About Face

Description

How does a young person who volunteers to serve in the US military become a war resister who risks ostracism, humiliation and prison rather than fight? Although it is not well publicised, the long tradition of refusing to fight in unjust wars continues today within the US military. About Face gives voice to some of these resisters, who describe in their own words the process they went through - from raw recruits to brave refusers. Also featured are exclusive interviews with Noam Chomsky and Daniel Ellsberg.

Sujets

• Iraq War
• Activism

Informations

• Publié par: PM Press
• Date de parution: 20 octobre 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781604866070
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Praise for About Face
" About Face gives us important insights into the consciences of women and men who volunteer for the military but find they cannot obey orders to fight in illegal wars. These are brave and loyal Americans who are willing to challenge the U.S. government and perhaps go to jail rather than betray their inner voices that say ‘NO’ to these wars!"
Ann Wright, retired U.S. Army colonel and diplomat who resigned in protest of the invasion of Iraq. Author of DISSENT: Voices of Conscience
" About Face pulls down the veil of what honorable service in today’s U.S. military really means. When new soldiers swear to support and defend the U.S. Constitution by following lawful orders, what are they to do when they are given unlawful orders? About Face provides raw examples of precisely what soldiers are doing who take their oath seriously."
Dahr Jamail, independent journalist, author of The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan
"During this time of war it is vital that every American take a moment to listen to the first-hand accounts of those who have served on the front lines and those who refuse to fight."
Aaron Glantz, author of The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle Against America’s Veterans
"It was a privilege to read this book. As a veteran, it was especially meaningful to me because I know some of the participants personally. It certainly opened my eyes and heart to their struggle. I know that it will have the same impact to everyone who reads it. It is especially compelling because it gives a wonderful cross section of veterans in their struggle with the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. I think that it has the potential of getting people involved in the antiwar movement. Together we can make a difference in a world that seems engulfed in war."
Dennis Lane, executive director, Veterans for Peace
"This book documents the resistance of American heroes resistance to illegal wars, to immoral wars, and to government secrecy, that threaten the very foundation of our democracy. A must-read for every American."
Marjorie Cohn, coauthor, Rules of Disengagement: The Politics and Honor of Military Dissent

About Face: Military Resisters Turn Against War
© 2011 Buff Whitman-Bradley, Sarah Lazare, and Cynthia Whitman-Bradley
This edition © 2011 PM Press
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be transmitted by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.
ISBN: 978-1-60486-440-3
LCCN: 2011927945
Cover design by John Yates/stealworks.com
Interior design by Jonathan Rowland
Photos by Jeff Paterson
"Free Bradley Manning" poster by Alisha Bermejo
PM Press
PO Box 23912
Oakland, CA 94623
www.pmpress.org
Courage to Resist
484 Lake Park Ave #41
Oakland, CA 94610
www.couragetoresist.org
510-488-3559
Printed by the Employee Owners of Thomson-Shore in Dexter, Michigan.
www.thomsonshore.com
For Mike Searle and Bill Hard
BWB
For Mom, Dad, Ben, and Kinley
SL
For my children
CWB
Contents

