by Debra Sweet, World Can’t Wait – Drive Out the Bush Regime, Feb. 15 2008
In a month, this illegitimate, immoral unjust war started by the Bush regime on the basis of lies will have gone on for 5 years. The troop surge that Bush said would help end the war began a year ago this week.
Now a new British study shows that more than 1 million Iraqis have died in the occupation. More than 4 million are displaced from their homes. Rape, collective punishment and other war crimes are being committed daily by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan . The rest of the world now considers the names “Haditha, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo ” synonymous with crimes against humanity by US forces.
The world cannot wait any longer for people living in the United States to stop these crimes. Most people here want an end to the war. But how? No one in power will stop it.
This week, hundreds of Berkeley CA High School students poured out of their school to support the Berkeley City Council’s stand against military recruiters. Rather than pinning their hopes on a new president and a new round of promises, these kids are stuck in reality. They are demanding that recruiters leave them alone, and leave town. They speak with the moral authority of a generation whose future is threatened by Dick Cheney’s “war without end.”
Military recruitment keeps this illegitimate war going. Let this antiwar sentiment ripple across the country and set a new standard for resistance. More people must say “no” to the recruiters preying on young people to meet their growing quotas.
People in Berkeley had the courage to show how the war can be stopped, and now this has to happen across country. It’s time for the rest of us to take the only realistic step that can bring all this to a halt. Drive Dick Cheney, the #1 fan of torture, from office. And let George Bush, the proven liar, be not far behind.
In times like these, when the battle lines are sharply drawn, your choice -- of silence or resistance – is decisive. WE are the ones the world is waiting for!
Here are chants from SF:
What are they recruiting for?
Murder, rape, torture, WAR!
Falluja, Haditha, Guantanamo Bay,
This is the truth the recruiters don't say!
We support the troops who refuse to fight,
Cuz killing (and dying) for empire just ain't right!
Shut it down, shut it down!
The war machine
Shut it down, shut it down!
The Bush Regime!
Semper Fi, Kill and die,
In a war based on lies
Showing posts with label counter-recruiting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label counter-recruiting. Show all posts
Why Protesters Resisted Marine Recruiters
By Kenneth Theisen, The Berkeley Daily Planet, Feb. 12, 2008
The eyes of the world are on Berkeley due to recent actions by courageous demonstrators at the Marine recruiting office and the equally courageous actions of the Berkeley City Council which voted to tell the U.S. Marines that its Shattuck Square recruiting station "is not welcome in the city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders."
Support for the actions of the Berkeley City Council has grown and other cities are contemplating following the actions of the council. But at the same time, the right-wing talk show hosts have been filling the airwaves with verbal assaults on Berkeley and a number of right-wing Senators are attempting to cut-off federal funding for the city to punish resistance to the federal government’s military machine.
Some are calling for the City Council to rescind their previous actions. But it is critical that the Council stand by its correct actions and continue to set an example for the rest of the world. Demonstrations against the recruiting station should continue until the Marines pull out of Berkeley altogether. (There will be further actions Feb. 15.) All criminal charges against protestors should also be dropped and Berkeley should not cooperate with their prosecution.
Protesters from World Can't Wait! Drive out the Bush Regime! were arrested after chaining themselves to the door of the recruiting station and refusing to leave in an act of non-violent civil resistance. Code Pink was also active in the resistance. There is a long tradition of such civil resistance in this area. Berkeley police officers in riot formation blocked and violently cleared the street before arresting the orange jumpsuited protesters. The protestors were in jumpsuits to symbolize the role of the Bush regime in imprisoning and torturing prisoners around the world.
The Marine recruiting station is an outpost of the U.S. military in Berkeley . Its role is to recruit officers for the Marines. Without such officers, the Bush regime would not be able to launch its aggressive wars throughout the world.
For this reason it is right and just to demand the recruiting office’s ouster. The Marines are a large component of the U.S. military forces occupying Iraq . And despite the Bush regime claims that it invaded Iraq to bring freedom to the Iraqi people, the Marines are doing what they have always done for U.S. imperialism—killing people.
Just one example is what happened in Haditha , Iraq on November 19, 2005. US marines killed two dozen Iraqi civilians, including 11 women and children in a massacre there. In case readers think this is an aberration, listen to the words of Marine Lieutenant General James N. Mattis, who was in charge of developing Marine war-fighting doctrine and tactics. In answer to a question about fighting insurgents he stated, “Actually, it’s a lot of fun to fight. You know, it’s a hell of a hoot. It’s fun to shoot some people. I’ll be right up front with you, I like brawling.” “Mad Dog Mattis” led the 1st Marine Division during the initial invasions of both Afghanistan and Iraq . He also led the initial attack on Fallujah , Iraq in April 2004.
As far back as 1933, Marine Major General Smedley Butler in a speech clarified the role of the Marine Corp. “War is just a racket…It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses…”
“I spent 33 years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps…In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism...I helped make Mexico , especially Tampico , safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912…I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.”
Today the Marine Corp continues its tradition of acting as gangsters, but now it is serving the Bush regime in Iraq and Afghanistan . Each day in Iraq and Afghanistan it kills people or rounds them up and places them in prisons where torture and death are routine. Thousands of Iraqis and citizens of Afghanistan are rotting in these prisons while millions of others suffer at the hands of the U.S. occupiers.
The issue of free speech is not being debated in Berkeley . The issue is how far we need to go to stop the death and destruction that the Bush regime carries on daily in our name. The first amendment guarantees that the government will not interfere with free speech. The Marines are a component of the government. The Bush regime’s “free speech” is not in danger. Yes, some of those who may wish to join the Marines are being inconvenienced. I hope so, as the role of the Marines is not in the interest of the people.
Whatever it takes to stop the Bush regime and drive it from power is justified. I do not mind preventing the recruitment of Marines any more than I would have minded stopping the recruitment of soldiers for the Nazis during World War II. If the Bush wars are immoral, it is moral to do what we can to stop them by acts of civil resistance.
The City Council should be proud of its actions in opposing the Marine recruiting office and those of us in the Bay Area should support their courage. We should keep up the political opposition until the Marines leave this community.
