-duty, Reserve and Guard personnel started last fall by Hutto and Madden that calls for an end to the war and the “prompt” withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq.
Madden said after the news conference that serving as a leader of an anti-war movement does not conflict with his role as a Marine sergeant.
"In my heart, I'm doing what a sergeant should do, which is serving as an example," he said.
Hutto said they’ve gathered about 1,000 signatures, mostly from enlisted service members and nearly half from the Army, in ranks ranging from E-1 to O-6.
Members of the group will present the petition to Congress on Tuesday morning on the steps of the U.S. Capitol’s Cannon House Office Building.
“Dr. King would be proud,” said Tom Palumbo of the local chapter of Veterans for Peace.
Group members say they hope other members of Congress also get the message.
“I want Congress tomorrow to realize that they are accountable to their citizens,” Madden said. “And their service members are on the front line.”
Matt Peters is one of those. A Navy electronics technician assigned to the Norfolk-based carrier Enterprise, Peters, feeling the call to arms following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, enlisted in November 2001. Then, said the now-23-year-old, “There really was no talk of invading Iraq,” he said. “We really went in a different direction than we’re in today.”
A 2003 Naval Academy graduate now in the Individual Ready Reserve used tougher words.
“This administration has betrayed our armed forces,” said Lt. j.g. Fabian Bouthillette, 26. “I actually believe that the conduct of this administration is more detrimental to the Constitution than anything else. This was begun on an immoral, illegal basis. And we were lied to.”
"Supporting the troops means more than slapping a bumper sticker on a car," he said. "I think it is very difficult for active-duty men and women to protest, to speak out. They have that right. We're all in this together."
Peters said he continues to willingly serve despite his misgivings over the war.
“I signed up and said I’m going to do this,” said Peters, who along with his shipmates returned from duty off Iraq and elsewhere in November and remains on tap to quickly redeploy if the carrier is called upon.
“But I don’t believe in what we’re doing over there. I still do my job. Is it something that kind of hurts to do? Yes.”
“Like any job, you make some compromises,” said Navy Operations Specialist 2nd Class Dave Rogers, 34, of the frigate Hawes, also based in Norfolk.
Upheaval would certainly follow a withdrawal, Madden and others said, but they said Iraq would right itself more quickly without an American occupation.
During the Vietnam War, anti-war troops had no legal protection against expressing their views and were forced to do so through underground newspapers, said David Cortwright, one of the day’s speakers. Cortwright is a former soldier who served in Vietnam and wrote a book about that era’s military resistance, “Soldiers in Revolt.”
But while the Internet has replaced those underground papers and service members enjoy the limited protections of DoD directives, Cortwright said, those “in uniform” who speak out must still endure critics who would call them unpatriotic. Or, worse, cowards.
“It’s not cowardice,” Cortwright said. “It’s an extraordinary expression of conviction and courage.”
None of the service members questioned said they’d received any reprisals or negative feedback from their chains of command. “I’ve had no one chastise me,” Madden said. “Some feel awkward around me.”
Added Hutto, “They understand that we’re serious, and the threat of reprisal isn’t going to stop us.”
Hutto said the reactions he gets from shipmates are twofold: “One, how do I sign up? And two, I’m not so sure I can support Appeal for Redress (www.appealforredress.org/), but I support whatever you’re doing.”
Hutto said he is careful to separate his anti-war work with his assigned Navy duties. “If someone comes up to me, I say, ‘Give me your number, I’ll call you in the afternoon’,” he said. “I tell people, ‘When you’re on duty, be on duty’.”
Sgt. Jabbar Magruder spent 11 months in Iraq and turned into one angry soldier.
No weapons of mass destruction. Shifting rationalizations for a mismanaged war. Now a civil war among Iraqis.
He began speaking out against the war last year. He wants others in uniform to do so as well and wants civilians to support them.
Magruder says that he's had some hot debates with members of his California National Guard unit but that he considers the war and its management to be "the deepest betrayal of what we've been asked to do in Iraq."
Military personnel have died in a war that "is pointless," he said.
Magruder said he will go back to Iraq if his unit is redeployed there. But, he said, he'll do it only to support his brothers and sisters in arms.
"We have a message for the military brass: Any harassment or retribution of these people ... will be met with the full force of our resistance. These are our brothers and our sisters, and they do not stand alone," said Phil Wilayto, a member of the Virginia Anti-War Network.
Sgt. Jabbar Magruder [Photo: John Catalinotto]
More:
And Now, Here’s The Inside Story The Navy Times Didn’tTell You
[Or Screwed Up]
“Not One More Of My Brothers Should Die For A Lie”
Jonathan Hutto, co-founder of Appeal for Redress, addresses the crowd at a servicemember rally against the war Jan. 15 in Norfolk, Va. [M. SCOTT MAHASKEY / STAFF / NAVY TIMES]
The organizers said that as of the day before the news conference, some 1,029 signatures of the group had been verified as being from armed forces members, most of them active duty, including over 800 enlisted men or women from bases all over the world, and 35 from troops in Iraq.
