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Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the April 15, 2004
issue of Workers World newspaper
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MORE CASES EMERGE OF SOLDIERS TURNING AGAINST THE WAR
By Dustin Langley
While ruling class politicians pretend to debate the war, focusing on
tactical questions like whether the Bush administration has enough
troops on the ground, working people in uniform are entering the debate
in earnest and calling for an end to the war.
Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia, a Nicaraguan immigrant, refused to return to
Iraq from leave, saying, "This is an oil-driven war, and I don't think
any soldier signs up to fight for oil. I did not sign up for the
military to go halfway around the world to be an instrument of
oppression. We were all lied to when we were told we were looking for
weapons of mass destruction or we were going to fight terrorism."
Lt. John Oliveira, former public affairs officer for the Navy, resigned
his commission after 16 years and now marches in anti-war
demonstrations.
These are among hundreds in the military who are now turning against the
war.
In the past year, more than 600 have gone AWOL--absent without leave.
(Chicago Tribune, March 15) Many more are exploring ways to get out. The
Army granted five conscientious objector discharges in January alone,
compared with 31 in all of 2003, 17 in 2002, and just 9 in 2001. (New
York Times, March 16)
Some soldiers change their minds when they face the reality of war. Sgt.
Mejia said, "When I saw with my own eyes what war can do to people, a
real change began to take place within me. I have witnessed the
suffering of a people whose country is in ruins and who are further
humiliated by the raids, patrols and curfews of an occupying army. My
experience of this war has changed me forever. I went to Iraq and was an
instrument of violence, and now I have decided to become an instrument
of peace."
Others are learning of the Bush administration's callous disregard for
the soldiers. Families of soldiers in Iraq have to pay as much as $1,400
for body armor because the Pentagon is not supplying it. (Boston Globe,
March 20)
A recent report from the Pentagon found dirty and unsafe conditions in
four mess halls operated by Halliburton in Iraq, including, "blood all
over the floor ... dirty pans ... dirty salad bars ... rotting meats ...
and vegetables."
A recent investigation found that at least four returning soldiers from
a local National Guard Company tested positive for radiation "likely
caused by dust from depleted uranium shells fired by U.S. troops." (New
York Daily News, April 4-5)
While GIs are getting sick, eating rotten food, and facing a lack of
equipment, the real beneficiaries of the war--the multinational
corporations--are raking in enormous profits and paying their civilian
contractors top dollar. Halliburton lists more than 450 openings in Iraq
on its website. Chris Boyd of Kroll-Crucible Security told CNN, "There's
a lot of contracts that pay anywhere from $350 a day to $1,500 a day."
As GIs become fed up with being cannon fodder for the multinational
corporations, it is imperative that the anti-war movement stand with
these brave resisters. Camilo Mejia is facing a court martial and could
receive up to a year in prison. SNAFU, an organization that supports
military resisters, is asking activists to call Gen. William Webster
(912-767-7667) at Fort Stewart, and tell him to release Camilo Mejia.
"Members of the military who have doubts about their government's
policies often feel isolated," said Alex Majumder, a SNAFU organizer.
"They are in an environment that does not tolerate dissenting
viewpoints. For this reason, it is important for military personnel to
connect with a strong civilian anti-war movement. This movement has to
educate soldiers with an anti-imperialist perspective and help them to
stand up for their rights and against the war machine."
Lt. John Oliveira says of the antiwar movement, "I'm thankful for those
people today. And I was thankful for them back then."
- END -
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