Kenneth J. Theisen is a resident of Oakland and is an organizer with The World Can’t Wait! Drive out the Bush regime!
www.WorldCantWait.org
The eyes of the world are on Berkeley due to recent actions by courageous demonstrators at the Marine recruiting office and the equally courageous actions of the Berkeley City Council which voted to tell the U.S. Marines that its Shattuck Square recruiting station "is not welcome in the city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders."
Support for the actions of the Berkeley City Council has grown and other cities are contemplating following the actions of the council. But at the same time, the right-wing talk show hosts have been filling the airwaves with verbal assaults on Berkeley and a number of right-wing Senators are attempting to cut-off federal funding for the city to punish resistance to the federal government’s military machine.
Some are calling for the City Council to rescind their previous actions. But it is critical that the Council stand by its correct actions and continue to set an example for the rest of the world. Demonstrations against the recruiting station should continue until the Marines pull out of Berkeley altogether. (There will be further actions Feb. 15.) All criminal charges against protestors should also be dropped and Berkeley should not cooperate with their prosecution.
Protesters from World Can't Wait! Drive out the Bush Regime! were arrested after chaining themselves to the door of the recruiting station and refusing to leave in an act of non-violent civil resistance. Code Pink was also active in the resistance. There is a long tradition of such civil resistance in this area. Berkeley police officers in riot formation blocked and violently cleared the street before arresting the orange jumpsuited protesters. The protestors were in jumpsuits to symbolize the role of the Bush regime in imprisoning and torturing prisoners around the world.
The Marine recruiting station is an outpost of the U.S. military in Berkeley . Its role is to recruit officers for the Marines. Without such officers, the Bush regime would not be able to launch its aggressive wars throughout the world.
For this reason it is right and just to demand the recruiting office’s ouster. The Marines are a large component of the U.S. military forces occupying Iraq . And despite the Bush regime claims that it invaded Iraq to bring freedom to the Iraqi people, the Marines are doing what they have always done for U.S. imperialism—killing people.
Just one example is what happened in Haditha , Iraq on November 19, 2005. US marines killed two dozen Iraqi civilians, including 11 women and children in a massacre there. In case readers think this is an aberration, listen to the words of Marine Lieutenant General James N. Mattis, who was in charge of developing Marine war-fighting doctrine and tactics. In answer to a question about fighting insurgents he stated, “Actually, it’s a lot of fun to fight. You know, it’s a hell of a hoot. It’s fun to shoot some people. I’ll be right up front with you, I like brawling.” “Mad Dog Mattis” led the 1st Marine Division during the initial invasions of both Afghanistan and Iraq . He also led the initial attack on Fallujah , Iraq in April 2004.
As far back as 1933, Marine Major General Smedley Butler in a speech clarified the role of the Marine Corp. “War is just a racket…It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses…”
“I spent 33 years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps…In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism...I helped make Mexico , especially Tampico , safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912…I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.”
Today the Marine Corp continues its tradition of acting as gangsters, but now it is serving the Bush regime in Iraq and Afghanistan . Each day in Iraq and Afghanistan it kills people or rounds them up and places them in prisons where torture and death are routine. Thousands of Iraqis and citizens of Afghanistan are rotting in these prisons while millions of others suffer at the hands of the U.S. occupiers.
The issue of free speech is not being debated in Berkeley . The issue is how far we need to go to stop the death and destruction that the Bush regime carries on daily in our name. The first amendment guarantees that the government will not interfere with free speech. The Marines are a component of the government. The Bush regime’s “free speech” is not in danger. Yes, some of those who may wish to join the Marines are being inconvenienced. I hope so, as the role of the Marines is not in the interest of the people.
Whatever it takes to stop the Bush regime and drive it from power is justified. I do not mind preventing the recruitment of Marines any more than I would have minded stopping the recruitment of soldiers for the Nazis during World War II. If the Bush wars are immoral, it is moral to do what we can to stop them by acts of civil resistance.
The City Council should be proud of its actions in opposing the Marine recruiting office and those of us in the Bay Area should support their courage. We should keep up the political opposition until the Marines leave this community.
Kenneth J. Theisen is a resident of Oakland and is an organizer with The World Can’t Wait! Drive out the Bush regime!
www.WorldCantWait.org
Pro-Death Nuts Plan Rally in Berkeley
By David Swanson, After Downing Street, Feb. 11, 2008
Chicken Hawks Unlimited, also known as Move America Forward, sent around an Email today that begins:
And another American citizen has proposed that his city pass an ordinance banning the military from pushing its recruitment efforts on kids under 18. Wow, he must really love da tarrists!
The counter-recruitment efforts start tonight, Monday, at 7pm:
http://www.myspace.com/sfbaycantwait
EMERGENCY 24-HOUR VIGIL
Support the Berkeley City Council's stand calling on USMC recruiters to leave Berkeley. Bring tents, sleeping bags, food, your family & friends, your signs, music.
Monday 2-11-08
7PM CODEPINK organized permitted encampment joined by WORLD CAN'T WAIT
Tuesday 2-12-08
5AM World Can't Wait & CODEPINK counter-protest right-wing press event
12noon protest coalition press conference/rally led by the ANSWER Coalition
5PM City Council Meeting demonstration. This is a national media event.
City Hall lawn, 2134 MLK Jr. Way, Berkeley (2 blocks from Downtown Berkeley BART).
SHUT DOWN THE BERKELEY MARINE RECRUITING STATION!
Join World Can’t Wait, Code Pink, high school and college students, anti-war veterans and many others. Nonviolent Civil Resistance all day beginning at 7AM. Public debate.
Friday 2-15-08
7AM - 7PM demonstration & action led by WORLD CAN'T WAIT and joined by others
3PM Rally and Convergence. Waterboarding re-enactment.