From: John Catalinotto
To: GI Special
Sent: January 16, 2007
Subject: Norfolk, Jan. 15 Appeal for Redress
By John Catalinotto, Norfolk, Va. John Catalinotto was a civilian organizer with the American Servicemen's Union from 1967-1971 and is currently an editor of Workers World weekly newspaper. He can be reached at: jcat@workers.org
*********************************************
Twenty-five active duty GIs reflected the growing opposition to the U.S. occupation of Iraq within the U.S. military itself by publicly acknowledging at a news conference Jan. 15 in Norfolk, Va., that they had signed the "Appeal for Redress."
This appeal, which has been circulating since last Oct. 23 on a website, is a statement offering a view of the Iraq occupation that differs pointedly from that of Pres. George W. Bush.
The Appeal for Redress, crafted so as to be legal not only under the U.S. Constitution but under military rulings, is simply: "As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq. Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home."
Organizers had chosen the date to connect their appeal with the legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr'sstruggle for justice and peace.
Some 35 active-duty troops, reservists, including Iraq veterans, other veterans and the day's speakers filled the stage. Banners hung carefully and neatly on the inside walls of the Unitarian UniversalistChurch, and one hanging on the outside, greeted the 100 people, supporters and media, who filled the church.
One banner stage left held the telling message: "Support the troops; listen to them."
And those who came, along with Norfolk's TV stations and some national and international media, listened.
They heard, if they listened carefully, that a new movement of active-duty troops was starting to speak with its own voice.
They heard a strong section of the civilian anti-war movement pledging to support this new GI movement and to welcome it.
Some of the appeal's drafters and early organizers spoke out at the meeting and clarified their position with a series of non-stop interviews with television and press media and documentary film-makers for four hours. These active-duty troops included Navy Seamen Jonathan Hutto and Javier Capella, Petty Officer Dave Rogers and Marine Sergeant Liam Madden among others.
Hutto and Capella are stationed on the Aircraft Carrier Theodore Roosevelt with a complement of over 3,000 officers and enlisted sailors stationed in Norfolk.
Hutto, an African-American man who grew up in Atlanta under the strong influence of that city's movement for civil rights and the strong role model of his activist mother, helped focus the conference on Martin Luther King and his opposition to the Vietnam War. Capella is from Puerto Rico and works together with Hutto on the Roosevelt.
[See the story below “A Great Day In Atlanta.” Mrs. Hutto was at the Rally there.]
Madden, from Vermont, who is stationed in the Marine base in Quantico, Va., and has only a week of active duty left in his contract, said, "We need to pay attention to King's words more than one day a year." He read the Appeal for Redress, which the movement drafted in collaboration with J.E. McNeil from the center for Conscience & War in such a way that active-duty troops have the legal right to sign, protected by the Military Whistleblower Protection Act (DOD directive 7050.6).
Madden was adamant that the appeal was not aimed at making a political statement:
"Not one more of my brothers should die for a lie.
“This is not politics. It is our generation's call to conscience."
The organizers said that as of the day before the news conference, some 1,029 signatures of the group had been verified as being from armed forces members, most of them active duty, including over 800 enlisted men or women, from bases all over the world, and 35 from troops in Iraq.
"This administration has betrayed our armed forces," Lt. j.g. Fabian Bouthillette said at the Appeal For Redress January 15 press conference, Norfolk Virginia. Bouthillette is a member of Iraq Veterans Against The War and The Military Project. [Photo: John Catalinotto]
Among the main supporters were at least a dozen members of the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). This group had up to now concentrated at organizing returning veterans of the Iraq occupation and getting them involved in the anti-war movement.
The IVAW speaker said the group now also uses the appeal to reach out to active-duty personnel.
Jabbar Magruder of IVAW, a sergeant still active in the National Guard in California, said he would be joining Liam Madden and others on Jan. 16 to meet with Dennis Kucinich and other representatives in Congress to present the signatures of active-duty service people to them and to visit others on the Hill with their message. Nancy Lessin of Military Families Speak Out and Michael McPherson of VeteransFor Peace also had representatives supporting the new active-duty movement. Community organizer Tom Palumbo spoke for the local Tidewater chapter of Veterans for Peace.
Phil Wilayto of the Virginian Anti-War Network (VAWN) made a dramatic appeal for the civilian movement to throw its full support behind the GIs and to defend their right to speak out against the war.
"This administration has betrayed our armed forces," said Lt. j.g. Fabian Bouthillette, who was part of a delegation from the Military Project in New York, which is connected with the GI Special web newspaper and has been active reaching out at armories in the city to National Guard troops.