About Courage to Resist
Preface
The Courage to Resist Audio Project
Buff Whitman-Bradley
Commonly used acronyms and terms
Introduction
Sarah Lazare
Resistance to Wars of Empire
An Interview with Noam Chomsky
Sarah Lazare
Part I: Refusing to Go Back
Benji Lewis
Samantha Schutz
André Shepherd
Bryan Currie
David Cortelyou
Hart Viges
William Shearer
Kimberly Rivera
Part II: Rejecting Military Culture
Ryan Johnson
Brad McCall
Robin Long
Part III: Looking Deeper
Matthis Chiroux
Michael Thurman
Tim Richard
Matt Mishler
T.J. Buonomo
Ryan Jackson
Ghanim Khalil
Brandon Hughey
Part IV: Resisting Military Abuse
Suzanne Swift
Dustin Che Stevens
Jose Crespo
Skyler James
Part V: Collateral Murder, WikiLeaks, and Bradley Manning
The Courage to Reveal the Truth
An Interview with Daniel Ellsberg about WikiLeaks, Bradley Manning, and Official Secrets
Buff Whitman-Bradley
An Open Letter of Reconciliation and Responsibility to the Iraqi People
Josh Stieber and Ethan McCord
Afterword
Operation Recovery
Sarah Lazare
Supporting GI Resistance
Cynthia Whitman-Bradley
About Courage to Resist
Courage to Resist, formed shortly after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, is a group of concerned community members, veterans, and military families who support members of the U.S. military who decide that they can no longer participate in wars of empire and occupation waged by the U.S. government.
In the past several years, tens of thousands of service members have resisted illegal war and occupation in a number of different ways: by going AWOL, seeking conscientious objector status or a discharge, asserting the right to speak out against injustice from within the military, and, for a relative few, publicly refusing to fight.
Although the efforts of Courage to Resist are primarily focused on supporting public GI resisters, the organization also strives to provide political, emotional, and material support to all military objectors critical of our government’s current policies of empire.
With the limited resources of a grassroots, mostly volunteer organization, Courage to Resist has nevertheless been able to provide assistance to a great many resisters, including those in this book publicizing their stories through our website and other media; organizing people all over country to write military and public officials in their behalf; sending them books and personal items; creating national support campaigns; and raising funds for civilian legal representation that has helped many of them stay out of military prison, receive lighter sentences, or avoid dishonorable discharges and loss of veterans’ benefits.
Courage to Resist is motivated by a "people power" strategy that we believe can weaken the pillars that maintain war and occupation in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. By supporting GI resistance, counterrecruitment, and draft resistance, we hope to diminish the number of troops available for unjust war and occupation.
Preface
The Courage to Resist Audio Project
Some of the most eloquent and powerful voices raised against U.S. wars of imperialist aggression are those of the soldiers who have been called upon to fight and have uttered a resounding no! An important part of the work Courage to Resist does in supporting the growth of resistance inside and outside the military is to provide opportunities for the voices of GI resisters to be heard. We have published their personal statements as well as articles about them on our website; we have arranged press conferences and speaking tours; and through our Audio Project we have made it possible to hear many of those courageous resisters telling their own stories.
From 2007 to 2009, the Courage to Resist Audio Project recorded telephone interviews with more than two dozen GI resisters. It was my good fortune to be the member of the Courage to Resist organizing collective who produced the Audio Project and conducted those interviews. Invariably, I finished each conversation with enormous respect and admiration for the speaker at the other end of the line. To a person, they were thoughtful and articulate about the reasons they chose to go AWOL, seek conscientious objector status, or refuse to be recalled, and were very, very brave in confronting the possible consequences including prison of their actions.
This book is a compilation of most of the interviews originally posted, and still available, on the Courage to Resist website. In editing them, we have removed the interviewer’s questions so that the only voice you "hear" is the resister telling her or his own story. We have also made some other small editorial changes and adjustments as necessary for clarification of facts, eliminating repetition, and smooth transitions between topics. Mostly what you will be reading are the words as they were spoken. I believe that you will find them compelling, often disturbing, and making a powerful argument against the arrogant cruelty of militarism and empire.
Please note that at the time of this writing, the legal circumstances of some of the resisters in this book, particularly those in Canada, were unresolved. That may have changed in the intervening time between completion of the manuscript and when you are reading this.
The editors would like to thank the brave resisters who tell their stories in these pages, and current and past members of the Courage to Resist organizing collective Jeff Paterson, Lori Hurlebaus, David Solnit, Marissa Diorio, Ayesha Gill, Sara Rich, Margaret Howe, Bob Meola, Michael Thurman, and Melissa Roberts (along with the three editors of this book) for their continuing support for the Audio Project and this book. In addition, we wish to thank David M. Gross, Maria Abad, and Sarah Arid for their tireless work transcribing the interviews that comprise the bulk of this book, and to former Courage to Resist office manager and collective member Adam Seibert for persisting in the search to find these volunteer transcribers.
Buff Whitman-Bradley
Commonly used acronyms and terms AIT Advanced Individual Training, which occurs after Basic Training AWOL absent without leave IED improvised explosive device IP Iraqi police IRR Individual Ready Reserve; IRR soldiers have completed active duty but may be recalled to service MP military police NCO noncommissioned officer PFC private first class, a military rank held by junior enlisted persons PT physical training PTSD post-traumatic stress disorder Stop-Loss involuntary extension of active-duty service under the enlistment VA United States Department of Veterans Affairs, formerly the Veterans Administration
Introduction
How can there be GI resistance with no draft? Why would someone who voluntarily signed up to serve in the military refuse to fight? There is a common perception that war resistance is something that happens when civilians are drafted into the military and noncon