64 Shattuck Sq. at University Ave, Berkeley (2 blocks from downtown Berkeley BART).
The city council members and Mayor Tom Bates need to hear from you now in support of their resolution declaring the Marine Corps Recruiting Center to be "unwelcome" in Berkeley. Email or call them your support. Please CC us so we can publish your support (names and emails deleted for publishing): sf@worldcantwait.org
Mayor Tom Bates 510-981-7100 mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us
District 1 Linda Maio 510-981-7110 lmaio@ci.berkeley.ca.us
District 2 Darryl Moore 510-981-7120 dmoore@ci.berkeley.ca.us
District 3 Maxwell Anderson 510-981-7130 manderson@ci.berkeley.ca.us
District 4 Dona Spring 510-981-7140 spring@ci.berkeley.ca.us
District 5 Laurie Capitelli 510-981-7150 lcapitelli@ci.berkeley.ca.us
District 6 Betty Olds 510-981-7160 olds@ci.berkeley.ca.us
District 7 Kriss Worthington 510-981-7170 kworthington@ci.berkeley.ca.us
District 8 Gordon Wozniak 510-981-7180 GWozniak@ci.berkeley.ca.us
Chicken Hawks Unlimited, also known as Move America Forward, sent around an Email today that begins:
"It is with a heavy heart that we are reporting to you that the attacks against our troops by American governmental bodies are continuing."Could this be the stop-loss orders keeping them in Iraq beyond their contracts? The lack of health care and benefits? Reneging on promises of college money? What could this be?
"The Mayor of Toldeo, Ohio has told the Marines to get out of his town: http://www.nbc24.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=94192Oh my goodness, this IS serious! The mayor of a US City would prefer not to have the Marines practicing urban warfare on his downtown streets. Why? His citizens complained that it's frightening.
In Arcata, California City Council member Dave Meserve is leading an effort against military recruiters: http://www.losangeleschronicle.com/articles/51420 "
And another American citizen has proposed that his city pass an ordinance banning the military from pushing its recruitment efforts on kids under 18. Wow, he must really love da tarrists!
"This is why Move America Forward has chosen to make a stand in Berkeley, CA, this Tuesday, February 12th to stand our ground and let it be known that we aren't willing to give up ANY American cities to those who would dishonor and disrespect our military.This is, of course, a response to the citizens and the city council of Berkeley resisting the efforts of military recruiters in their town. The military is of course blowing a fortune in tax dollars on recruitment because it needs more bodies to keep the occupation of Iraq going. An overwhelming majority of Americans, of course, opposes that occupation.
And we're going to let all these other towns across America know what is coming to them if they even THINK of trying to go down the Berkeley route."
"FINALLY - and perhaps most importantly - you simply MUST watch this video of the comments made by the Code Pink protestors in Berkeley, CA to understand what we're up against this Tuesday when we conduct our pro-troop demonstration and protest of the Berkeley City Council.Hey, thanks for the invitation! And that's so cool how the Republicans paid for your You Tube video. How much do they pay for your "volunteer activism"?
WATCH THIS VIDEO AND MAKE SURE EVERYONE ELSE YOU KNOW WATCHES IT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmdrkmtkCw4
Join us for part or all of the day this Tuesday, February 12th when Move America Forward conducts an all-day pro-troop demonstration (and protest against the Berkeley City Council) at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Berkeley, California.
We need you to come join us. Complete details of when and where are located at our website: http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org "
The counter-recruitment efforts start tonight, Monday, at 7pm:
http://www.myspace.com/sfbaycantwait
EMERGENCY 24-HOUR VIGIL
Support the Berkeley City Council's stand calling on USMC recruiters to leave Berkeley. Bring tents, sleeping bags, food, your family & friends, your signs, music.
Monday 2-11-08
7PM CODEPINK organized permitted encampment joined by WORLD CAN'T WAIT
Tuesday 2-12-08
5AM World Can't Wait & CODEPINK counter-protest right-wing press event
12noon protest coalition press conference/rally led by the ANSWER Coalition
5PM City Council Meeting demonstration. This is a national media event.
City Hall lawn, 2134 MLK Jr. Way, Berkeley (2 blocks from Downtown Berkeley BART).
SHUT DOWN THE BERKELEY MARINE RECRUITING STATION!
Join World Can’t Wait, Code Pink, high school and college students, anti-war veterans and many others. Nonviolent Civil Resistance all day beginning at 7AM. Public debate.
Friday 2-15-08
7AM - 7PM demonstration & action led by WORLD CAN'T WAIT and joined by others
3PM Rally and Convergence. Waterboarding re-enactment.
64 Shattuck Sq. at University Ave, Berkeley (2 blocks from downtown Berkeley BART).
The city council members and Mayor Tom Bates need to hear from you now in support of their resolution declaring the Marine Corps Recruiting Center to be "unwelcome" in Berkeley. Email or call them your support. Please CC us so we can publish your support (names and emails deleted for publishing): sf@worldcantwait.org
Mayor Tom Bates 510-981-7100 mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us
District 1 Linda Maio 510-981-7110 lmaio@ci.berkeley.ca.us
District 2 Darryl Moore 510-981-7120 dmoore@ci.berkeley.ca.us
District 3 Maxwell Anderson 510-981-7130 manderson@ci.berkeley.ca.us
District 4 Dona Spring 510-981-7140 spring@ci.berkeley.ca.us
District 5 Laurie Capitelli 510-981-7150 lcapitelli@ci.berkeley.ca.us
District 6 Betty Olds 510-981-7160 olds@ci.berkeley.ca.us
District 7 Kriss Worthington 510-981-7170 kworthington@ci.berkeley.ca.us
District 8 Gordon Wozniak 510-981-7180 GWozniak@ci.berkeley.ca.us
Anti-war veterans crash North Side recruiting office
'MINOR DISRUPTION'| Attempt to keep staff from work
BY MAUREEN O'DONNELL, suntimes.com, Sept. 18, 2007
The instructions for an unusual anti-war protest Monday contained a bold-face warning for the easily persuaded: "DO NOT SIGN ANY PAPERS."
That's because demonstrators were supposed to tie up military recruiters with calls and appointments.
"Every minute that a recruiter's spending with someone from the movement is a minute that they're not recruiting for the war," said Aaron Hughes of Iraq Veterans Against the War, which planned similar actions nationwide.