"I actually believe that the conduct of this administration is more detrimental to the Constitution than anything else," Bouthillette said. "This was begun on an immoral, illegal basis. And we were lied to."
"We must listen to the men and women" who are in the military and who are taking the courageous move of speaking out against the war, said David Cortwright, author of the book, Soldiers in Revolt. A year earlier, Hutto had read this book of the GI movement during the Vietnam War, which inspired him to begin the Appeal for Redress.
Hutto praised the contribution of those who organized service people during the war against Vietnam, including organizers of Veterans for Peace and of the American Servicemen's Union who were participating.
He also thanked local activist Ann Williams, who played a big role in organizing the day's activity, the people from the Unitarian Universalist Church who had worked hard on setting up the hall, and local organizer John Long, who stayed up all night preparing the attractive program.
Hutto, Madden, Rogers and the other outspoken GIs gave nonstop interviews for four hours following the news conference. One of the favorite questions from interviewers was to ask for a comparison between the GI movement today and that during the Vietnam War, which those currently in the service knew through their reading.
Hutto said, that "some in the GI movement during the Vietnam era were anti-military and anti-authority. We, on the other hand, are just opposing some of the policies of the military. We oppose the stop-loss decision, which keeps people on active duty beyond their contract; we oppose the lies about the war. We are looking for a legal and constructive manner to oppose these policies.
"We don't believe people have the right to slander our movement.
“On the other hand, if the government doesn't heed the Appeal for Redress" and just ignores the opinion of all the enlisted people, you could expect to see "an even more massive protest" that could in the future move beyond simply raising the issues with Congress.
Before the conference ended, Hutto pointed out that before King made his famous April 1967 anti-war speech from Riverside Church in New York, King himself had come to a realization: if he were going to advise non-violence as a tactic in the movement for civil rights, he would have to start by insisting that the U.S. government-"the greatest purveyor of violence"--desist from its warlike foreign policy.
Hutto then introduced three active-duty GIs who read portions of King's April 1967 talk.
To see and sign the appeal, see www.appealforredress.org.
MORE:
Service Members Go To Capitol Hill:
Tell Congress: End Iraq War:
Troops “Are Dying While Our Politicians Are Squabbling”
Marine Sgt. Liam Madden, based in Marine Corps Base Quantico, pauses as he receives a standing ovation before speaking Jan. 15 at a rally against the Iraq war. Madden is co-founder of Appeal for Redress. [M. SCOTT MAHASKEY / STAFF / NAVY TIMES]
Jan 16, 2007 By Rick Maze - Staff writer, Navy Times
A letter from about 1,000 active-duty, Guard and reserve members calling for Congress to end the war in Iraq was delivered to Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., who accepted what in legal terms is known as an appeal for redress said the call for an immediate end to U.S. military operations in Iraq will be turned over to the clerk of the House of Representatives and published in the Congressional Record so it can be read by all members of Congress.
The letter contains just three sentences: “As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq. Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home.”
“We urge Congress to listen to its active-duty troops and veterans,” said Marine Sgt. Liam Madden, one of the organizers, who urged Congress to stop funding the war because troops “are dying while our politicians are squabbling.”
California Army National Guard Sgt. Jabbar Magruder, who also came to Washington to deliver the letter, said the drawn-out conflict is taking its toll on troops, their families and the employers of mobilized Guard and reserve members.
“Families take the brunt of it,” Magruder said, complaining that the new plan announced Jan. 10 by President Bush does away with the previous promise that reservists would be mobilized just once every five years.
“That has gone up in smoke,” he said.
Magruder said he wanted a response from Congress by Jan. 20, but offered no clear reason for why he picked that date.
Organizers said the letter is signed by about 1,000 people, mostly enlisted members and mostly from the Army. The appeal-for-redress campaign began in the Norfolk, Va., area, but has spread to other regions.
McGovern said the service members are using their right under the law to write to members of Congress — but the step they are taking, considered unprecedented, deserves attention from lawmakers. “These troops are risking their careers,” McGovern said.
“I am grateful for your courage,” he said to the service members and crowd of family, friends and peace activists who were present at a Capitol Hill press conference.
The effort by the service members did grab attention. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., issued a statement saying he has deep respect for service members willing to stand up for what they believe.
“They have exercised their constitutional right to free speech, and they have questioned an unjust war,” he said.
“The single largest failure of the anti-war movement at this point is the lack of outreach to the troops.” Tim Goodrich, Iraq Veterans Against The War
Do you have a friend or relative in the service? Forward GI Special along, or send us the address if you wish and we’ll send it regularly. Whether in Iraq or stuck on a base in the USA, this is extra important for your service friend, too often cut off from access to encouraging news of growing resistance to the war, at home and inside the armed services. Send email requests to address up top or write to: The Military Project, Box126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10025-5657
IRAQ WAR REPORTS
Four U.S. Soldiers Killed By Ninewah IED
16 January 2007 Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory RELEASE No. 20070116-01
TIKRIT, Iraq – Four Task Force Lightning Soldiers assigned to the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division were killed Monday as a result of an improvised explosive device while conducting operations in Ninewaprovince, Iraq.
