No matter what branch of service one joins, in the service of this Country, they have an Obligation to Stand Up to the Oath taken, against what they may feel are Unlawful Orders, No Matter Who Gives Them.
And especially as NCO's and Officers, if those Orders put their personal into extreme danger, against the Oath to Defend Country and Constitution, it is their Duty to Question those orders.
Military personal have few options to be heard, outside of ranks, but the Appeal For Redress gives them an Avenue to discuss their grievances with their Elected Representative in Congress who Work For Them and Us Civilians.
The Military Personal need our Real Support, just speaking the Words is not the support wanted nor needed!
From the Daily Press-Hampton Roads VirginiaWarriors rally against Iraq warActive-duty personnel join activists in Norfolk to ask for an end to the conflict.Now a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, he joined other active-duty personnel and peace activists at a Norfolk church Monday to promote an "Appeal for Redress" that asks Congress to bring the war to an end.
More than 1,030 soldiers, sailors and airmen have signed the petition, which is to be presented to Congress today.
"We've served in combat, and we've seen the futility of this war," said Magruder, who serves in an Army National Guard unit based in California. "The soldiers want to resist. The soldiers want to come home. We need the citizens to back us up."
More than 100 people attended the protest. Roughly one-third of the crowd were active-duty service members.
One message was repeated at Monday's protest: Dissent is not disloyalty, and those who object to the war are not traitors.
"It is not political, despite how others try to label us," said Liam Madden, a Marine who served seven months in Iraq. "Veterans often say, 'Not one more of my brothers should die for a lie.' This is not political. It is a call to conscience."
Active-duty war objectors face ostracism among their peers and potential retaliation from their superior officers, said Fabian Bouthillette, a former Navy officer who joined Iraq Veterans Against the War.
"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."
A soldier based in Fort Lewis, Wash., 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, is awaiting court-martial for refusing to be deployed to the war, to which he publicly objected.
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.
From the Washington PostWhy They Fight -- From WithinTwo Navy Men Create an Outlet For Military Protests on the WebFor Jonathan Hutto and David Rogers, life has become something of a surreality show. The two Navy men, comrades in arms, are waging a war against a war.
Jonathan Hutto, left, and David Rogers, who serve in the Navy, put together a Web site with names of active troops who are against the war in Iraq. (By Jay Paul For The Washington Post)
Working from within, Hutto, Rogers and others have established AppealforRedress.org , a Web site that enables active-duty, reserve and National Guard troops to appeal directly to Congress to withdraw military personnel from Iraq. On Monday, the group held its coming-out news conference in Norfolk, announcing that more than 1,000 people have signed appeals. On Tuesday, the pleas will be presented to Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) on Capitol Hill.
"Just because you joined the military doesn't mean your constitutional rights are suspended," said Hutto, a petty officer third class and 1999 Howard University graduate. "True patriotism is having a questioning attitude about the government."
Redress in this situation means relief, he said. "Relief from this war."
Audio ClipHutto on Antiwar Group Inspiration
Jonathan Hutto discusses the book "Soldiers in Revolt: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War."
Some, however, are reticent to appear in public. Organizers estimated that about two dozen active-duty members showed up at the Norfolk event, in a church near the naval base here. They were expecting 50. Hutto pointed out that many of the signers do not live in the Norfolk area.
The idea for the within-the-ranks antiwar group came after Hutto read "Soldiers in Revolt: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War" by David Cortright. Hutto showed the book to Rogers. They invited Cortright to come to Norfolk.
"I was so impressed by the seriousness of the discussion," said Cortright, who teaches peace studies at the University of Notre Dame. He said it takes guts for active military members to speak out. "But they do it respectfully."
A specialist 4 during Vietnam, Cortright said there were hundreds of active-military antiwar groups by 1970. "They published underground newspapers, ran coffeehouses, organized demonstrations and protests," he said. He recalled that in 1969, a petition signed by more than 1,300 active-duty military people -- calling for a national protest against the Vietnam War -- ran in the New York Times.
A widely circulated appeal for redress is a new wrinkle made possible by the Internet. The plea is simply stated. Here is the nut: 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. The site is also sponsored by Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out.
Signers include:
Kevin Torres, 23, from Brooklyn, a sergeant in the 101st Airborne who has served two tours in Iraq. "I felt like with our being there, we were making more enemies," he said. "The people hated us. They wanted us out of the city."
And Liam Madden, 22, a Marine sergeant from Vermont. He spent seven months on the ground in Iraq. "I saw Iraq struggling to get on its feet and failing to do so -- despite the best efforts of American military," he said. "I have nothing against the military or my experience. It's the policy I oppose."
He said warriors have the right to question their mission and not be like the cavalry in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade": Theirs not to reason why /Theirs but to do and die.
From The Richmond Times Dispatch25 service members urge Iraq pulloutIn an hour-long event that paid homage to the anti-war teachings of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the notion that dissent can be patriotic, the group claimed support from hundreds of actively serving personnel.
Speakers said they will be in Washington today to present members of Congress with the names of 1,031 actively serving members of the military who have signed an Internet document calling for the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.
"It is respectful," said Liam Madden, a U.S.Marine Corps sergeant based at Quantico. "This is not politics. It's our generation's call to conscience."
"I don't have the capacity to be silent and complain [about] things I find to be immoral," Hutto said yesterday.
Hutto said about 25 personnel were present, including a number who are now in the reserves. None of the service personnel was in uniform, in accordance with federal law governing dissent by military members. He and others who spoke at the news conference said they have experienced no reprisals for their activities.
The group has been coached by legal advisers that the law permits them to speak out if they direct their speech at members of Congress.
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.
Cortright is also president of the Fourth Freedom Forum, which has provided help and raised some money for Hutto and Madden's campaign.
Cortright said 60 percent of those who signed the Appeal for Redress have served in Iraq, and all of them are brave: "It's an extraordinary expression of conviction and courage."
From The Navy TimesService members to Congress: End Iraq war“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.
A couple of the group of Active Military Personal, and one must be Active or very recenly Discharged to sign on to the appeal, with the
Appeal For Redress were interviewed on Sunday on the
Air America Phoenix - 1480 KPHX - Phoenix's ONLY Progressive Talk Radio show
About Face which is hosted by members of the local Phoenix Veterans For Peace Chapter.
Those shows are not archived but the "About Face" show, though not live, airs also on
The Progressive Radio Network a streaming online Radio Network. The
About Face program airs on Saturdays, at 3pm PT 6pm ET.
The show, described above, was taped and will be aired this coming Saturday, on the Appeal For Redress. It will also be archived at the 'About Face' link above after it's aired.
Now last saturday it aired at 5pm ET don't know why so you might want to check it earlier if you are interested in hearing this interview.
If you know any Active Military Personal who might be interested, send the link to them, they can tune in anywhere in the world.
There is an archived show on PTSD with Ilona Meagher and guests already on the board at the left.
Just keep in mind these recent comments:"I think the Iraqi people owe the American people a huge debt of
gratitude" - The pResident
Yep up to 655,000 are really Grateful, many in their Mass Graves, as are their Survivors!
"I think once they get in harm's way, Congress's tradition is to
support those troops," Mr. Hadley said.
Harms Way, shows what the administration thinks of the Troops, it's called a Strong Defense!
The Failed Policies will Haunt Us and the World for Decades!