At least five protesters -- two of them veterans -- entered the U.S. Army Recruiting Station at 1239 N. Clybourn Monday morning. They said they peppered recruiters with questions about military jobs and benefits.
One was Ken Nielsen, 37, who joined the Army during Operation Desert Shield. He said he respects recruiters, but, "I'd rather them use their time on my getting information, than [them] going into schools."
"They're spending all this time getting recruits for this war that is illegal," said Hughes, 27, a member of the Illinois Army National Guard who drove a truck in Iraq.
He said he is convinced U.S. actions have hurt Iraqis more than they have helped. Contractors seemed to be the only ones to benefit, he said. "I didn't have plates for my flak vest, and yet I'm hauling air conditioners for contractors," he said.
Monday's action caused "minor disruption," said Mike Scheck, a spokesman for the Chicago Recruiting Battalion.
"We're not here to judge them," Scheck said. "Our job is to defend their right to say it. . . . We are doing what we're told, and we're not bound by politics. We're bound by the commander in chief and [military] decisions."
BY MAUREEN O'DONNELL, suntimes.com, Sept. 18, 2007
The instructions for an unusual anti-war protest Monday contained a bold-face warning for the easily persuaded: "DO NOT SIGN ANY PAPERS."
That's because demonstrators were supposed to tie up military recruiters with calls and appointments.
"Every minute that a recruiter's spending with someone from the movement is a minute that they're not recruiting for the war," said Aaron Hughes of Iraq Veterans Against the War, which planned similar actions nationwide.
At least five protesters -- two of them veterans -- entered the U.S. Army Recruiting Station at 1239 N. Clybourn Monday morning. They said they peppered recruiters with questions about military jobs and benefits.
One was Ken Nielsen, 37, who joined the Army during Operation Desert Shield. He said he respects recruiters, but, "I'd rather them use their time on my getting information, than [them] going into schools."
"They're spending all this time getting recruits for this war that is illegal," said Hughes, 27, a member of the Illinois Army National Guard who drove a truck in Iraq.
He said he is convinced U.S. actions have hurt Iraqis more than they have helped. Contractors seemed to be the only ones to benefit, he said. "I didn't have plates for my flak vest, and yet I'm hauling air conditioners for contractors," he said.
Monday's action caused "minor disruption," said Mike Scheck, a spokesman for the Chicago Recruiting Battalion.
"We're not here to judge them," Scheck said. "Our job is to defend their right to say it. . . . We are doing what we're told, and we're not bound by politics. We're bound by the commander in chief and [military] decisions."
A military route to citizenship
Plan for undocumented youths stirs debate
Daniel González, The Arizona Republic, Sept. 17, 2007
Hundreds of thousands of undocumented-immigrant youths could become eligible to join the military to offset shortages of qualified recruits under a bill pending in Congress.
Intense public opposition forced the Senate in June to abandon an immigration bill that included a path to citizenship for undocumented youths.
The proposal still has a strong chance of passing if backers in Congress are successful in attaching it to the annual defense-authorization bill this fall.
The Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act would allow undocumented high-school graduates to gain citizenship if they either attend college for two years or serve two years in the military.
Undocumented immigrants now are not permitted to serve.
Military analysts say the DREAM Act would help the armed forces find qualified recruits, whose numbers have dwindled because of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Some immigrant groups, however, say the DREAM Act amounts to a "de facto draft."
Using immigrants to boost the ranks of the military is not new.
With the demands in Afghanistan and Iraq, the United States began offering legal immigrants a chance to expedite citizenship applications for themselves and relatives if they enlisted.
Roughly 70,000 immigrants serve in the military, and about 40,000 are non-citizens. Immigrants make up about 5 percent of the total 1.4 million men and women on active duty.
A 2005 study by the Center for Naval Analysis reported that non-citizens are less likely to drop out of the military shortly after enlisting than are citizens and that non-citizens are significantly less likely to drop out after three years.
The bill was proposed six years ago as a way for undocumented minors brought to this country by their parents to get an education so they could achieve their full potential as tax-paying members of society.
With the military having trouble meeting recruiting goals and the public wary about any bill resembling amnesty for undocumented immigrants, supporters of the DREAM Act are playing up the bill's military provisions over its educational benefits. Unlike legal immigrants with permanent residency green cards, undocumented immigrants are barred from enlisting in the military.
"The DREAM Act would address a very serious recruitment crisis that faces our military," Sen. Dick Durbin, the bill's author, said on the Senate floor in July while trying to muster support for the DREAM Act to be attached to the annual defense-authorization bill.
Durbin wasn't successful, but Sandra Abrevaya, a Durbin spokeswoman, said that the Illinois Democrat will try again, possibly as early as this month.
The DREAM Act has broad bipartisan support in Congress.
U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, is a co-sponsor of the bill in the House. He said the legislation has a better chance now that the military aspect is being played up.
"I think it is being emphasized more because it makes it politically more palatable for some of my colleagues in Washington," Grijalva said.
If Durbin is successful in attaching the DREAM Act to the defense-authorization bill, the proposal is almost assured of passing.
"Given the current climate over illegal immigration, the calculation has been to emphasize the military aspect to get more Republicans to vote for it," said Brent Wilkes, national executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a Latino advocacy organization in Washington, D.C.
Wilkes said joining the military would be "very attractive" to a large number of undocumented youths, the majority of whom are Hispanic. Latinos have a long history of serving in the military, which they view as a way of climbing into the middle class and gaining leadership skills.
"There is a lot of pride among the community over their (military) service," he said. "We are happy that (the military) option exists."
The DREAM Act's new emphasis on military service, however, does not sit well with some advocacy groups.
The Association of Raza Educators, a teachers group in California, for example, is opposed to the bill because of the military provision.
Poor educational conditions and inadequate schooling make military enlistment the only option for many undocumented youths, the group says.
"We are afraid that it's going to cause a de facto military draft for our undocumented youth," coordinator Jose Lara said. "We fully support the college part of it, but the reality is Latino college rates are low, so the majority will pick the military part of it."