West Memphis Soldier Dies In Fighting In Iraq
January 10, 2007 Newsday
WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. -- Family members say a Fort Drum soldier from West Memphis was killed in Iraq over the weekend.
Army Spc. Raymond N. Mitchell, III, was killed in a small arms engagement in Baghdad, where he was stationed. Mitchell, 21, was a driver and gunner for Humvees on patrol. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.
Mitchell graduated from West Memphis Christian School in 2004 and he attended Arkansas State University for a time before enlisting in the Army in 2005.
While attending high school, Mitchell lived with his grandparents, Raymond and Joyce Mitchell, on the property of the business that they owned and operated for 18-years, the Best Holiday Trav-L-Park off Interstate 55.
"He was just so funny ... everyone liked him," Joyce Mitchell told the Evening Times newspaper of West Memphis. "I'm sure a lot of people in the area would remember him, he was always cutting grass and doing the chores for us there at the park with his cousins." The Mitchells have since sold the property and retired to Winchester, Tenn.
Joyce Mitchell said her grandson had visited his old high school while on a leave in December. At that time he had received deployment orders back to Iraq for at least an additional seven months. He had served for five months in his previous deployment overseas. Before he left for Iraq and also on his leaves, Neal always returned to the West Memphis and Marion area to visit with his family and have lunch with two of his favorite teachers, she said.
Students had sent him packages and he thanked them in person when visiting the school.
Teachers Lynnette Bankston and Jane Swain said Mitchell was one of their success stories. "When he came to us he was troubled and didn't care much for his school work, but during his time here with us he really turned around," Bankston said. "He came out of his shell, became involved and thrived here."
Bankston, whose own son graduated in the 2004 class with Mitchell, said the loss is a big one for the school.
"I just can't believe it. Neal was a sweet, sweet boy," she said. "I hope the powers that be understand the extreme sacrifice of these precious lives. I don't know what the answer is, but I hope that they are praying about it and making decisions that will keep our troops safe."
Family members say funeral arrangements will be made after Mitchell's body is returned to the United States. He is to be buried in Smyrna, Tenn. Until that time, the Mitchell family wanted people in Arkansas who knew the soldier to be aware of his passing.
"We are just overwhelmed with grief," Joyce Mitchell said.
Minnesota National Guard Soldier Killed In Iraq;
Governor Condemns Not Bring Guard Troops Home
January 11, 2007 ST. PAUL (AP)
A 24-year-old Minnesota National Guard soldier was killed by a bomb while on foot patrol in Fallujah, Iraq, the Guard said Wednesday.
Sgt. James M. Wosika Jr. of St. Paul was on patrol with members of the Crookston-based Company B, 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry when he was struck around 3 p.m. local time Tuesday. No other Minnesota National Guard soldiers were hurt.
He is the 50th person with strong Minnesota ties to die in connection with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and his death comes amid plans for Minnesota soldiers to have their tours extended in Iraq.
Wosika was the third member of his unit to die in Iraq in less than six weeks. A roadside bomb killed Spc. Bryan T. McDonough of Maplewood and Corey J. Rystad of Red Lake Falls on Dec. 2, and their friend, Sgt. John Kriesel, lost both of his legs.
Wosika, a 2000 graduate of Highland Park High School, was due home in March or April, Gutknecht said. He had deployed to Iraq last March with about 2,600 other Guard troops.
He was single. Wosika’s family lives in St. Paul but told the Guard they didn’t want to comment to the media.
Wosika had a profile on Myspace.com, where he wrote informally of personal details, such as his country music phase, and named his heroes as “Any man or women that has died for this country and all that may lose there life.”
An entry dated Nov. 30 described his frustrations in Iraq.
It reads: “So as i was there with my team we saw 3 vehicles that are on are list for insurgent vehicles they were passing things back and forth from vehicle to vehicle. they were trying to be very quick about it and what did my higher do THEY DID NOTHING!!!!!!!”
Later, he wrote: “So I ask again what am i doing here if we will not act!!!!!!!!!”
Wosika joined the Guard in 2000 and also served in Kosovo for six months in 2004 on a peacekeeping mission.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota DFL Party criticized President Bush’s plan for sending more troops to Iraq as the National Guard confirmed that the plan will extend the tour of Minnesota’s 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Infantry Division. Party Chairman Brian Melendez said Minnesota’s Guard and Reserve units are already overstretched.
The Guard didn’t immediately know the duration of the extended duty.
