Veterans For Peace Applauds First Commissioned Officer to Refuse Deployment

For Immediate Release
Veterans For Peace

NEWS ADVISORY CONTACT: Michael T. McPhearson
June 7, 2006 314 303 8874

Veterans For Peace Applauds First Commissioned Officer to Refuse Deployment to Iraq

Who: Veterans For Peace, a national organization of military veterans including men and women from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, the Iraq War, other conflicts and “peacetime.”

What: Statement of support for U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren Watada

U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren Watada will become the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to the unlawful Iraq war and occupation. He is announcing his intention to disobey the illegal order to deploy to Iraq at 12 pm, June 7th in Tacoma, Washington, with a coordinated press conference in his home town Honolulu, Hawaii.

Veterans For Peace applauds First Lieutenant Watada’s courage to follow his convictions and refuse deployment to Iraq.

Veterans For Peace Executive Director Michael McPhearson states, “The Bush administration continues to put our nation’s service members in harms way for no good reason. Today our troops face the long shadows of Abu Ghraib and now Haditha. I understand that many of our troops believe the U.S. occupation to be just and must follow their conscience. Other soldiers, while they do not believe in the war, feel obligated to follow the orders of their leaders or fear the consequences of resisting. However, more and more men and women are coming to the realization that they have the right to follow their conscience to resist this immoral war and are willing to face whatever consequences lay ahead. As a leader and officer, 1LT Watada has an obligation to steward the physical, mental and moral health of his troops. I imagine it has become clear to the LT that his duty to them can not be served by leading them in an endeavor based on deceit and half truths. Veterans For Peace supports the courage of this young man and other service members like him.”

Press Conferences, June 7th: Tacoma, Washington at 12pm noon Associated Ministries, 1224 South I Street (at the intersection of 12th & I), Honolulu, Hawaii at 11am Hawaii State Capitol, Senate Conference Room 224

For more information about 1LT Watada, please visit Thank You Lt. . For more information about VFP, please visit Veterans For Peace .

Veterans For Peace is a national organization founded in 1985. It is structured around a national office in Saint Louis, MO and comprised of members across the country organized in chapters or as at-large members. The organization includes men and women veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, other conflicts and peacetime veterans. Our collective experience tells us wars are easy to start and hard to stop and that those hurt are often the innocent. Thus, other means of problem solving are necessary.
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Veterans For Peace

Michael T. McPhearson
Veterans For Peace
Executive Director
314 725-6005

peace: One step at a time.

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