Luis Avila, 25, a student at Arizona State University, organized a weeklong hunger strike at the end of July to raise public support for the DREAM Act in Arizona. He said he is troubled by the increased emphasis on the bill's military provision.
"The DREAM Act is not really for them to join the Army, it's for them to get their education," Avila said.
Still, many undocumented immigrants he spoke with during the fast said they would prefer to join the military.
"I told them they should go to college and then join the military so they can enter as an officer rather than be put on the front lines," Avila said.
If it passes, the DREAM Act would create a substantial pool of potential recruits. The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization in Washington, D.C., estimates about 360,000 undocumented high-school graduates in the United States are of military age, between 18 and 24.
Another 715,000 undocumented youths are between the ages of 5 and 17, according to the institute.
Military analyst Margaret Stock, an immigration lawyer from Anchorage, Alaska, teaches at West Point about immigrants in the military. She said fears that the DREAM Act would turn into a "back-door draft" are unfounded.
That's because the military would need only a fraction of the undocumented immigrants made available by the DREAM Act to help offset shortages of qualified recruits.
Stock said the DREAM Act would help the military "a great deal." The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq make it hard for armed forces to find qualified recruits, and the military has been forced to pay bonuses and, in some cases, lower standards to meet recruitment goals, she said.
"Yes, they have met their goals, but at a cost in tax dollars and diminished quality of recruits," she said.
Studies show that Latinos do well in the military, she said. For one, they have a higher propensity to join the military. About 44 percent of Latino males of eligible age think joining the military would be a good idea.
For White males, it's about half that, she said.
Latinos have more success getting through boot camp than do other ethnic groups. They also stay in the military longer and have fewer disciplinary problems, Stock said.
"The modern military needs a lot of smart, successful people, and a lot of the DREAM Act kids are like that," she said.
Reach the reporter at daniel.gonzalez@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8312.
Daniel González, The Arizona Republic, Sept. 17, 2007
Hundreds of thousands of undocumented-immigrant youths could become eligible to join the military to offset shortages of qualified recruits under a bill pending in Congress.
Intense public opposition forced the Senate in June to abandon an immigration bill that included a path to citizenship for undocumented youths.
The proposal still has a strong chance of passing if backers in Congress are successful in attaching it to the annual defense-authorization bill this fall.
The Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act would allow undocumented high-school graduates to gain citizenship if they either attend college for two years or serve two years in the military.
Undocumented immigrants now are not permitted to serve.
Military analysts say the DREAM Act would help the armed forces find qualified recruits, whose numbers have dwindled because of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Some immigrant groups, however, say the DREAM Act amounts to a "de facto draft."
Using immigrants to boost the ranks of the military is not new.
With the demands in Afghanistan and Iraq, the United States began offering legal immigrants a chance to expedite citizenship applications for themselves and relatives if they enlisted.
Roughly 70,000 immigrants serve in the military, and about 40,000 are non-citizens. Immigrants make up about 5 percent of the total 1.4 million men and women on active duty.
A 2005 study by the Center for Naval Analysis reported that non-citizens are less likely to drop out of the military shortly after enlisting than are citizens and that non-citizens are significantly less likely to drop out after three years.
The bill was proposed six years ago as a way for undocumented minors brought to this country by their parents to get an education so they could achieve their full potential as tax-paying members of society.
With the military having trouble meeting recruiting goals and the public wary about any bill resembling amnesty for undocumented immigrants, supporters of the DREAM Act are playing up the bill's military provisions over its educational benefits. Unlike legal immigrants with permanent residency green cards, undocumented immigrants are barred from enlisting in the military.
"The DREAM Act would address a very serious recruitment crisis that faces our military," Sen. Dick Durbin, the bill's author, said on the Senate floor in July while trying to muster support for the DREAM Act to be attached to the annual defense-authorization bill.
Durbin wasn't successful, but Sandra Abrevaya, a Durbin spokeswoman, said that the Illinois Democrat will try again, possibly as early as this month.
The DREAM Act has broad bipartisan support in Congress.
U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, is a co-sponsor of the bill in the House. He said the legislation has a better chance now that the military aspect is being played up.
"I think it is being emphasized more because it makes it politically more palatable for some of my colleagues in Washington," Grijalva said.
If Durbin is successful in attaching the DREAM Act to the defense-authorization bill, the proposal is almost assured of passing.
"Given the current climate over illegal immigration, the calculation has been to emphasize the military aspect to get more Republicans to vote for it," said Brent Wilkes, national executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a Latino advocacy organization in Washington, D.C.
Wilkes said joining the military would be "very attractive" to a large number of undocumented youths, the majority of whom are Hispanic. Latinos have a long history of serving in the military, which they view as a way of climbing into the middle class and gaining leadership skills.
"There is a lot of pride among the community over their (military) service," he said. "We are happy that (the military) option exists."
The DREAM Act's new emphasis on military service, however, does not sit well with some advocacy groups.
The Association of Raza Educators, a teachers group in California, for example, is opposed to the bill because of the military provision.
Poor educational conditions and inadequate schooling make military enlistment the only option for many undocumented youths, the group says.
"We are afraid that it's going to cause a de facto military draft for our undocumented youth," coordinator Jose Lara said. "We fully support the college part of it, but the reality is Latino college rates are low, so the majority will pick the military part of it."
Luis Avila, 25, a student at Arizona State University, organized a weeklong hunger strike at the end of July to raise public support for the DREAM Act in Arizona. He said he is troubled by the increased emphasis on the bill's military provision.
"The DREAM Act is not really for them to join the Army, it's for them to get their education," Avila said.
Still, many undocumented immigrants he spoke with during the fast said they would prefer to join the military.
"I told them they should go to college and then join the military so they can enter as an officer rather than be put on the front lines," Avila said.
If it passes, the DREAM Act would create a substantial pool of potential recruits. The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization in Washington, D.C., estimates about 360,000 undocumented high-school graduates in the United States are of military age, between 18 and 24.
Another 715,000 undocumented youths are between the ages of 5 and 17, according to the institute.