“The Minnesota National Guard is disappointed with the impact of this extension on our citizen-soldiers, families, employers and the communities they serve,” Shellito said in a news release.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty said in a news release that he was “extremely disappointed and frustrated” that Minnesota troops may have their tour of duty extended.
“This decision by federal officials is not consistent with the expectation or understanding provided to our soldiers,” he said. “It’s unfair to them and their families.”
Family Of Injured Soldier Frustrated By Army’s Delay
January 12 Channel 3000.com
RICHLAND CENTER, Wis. -- A Wisconsin soldier was injured in Iraq last weekend, and his family said getting information from the Army has been difficult.
Spc. Niles Lavey, of Richland Center, is in stable condition but in intensive care after being shot in the neck while serving in Fallujah. The incident happened on Sunday, WISC-TV reported.
Lavey's parents and two brothers left late Friday to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., whereLavey was sent after staying at a German hospital for two days.
The soldier, wounded three months into duty in Iraq, seems to have a good prognosis but his family said they aren’t sure because getting information out of the Army has been difficult.
"He's coming home, so I'm doing really well, today," said Janet Johnson, Lavey's mother.
But Johnson said that all week it's been tough being kept in the dark. Lavey's training base in Alaska called Johnson, who thought the worst. "When I saw that it was a phone call from Alaska, I was sure that he was dead," Johnson said.
Relief came with news her son was alive but Johnson said frustration soon followed after Lavey'straining base sergeant never called her back.
Johnson said she waited 13 hours before getting an army headquarters number through the Red Cross instead of the sergeant.
"I had to call him and tell him what the 800 number was for headquarters," Johnson said.
Headquarters told Johnson what to expect at the hospital. Lavey is in intensive care in a drug-induced coma after surgery, but when taken off sedatives, he has been able to move his fingers and toes.
Johnson said Lavey was a sensitive boy who was seemingly set on the army from kindergarten. She said her son drew sketches of army helicopters complete with parachuting soldiers done by when he was 5 or 6.
Johnson said she supports all the troops but can't help but wonder about the war.
"I listen to what my son says, 'We're doing good things, we need to be here.' But on this end, I see a lot of pain," Johnson said. "I think most people walk down the street and hear and see it on TV, but it's not real, and they think everything's OK. It's not that way. We really are at war."
Lavey is a 2004 graduate of Richland Center
New Mexico Soldier Injured In Baghdad
January 11, 2007 KOAT
Army Sgt. Kenny Gibson, 26, was severely injured in an explosion just south of Baghdad. The Gibsonsdon't have much information about their son's condition yet.
All they know is that when they answered the phone Thursday morning, someone in the Army told them their son had been wounded. That person then actually passed the phone to their son.
Gibson's father said his son was heavily medicated but told him that he had been hit by a bomb, was full of shrapnel, but not to worry because he still had all of his arms and legs.
He joined the Army after graduating from Farmington High School in 1999.
Gibson's family said its son had been injured in a humvee accident during his first tour in Iraq.
He had just left for his second tour three months ago and was serving as an MP with the 127th out of Baghdad.
Local Marine Home After Being Wounded
Jan 11, 2007 WLNS
A local Marine is resting at home after being badly wounded in Iraq. On January first, Lance Corporal Gordon bloom was shot eight times in the chest and stomach while in duty in Iraq. While Bloom's injuries were severe, he is recovering well is and is expected to be OK.
Wednesday night, he was greeted by dozens of friends and family from Dansville at the airport when he finally returned home. Four soldiers in Gordon Bloom's unit have been killed in Iraq. He says it was great having so many people at the airport to welcome him home, because he was afraid he'd never see some of their faces again.
FUTILE EXERCISE:
BRING THEM ALL HOME NOW!
U.S. armoured vehicle on a road after abandoning their checkpoint in Baghdad October 31, 2006. REUTERS/Namir Noor-Eldeen (IRAQ)
TROOP NEWS
THIS IS HOW BUSH BRINGS THE TROOPS HOME:
BRING THEM ALL HOME NOW, ALIVE
The casket of Specialist Dustin Donica, who was killed in Iraq, during graveside services in Houston, January 8, 2007. Donica has been widely reported in the US media as the 3,000th American solder killed in the Iraq war. REUTERS/Tim Johnson
450 From Arizona Army National Guard Off To Bush’s Imperial Slaughterhouse
Jan 16, 2007 Army Times Staff report
More than 450 “Desert Hawks” are leaving for Afghanistan on Tuesday morning from Fort Hood, Texas.
The Arizona Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 285th Aviation Regiment, has trained at Fort Hood since April to learn how to fly and maintain the AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter. The conversion from flying the AH-64A helicopter was finished in November.
The unit will deploy with 24 Apache Longbows. In Afghanistan, the battalion will provide attack and reconnaissance support for 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade.