Military analyst Margaret Stock, an immigration lawyer from Anchorage, Alaska, teaches at West Point about immigrants in the military. She said fears that the DREAM Act would turn into a "back-door draft" are unfounded.
That's because the military would need only a fraction of the undocumented immigrants made available by the DREAM Act to help offset shortages of qualified recruits.
Stock said the DREAM Act would help the military "a great deal." The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq make it hard for armed forces to find qualified recruits, and the military has been forced to pay bonuses and, in some cases, lower standards to meet recruitment goals, she said.
"Yes, they have met their goals, but at a cost in tax dollars and diminished quality of recruits," she said.
Studies show that Latinos do well in the military, she said. For one, they have a higher propensity to join the military. About 44 percent of Latino males of eligible age think joining the military would be a good idea.
For White males, it's about half that, she said.
Latinos have more success getting through boot camp than do other ethnic groups. They also stay in the military longer and have fewer disciplinary problems, Stock said.
"The modern military needs a lot of smart, successful people, and a lot of the DREAM Act kids are like that," she said.
Reach the reporter at daniel.gonzalez@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8312.
Truth in Recruiting
Iraq Veterans Against The War, Sept. 17, 2007
More than 50 of our members participated in Saturday's protest in DC (click here for yesterday's article from the Washington Post) and we are now stepping things up with our Truth in Recruiting campaign which begins today.
IVAW's Truth in Recruiting campaign is a nationwide effort to cut through the lies and spin of military recruiters. As part of the campaign, we will be handing out "Truth in Recruiting" fliers at high schools and recruiting stations in the coming weeks, while others will "befriend a recruiter."
In addition, IVAW members - in Philadelphia, Madison, Denver, Washington, DC and elsewhere - will hold actions to let the public know that military recruiters, who are increasingly not meeting their required quotas, are becoming more and more desperate. As the occupation of Iraq grinds on, recruiters are under more pressure to recruit new soldiers by obscuring the realities of military service, including length of active duty, the likelihood of seeing combat, benefits (including the GI bill) and more. As military veterans and active duty troops, members of Iraq Veterans Against the War aim to educate young people about what’s really happening on the ground in Iraq, and what to expect from a military enlistment.
Please join us as we step up our efforts to bring the truth of this war home. For more information on the Truth in Recruiting Campaign, visit www.ivaw.org/truth.
Sincerely,
Kelly Dougherty
Former Sergeant, Army National Guard
Executive Director
Iraq Veterans Against the War
P.S. We need your help to educate our youth about the realities of war and military service. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to IVAW today. Click here to make your donation now.
More than 50 of our members participated in Saturday's protest in DC (click here for yesterday's article from the Washington Post) and we are now stepping things up with our Truth in Recruiting campaign which begins today.
IVAW's Truth in Recruiting campaign is a nationwide effort to cut through the lies and spin of military recruiters. As part of the campaign, we will be handing out "Truth in Recruiting" fliers at high schools and recruiting stations in the coming weeks, while others will "befriend a recruiter."
In addition, IVAW members - in Philadelphia, Madison, Denver, Washington, DC and elsewhere - will hold actions to let the public know that military recruiters, who are increasingly not meeting their required quotas, are becoming more and more desperate. As the occupation of Iraq grinds on, recruiters are under more pressure to recruit new soldiers by obscuring the realities of military service, including length of active duty, the likelihood of seeing combat, benefits (including the GI bill) and more. As military veterans and active duty troops, members of Iraq Veterans Against the War aim to educate young people about what’s really happening on the ground in Iraq, and what to expect from a military enlistment.
Please join us as we step up our efforts to bring the truth of this war home. For more information on the Truth in Recruiting Campaign, visit www.ivaw.org/truth.
Sincerely,
Kelly Dougherty
Former Sergeant, Army National Guard
Executive Director
Iraq Veterans Against the War
P.S. We need your help to educate our youth about the realities of war and military service. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to IVAW today. Click here to make your donation now.
War Opponents Train For Visits to Area Schools And Recruitment Centers
By Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post, Sept. 17, 2007
Two days after bringing thousands of protesters to the U.S. Capitol, Iraq war opponents will begin a "week of action" today that starts with sending activists to area high schools and military recruiting centers and marching through a congressional building.
Dozens of war opponents, including some who were among the 192 arrested Saturday, spent yesterday training for this week, which will be "the most intense week" of planned actions since the Iraq conflict began, said Brian Becker, national coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition, which organized Saturday's rally and march and many of the other large antiwar events across the country.
Click here for Washington Post video of Saturday's rally.
Activists came to four training sessions held at George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs yesterday, many trading stories from their arrests or from clashes with several hundred war supporters who lined the march route.
They are calling today National Truth in Recruiting Day, during which war opponents will try to reach young people in particular, as well as anyone considering joining the military. Activists said yesterday that they planned to visit area recruiting centers, schools and other places young people might go and that war opponents would be doing the same in such spots across the country.
"You have to ask the right questions, find out what's motivating them, share with them the truth and dispel myths," Adam Kokesh, co-chair of Iraq Veterans Against the War, told the crowd, which included local college students as well as older activists, many of whom had traveled from outside the Distrcit. "My reasons [for volunteering] were patriotism; I wanted to put my life on the line for my country." But in hindsight, "I could have been convinced that there were better ways to further democracy in the world."
Other strategies include trying to eat up recruiters' time by calling and visiting centers and pretending to be potential recruits.
John Judge, a longtime "counter-recruiting" activist, told the audience to disseminate information about the limited rights soldiers have to leave the military or pick where they will be stationed and how much money the military provides for general education.
Others trained earlier in the day for a noon march in the Rayburn House Office Building that is planned to pass what organizers call a "hall of shame": offices of representatives who voted to support the war, Becker said.
Later in the week, war opponents will visit congressional offices across the country "and not leave until they get answers to questions about the war that satisfy them," Becker said. They also plan to visit the Pentagon to try to find out how employees feel about the war. The activism week is planned to end Friday.
According to Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, a U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman, all 192 people who were arrested Saturday for crossing a police line were released by last night. She said two officers and two protesters were injured but not hospitalized.