Soldier Voices:
December 17th, 2006 Soldiervoices.net [Excerpts]
“This Is America, Love It And Support It, Or Get The Hell Out”
I am an Iraq vet, and I also swore an oath "to support and defend", ring a bell? Oh yeah, "to obey the orders of the president of the united states", hmmmm. Yes, I did sign the dotted line, and if you think YOU could do better than Bush why don't you run for president.
People like you really piss me off to think that I need a voice.
WMD's were there because I saw them with my own eyes, CNN won't tell you that for two reasons: #1, Ifgives credit to the administration, and #2 good news dosen't make headlines.
I never seen a more corrupt, and spineless group of people as the american media.
If you have really been to Iraq and have taken a minute to understand the nation of Islam, you should have noticed how brainwashed the people are to believe that america is the source of all evil.
I firmly believe that with time the Islamic religion will be the downfall of the huamn race.
This is America, love it and support it, or get the hell out.
*******************************************
Reply:
“I Don’t Believe Genocide To Be A Reason For Taking America To War”
December 17th, 2006, 02:07 Admin - Active Duty Soldier, Location: Baghdad, IZ,
I got this on the myspace profile. I served with him in Iraq and we partied on the weekends while stationed in Germany.
I just want to point out that even though this site is definately leaning towards the anti-war side,all points of view are welcome here.
To this I have to point out that the tired "all muslims are evil" argument has been made. I avoid replying to this.
I don't believe genocide to be a reason for taking America to war.
He points out that CNN refuses to report on the findings of WMD, but what about Fox News or Newsmaxor any of the other conservative-leaning media outlets? Even lying and saying that WMD were discovered would have given this war instant credibility.
But when Army Major General Spider Marks (who was in charge of the WMD hunt) said he couldn't findWMDs. Well, history is conflicted.
Keep in mind, WMD are easy to hide.
What they were looking for (and couldn't find) were people. People to say "I worked on WMD!" or "I transported WMD!" or "I guarded WMD!" or any of a bunch of other things.
What was on the line? $10 million and a free ticket to the US with green card. There was exactly ONE who qualified (the man who gave the whereabouts to Saddam's son's location).
Anyways, I'm currently in Kuwait just waiting for round 2. I'm glad to see this site getting more popular, though I wish more would get involved.
Take care peeps!
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Why Don't Presidents Fight The War?/
Why Do They Always Send The Poor?/
January 7th, 2007, 09:44 Spicoli Super Moderator, Location: Killeen, Tx (Ft. Hood)
ShockandAwe Admin - Active Duty Soldier
I guess that your "friend" is right on one aspect of his argument. They did find WMD's.
I do not remember when exactly but sometime in 2006 a cache of Mustard Gas was uncovered.
Granted, the gas was made before Desert Storm and there is a short life span to Mustard Gas. After a couple of years it breaks down into other inert gasses and becomes completely harmless.
At the time of the find it was reported that the gas was probably inert by the time Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.
But hey, at least this excursion into the desert wasn't a total loss. It's not like we're the biblical Jews lost in the desert for 40 years.
We have GPS so we can find our way out of the desert. We can't find our way home yet though because Bush doesn't know what GPS is or how it works. But at least we found inert gas.
I don't know about all the other "love America and shut the hell up" stuff.
I guess he is one of the simple-minded folks who think that your right to free speech and free thought are Un-American.
I would hate to see what happens when a guy like that feels he has been wronged by his country in some way and wants to speak out. I hope everyone shouts him down with "love America and shut the hell up".
Why don't Presidents fight the war?/
Why do they always send the poor?/
They always send the poor.
System of a Down -- B.Y.O.B
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Dick Cheney, You're A Sign Of The Times!!!
Dick Cheney, You're No Friend Of Mine!!!
January 10th, 2007, 06:15 RedSword, "Islamofascist" Location: FT. Stewart, GA (Coastal Empire)
It's really a job that has been given a lot of added connotations, depending on who the spinmeister of the moment is; O'Reilly, Hannity, Coulter (who has become, and is becoming, ever more irrelevant since it was found that she was basically a mucho liar).
Not that I'm trying to downplay the honor behind it, but it's not like there isn't any honor in many other careers.
I think certain industries could do well with a little reinforcement of moral values (energy companies, corporate farms, media agencies).
Cheap Sex's "Dick Cheney"
Better lock your safes tonight;
cause Cheney and the boys are out tonight!!!
(Watch your pockets, watch your purses!!!)
Don't bother looking out for yourselves;
cause Cheney wants a piece, a piece of your wealth!!!
(Watch your pockets, watch your purses!!!)
Dick Cheney, you're a sign of the times!!!
Dick Cheney, you're no friend of mine!!!
“A Great Day In Atlanta”
Veterans For Peace Welcomed At Martin Luther King Day March And Rally
“Yes, Bring Them Home Now!”