Two days after bringing thousands of protesters to the U.S. Capitol, Iraq war opponents will begin a "week of action" today that starts with sending activists to area high schools and military recruiting centers and marching through a congressional building.
Dozens of war opponents, including some who were among the 192 arrested Saturday, spent yesterday training for this week, which will be "the most intense week" of planned actions since the Iraq conflict began, said Brian Becker, national coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition, which organized Saturday's rally and march and many of the other large antiwar events across the country.
Click here for Washington Post video of Saturday's rally.
Activists came to four training sessions held at George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs yesterday, many trading stories from their arrests or from clashes with several hundred war supporters who lined the march route.
They are calling today National Truth in Recruiting Day, during which war opponents will try to reach young people in particular, as well as anyone considering joining the military. Activists said yesterday that they planned to visit area recruiting centers, schools and other places young people might go and that war opponents would be doing the same in such spots across the country.
"You have to ask the right questions, find out what's motivating them, share with them the truth and dispel myths," Adam Kokesh, co-chair of Iraq Veterans Against the War, told the crowd, which included local college students as well as older activists, many of whom had traveled from outside the Distrcit. "My reasons [for volunteering] were patriotism; I wanted to put my life on the line for my country." But in hindsight, "I could have been convinced that there were better ways to further democracy in the world."
Other strategies include trying to eat up recruiters' time by calling and visiting centers and pretending to be potential recruits.
John Judge, a longtime "counter-recruiting" activist, told the audience to disseminate information about the limited rights soldiers have to leave the military or pick where they will be stationed and how much money the military provides for general education.
Others trained earlier in the day for a noon march in the Rayburn House Office Building that is planned to pass what organizers call a "hall of shame": offices of representatives who voted to support the war, Becker said.
Later in the week, war opponents will visit congressional offices across the country "and not leave until they get answers to questions about the war that satisfy them," Becker said. They also plan to visit the Pentagon to try to find out how employees feel about the war. The activism week is planned to end Friday.
According to Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, a U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman, all 192 people who were arrested Saturday for crossing a police line were released by last night. She said two officers and two protesters were injured but not hospitalized.
Resistance of One
By David Swanson, AfterDowningStreet, Aug. 10, 2007
There is something else we can try. If you've given up on staging marches and rallies, or if – like me – you haven't but you want to try something else as well, and if you've given up on lobbying Congress as pointless, or if – like me – you haven't but you want to try something else as well, and if educating your fellow citizens as to exactly how completely corrupt the whole system is seems like an incomplete answer, and if staging a general strike or taking over the capital only seems like a good idea if you can get millions of others to join you, there is another approach that can be taken right away by a single person, a small group, or a crowd.
You can counter recruit, counter the corporate war profiteers, and counter the media. Talking to high school and college students and career counselors about the reality of the military, done at the smallest or largest scale, helps to deny the military the troops it needs to occupy foreign lands and kill. Of course, the military pushes back, raising the top age for recruits (now at 42), promising bigger bonuses (now at $50,000), and lowering various qualifications. Ultimately, the military can push back by instituting a draft. But that could also lead to much greater resistance. Corporations profiting from the pretended "reconstruction" of Iraq , from the control of Iraq 's oil, and from the use of weapons and mercenaries, can be protested and influenced. Bechtel chose to stop bidding on contracts in Iraq rather than endure further protest. And the media can be resisted through the creation and promotion of independent media, through criticism and protest, and through campaigns targeting advertisers.
A guide to engaging in these tactics and training others to do so is found in a new book called "Army of None: Strategies to Counter Military Recruitment, End War, and Build a Better World," by Aimee Allison and David Solnit: http://ww.couragetoresist.org/armyofnone They present this approach, as everyone on the left always presents their approach, as the only one of any use. I disagree. I think the various approaches work together. I think the marching and lobbying help move the public to the point where more people will resist recruitment. I think countering recruitment helps recruit peace activists of all sorts. And I think that we have to model democratic behavior as part of defining a vision for the future, if nothing else. We have to publicly demand the behavior we want from our elected officials if only to deny them the argument that we never asked. And we have to envision a world in which one day citizens are able to influence politicians directly.
Most of "Army of None" is devoted to counter recruitment, and the book makes an ideal guide for anyone interested in that project. Among other things, it provides the basic facts about the usual lies recruiters tell. For one thing, most recruits won't actually get $50,000 or anything close to it. In fact, nothing a recruiter promises a recruit means anything at all, because every military contract includes these lines:
"Laws and regulations that govern military personnel may change without notice to me. Such changes may affect my status, pay allowances, benefits, and responsibilities as a member of the Armed Forces REGARDLESS of the provisions of this enlistment / re-enlistment document."
In other words, the rest of the contract means nothing, and only those two sentences and a signature actually matter. The rest, like much of what comes out of recruiters' mouths, is lies. The New York Times reported that one in five U.S. Army recruiters was under investigation in 2004 for offenses ranging from "threats and coercion to false promises that applicants would not be sent to Iraq ."
In addition to educating potential recruits and assisting them in finding more positive career options, citizens can actively counter recruitment by protesting or impeding recruiting operations. One of the more creative ways to do this is for that dwindling portion of the population that is not qualified for recruitment to attempt to enlist. Raging Grannies and other groups of women have tied up recruiting stations and attracted attention by attempting to sign up, refusing to leave, and risking arrest. What are the raging grandfathers waiting for?
Although "Army of None" does not suggest it, I would recommend another tactic as well. Get to know the recruiters and offer to help them with their job. Take a stack of brochures and blank contracts from them. And whenever you encounter a pro-war demonstrator, offer to help them sign up. "Hey Hey What about you? You look under 42!" is a chant that has been known to silence the most obnoxious voices. The point is not, of course, to actually recruit anyone, but to expose the hypocrisy of war proponents and call attention to the question of exactly who is being recruited.
If you want to get involved in countering recruitment and in supporting members of the military who refuse to serve in illegal wars of aggression, go to http://www.couragetoresist.org
To get involved in this movement face-to-face, check out the following upcoming events:
Veterans for Peace Convention
August 15-19 in St. Louis
http://www.veteransforpeace.org
Book Release and Project Kick-Off for "Army of None"
August 30 in Oakland , Calif. , 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Club Oasis, 135 12th Street
Week of action in Washington , D.C.