Atlanta VFP Chapter 125 member John Zientowski, a Vietnam veteran. (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
From: Debbie Clark [Atlanta Veterans For Peace, Chapter 125] [Excerpts]
Sent: January 15, 2007
We had a great day in Atlanta at the King march and rally.
Our VFP chapter marched, with a couple of our MFSO [Military Families Speak Out] members with us, with lots of support and cheers from folks lining the streets, with some of them shouting out, “Yes, bring them home now!” when they saw us.
I gave a 3-minute speech at the King rally with half a dozen of my chapter members standing behind me, and it was very well received. [See text below.]
In my remarks, I acknowledged VFP support of Iraq veterans speaking out against the war, active duty military members who are resisting the war by refusing to deploy to Iraq (specifying Lt. Watada by name), and then talked about the Appeal for Redress campaign and Jonathan Hutto, who grew up in Atlanta.
I recognized his mother, Jacquelyn Fortson Hutto, being there with us standing in support of her son. [S]he was right there at the stage in front so I acknowledged her from there and the audience cheered her.
One of the Atlanta TV news stations, Channel 2 Action News, did an outstanding job of covering all that as well as other antiwar sentiment expressed during the day, beginning with the service at Ebenezer Baptist Church which preceded the march.
They aired a couple of soundbites they picked out from their street interview with me while we were marching, which was all in conjunction with the story about Jonathan Hutto’s Appeal for Redress campaign and his mother being there with us, showing shots of her. It was all quite good.
MORE:
“Support These Active Duty Service Members Who Are Resisting This War”
Speech by Debbie Clark, Atlanta Veterans For Peace Chapter 125, at the Martin Luther King Day Rally, Atlanta, Georgia, Jan. 16, 2007.
Debbie Clark served eight years in the US Army between 1976 and 1984 – five years in the Military Police and three years in the US Army Criminal Investigation Command as a Special Agent investigating felony crimes committed by US service members. She is the founder of the Greater Atlanta Chapter 125 of Veterans For Peace.
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Veterans For Peace is a national organization of military veterans who are committed to the cause of world peace and the abolition of war as an instrument of national policy.
Veterans For Peace is here today to honor Dr. King’s commitment to peace and his courageous stand against the Vietnam war. There can be no doubt that if Dr. King were alive today, he would also be speaking out against the war in Iraq.
Veterans For Peace believes that the invasion and occupation of Iraq is immoral, unjust, and in violation of the US Constitution and federal law. We support Iraq veterans speaking out against the war as well as active duty military members refusing deployment to Iraq, such as First Lieutenant Ehren Watada of Fort Lewis, Washington, who has put the war on trial and is now facing court martial and up to six years in prison if convicted.
Veterans For Peace also supports active duty military members who are exercising their legal right to contact members of Congress.
Jonathan Hutto, a sailor in the US Navy who grew up in Atlanta in the light shed on this city and in the world by Dr. King, has been leading a movement of responsible active duty military members in an Appeal for Redress campaign to urge members of Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq.
The Appeal for Redress has been signed by 1031 active duty troops from the lowest ranks on up to senior ranking officers.
Jonathan Hutto will be in Washington DC tomorrow holding a national press conference and delivering the Appeal for Redress petition to supportive members of Congress.
On stage with us here today is Jonathan Hutto’s mother, Jacquelyn Fortson Hutto, in support of her son’s courageous actions.
We urge all citizens to support these active duty service members who are resisting this war and urging members of Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
We urge you to support these troops by being on the streets and calling on your elected representatives to end this brutal and unlawful occupation of Iraq and bring our troops home now.
“We’ll Stop This War”
Soldiers “Are The People Who Will Do It”
Excerpt from “Sow Peace, Reap Justice,” by Camilo Mejia, Iraq Veteran, Nov.-Dec. 2006 International Socialist Review
[Randy] Rowland Was first convicted for resisting the Vietnam War, and later for mutiny, after singing "We Shall Overcome" while in the stockade. He served a total of a year and a half in prison.
Rowland explained:
“What I want to say is that GI resistance is on the rise again and that when people ask how can you stop those who will stop at nothing, I think Bertolt Brecht answered it most properly when he said that as long as they need soldiers, as long as they need drivers for tanks, as long as they need the guys that are gonna pull the triggers, then ultimately we'll stop this war because those are the people who will do it.”
“New Benefit For Returning Troops”
‘Honor Covers’ Mark Shipped Caskets
[Thanks to Alberto Jaccoma, Veteran, who sent this in. He writes: new benefit for returning troops.]
Jan 13, 2007 By Karen Jowers, Staff writer Army Times [Excerpts]
An “honor cover” now will be placed over the caskets of all fallen service members while they are being transported to their final destinations, defense officials said.
It is an adaptation of the cover that airlines traditionally have used to secure caskets — the same reinforced cardboard cover, with a wooden base and straps. But these honor covers are embossed with an American flag on the top and over the side, with the Defense Department seal at each end.
“This gives more visibility during the transport process,” said Air Force Col. Michael Pachuta, director of morale, welfare and recreation policy in the Defense Department.
Once the casket reaches its final destination, the military escort removes the honor cover and places the American flag over the coffin, before the honor guard carries it to the hearse or other transportation. Military escorts have instructions for carrying out this detail.
IRAQ RESISTANCE ROUNDUP
Assorted Resistance Action
A shrapnel-riddled police car where a roadside bomb targeted a police patrol in Baghdad. (AFP/Ahmad al-Rubaye)
January 16, 2007 (CNN) & Reuters
Two police officers who helped defuse a car bomb in central Baghdad's Karrada section were killed when another bomb hidden nearby exploded, the official said. Three policemen, were wounded, the official said.
A sniper killed a guard of al-Sabah, a state run newspaper, in northern Baghdad, police said.
A police colonel survived a roadside bomb that exploded near his car wounding two policemen, in Kirkuk, police said.
IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE RESISTANCE
END THE OCCUPATION
NEED SOME TRUTH? CHECK OUT TRAVELING SOLDIER
Telling the truth - about the occupation or the criminals running the government in Washington - is the first reason for Traveling Soldier. But we want to do more than tell the truth; we want to report on the resistance - whether it's in the streets of Baghdad, New York, or inside the armed forces. Our goal is for Traveling Soldier to become the thread that ties working-class people inside the armed services together. We want this newsletter to be a weapon to help you organize resistance within the armed forces. If you like what you've read, we hope that you'll join with us in building a network of active duty organizers. http://www.traveling-soldier.org/ And join with Iraq War vets in the call to end the occupation and bring our troops home now! (www.ivaw.net)
FORWARD OBSERVATIONS
Forgotten
From: Mike Hastie
To: GI Special
Sent: January 15, 2007
Subject: Forgotten
Forgotten
An intoxicated PTSD Vietnam Veteran
at the Oregon Vietnam Veterans Memorial
in Portland, Oregon.
This picture was taken on Veterans Day, 2001.
Mike Hastie
Vietnam Veteran
January 15, 2007
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
George Santayana
Photo and caption from the I-R-A-Q (I Remember Another Quagmire) portfolio of Mike Hastie, US Army Medic, Vietnam 1970-71. (For more of his outstanding work, contact at: (hastiemike@earthlink.net) T)
The More Things Change, The More That They Stay The Same
From: David Honish [Veteran]
To: GI Special
Sent: January 16, 2007
Subject: The More Things Change, The More That They Stay The Same
"I don't care any more if I get back to the world. A world too stupid to stay out of war, too stupid to know how to fight it, too stupid to know how to end it." Cpt James Muldoon speaking to the press about the 22 days of intense fighting in NOV 67 near Dak To by the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
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"We wanted on film and sound the horror of the war. Our motivation was not high minded or noble; there was nothing moral about it, not even political.
“Part of it was our empathy with the American troops.
“It seemed senseless for them to give up their lives for a war strategy that wasn't working.
“The more the United States escalated the war, the more the North Vietnamese increased their involvement. They had no shortage of soldiers or weapons. They controlled the time and place of most battles, even small skirmishes.
“They avoided combat unless they held an advantage. American patrols went out every day in search of the enemy and came back with their own dead and wounded from snipers and booby traps.
“...Of all the words American troops used to describe death in Vietnam...the one I heard most waswasted."
The Cat From Hue by John Laurence
What do you think? Comments from service men and women, and veterans, are especially welcome. Write to The Military Project, Box 126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10025-5657 or send tocontact@militaryproject.org:. Name, I.D., withheld on request. Replies confidential. Same to unsubscribe.
DANGER: POLITICIANS AT WORK
[Thanks to David Honish, Veteran, who sent this in.]
GI Special Looks Even Better Printed Out
GI Special issues are archived at website http://www.militaryproject.org .
The following have posted issues; there may be others:http://www.williambowles.info/gispecial/2006/index.html;http://imagineaworldof.blogspot.com/; http://gi-special.iraq-news.de;http://www.traprockpeace.org/gi_special/; http://www.uruknet.info/?p=-6&l=e;http://www.albasrah.net/maqalat/english/gi-special.htm
OCCUPATION ISN’T LIBERATION
BRING ALL THE TROOPS HOME NOW!
GI Special distributes and posts to our website copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in an effort to advance understanding of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. We believe this constitutes a “fair use” of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law since it is being distributed without charge or profit for educational purposes to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for educational purposes, in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. GI Special has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of these articles nor is GI Special endorsed or sponsored by the originators. This attributed work is provided a non-profit basis to facilitate understanding, research, education, and the advancement of human rights and social justice. Go to: www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml for more information. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
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