September 15: March and massive die-in
September 16: truth in recruiting training and congressional lobbying training
September 17 National Truth in Recruiting Day
September 18 Congressional Challenge Day
http://grassrootsamerica4us.org
There is actually a major peace event planned for Washington , D.C. , for just about every day in September. This has caused a lot of people great distress, judging from the Emails I get asking me to combine all the events into one day (as if I had some way to do that!), but I think the variety of the ongoing events may be advantageous. We'll try to keep track of them all here: http://afterdowningstreet.org/events
********************************************
SEPTEMBER 29: MARCH ON WASHINGTON
SEPTEMBER 22 -29: ENCAMPMENT directly in front of Congress to demand Congress stop funding the war
STOP THE WAR AT HOME AND ABROAD!
TROOPS OUT NOW!
IMPEACH BUSH & CHENEY FOR WAR CRIMES!
Details & bus info at www.TroopsOutNow.org
Also see calendar of Sept. protests in Washington, DC at http://www.troopsoutnow.org/septemberprotests.html. To have your DC protest event listed send details to operationimpeachment@yahoo.com
There is something else we can try. If you've given up on staging marches and rallies, or if – like me – you haven't but you want to try something else as well, and if you've given up on lobbying Congress as pointless, or if – like me – you haven't but you want to try something else as well, and if educating your fellow citizens as to exactly how completely corrupt the whole system is seems like an incomplete answer, and if staging a general strike or taking over the capital only seems like a good idea if you can get millions of others to join you, there is another approach that can be taken right away by a single person, a small group, or a crowd.
You can counter recruit, counter the corporate war profiteers, and counter the media. Talking to high school and college students and career counselors about the reality of the military, done at the smallest or largest scale, helps to deny the military the troops it needs to occupy foreign lands and kill. Of course, the military pushes back, raising the top age for recruits (now at 42), promising bigger bonuses (now at $50,000), and lowering various qualifications. Ultimately, the military can push back by instituting a draft. But that could also lead to much greater resistance. Corporations profiting from the pretended "reconstruction" of Iraq , from the control of Iraq 's oil, and from the use of weapons and mercenaries, can be protested and influenced. Bechtel chose to stop bidding on contracts in Iraq rather than endure further protest. And the media can be resisted through the creation and promotion of independent media, through criticism and protest, and through campaigns targeting advertisers.
A guide to engaging in these tactics and training others to do so is found in a new book called "Army of None: Strategies to Counter Military Recruitment, End War, and Build a Better World," by Aimee Allison and David Solnit: http://ww.couragetoresist.org/armyofnone They present this approach, as everyone on the left always presents their approach, as the only one of any use. I disagree. I think the various approaches work together. I think the marching and lobbying help move the public to the point where more people will resist recruitment. I think countering recruitment helps recruit peace activists of all sorts. And I think that we have to model democratic behavior as part of defining a vision for the future, if nothing else. We have to publicly demand the behavior we want from our elected officials if only to deny them the argument that we never asked. And we have to envision a world in which one day citizens are able to influence politicians directly.
Most of "Army of None" is devoted to counter recruitment, and the book makes an ideal guide for anyone interested in that project. Among other things, it provides the basic facts about the usual lies recruiters tell. For one thing, most recruits won't actually get $50,000 or anything close to it. In fact, nothing a recruiter promises a recruit means anything at all, because every military contract includes these lines:
"Laws and regulations that govern military personnel may change without notice to me. Such changes may affect my status, pay allowances, benefits, and responsibilities as a member of the Armed Forces REGARDLESS of the provisions of this enlistment / re-enlistment document."
In other words, the rest of the contract means nothing, and only those two sentences and a signature actually matter. The rest, like much of what comes out of recruiters' mouths, is lies. The New York Times reported that one in five U.S. Army recruiters was under investigation in 2004 for offenses ranging from "threats and coercion to false promises that applicants would not be sent to Iraq ."
In addition to educating potential recruits and assisting them in finding more positive career options, citizens can actively counter recruitment by protesting or impeding recruiting operations. One of the more creative ways to do this is for that dwindling portion of the population that is not qualified for recruitment to attempt to enlist. Raging Grannies and other groups of women have tied up recruiting stations and attracted attention by attempting to sign up, refusing to leave, and risking arrest. What are the raging grandfathers waiting for?
Although "Army of None" does not suggest it, I would recommend another tactic as well. Get to know the recruiters and offer to help them with their job. Take a stack of brochures and blank contracts from them. And whenever you encounter a pro-war demonstrator, offer to help them sign up. "Hey Hey What about you? You look under 42!" is a chant that has been known to silence the most obnoxious voices. The point is not, of course, to actually recruit anyone, but to expose the hypocrisy of war proponents and call attention to the question of exactly who is being recruited.
If you want to get involved in countering recruitment and in supporting members of the military who refuse to serve in illegal wars of aggression, go to http://www.couragetoresist.org
To get involved in this movement face-to-face, check out the following upcoming events:
Veterans for Peace Convention
August 15-19 in St. Louis
http://www.veteransforpeace.org
Book Release and Project Kick-Off for "Army of None"
August 30 in Oakland , Calif. , 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Club Oasis, 135 12th Street
Week of action in Washington , D.C.
September 15: March and massive die-in
September 16: truth in recruiting training and congressional lobbying training
September 17 National Truth in Recruiting Day
September 18 Congressional Challenge Day
http://grassrootsamerica4us.org
There is actually a major peace event planned for Washington , D.C. , for just about every day in September. This has caused a lot of people great distress, judging from the Emails I get asking me to combine all the events into one day (as if I had some way to do that!), but I think the variety of the ongoing events may be advantageous. We'll try to keep track of them all here: http://afterdowningstreet.org/events
********************************************
SEPTEMBER 29: MARCH ON WASHINGTON
SEPTEMBER 22 -29: ENCAMPMENT directly in front of Congress to demand Congress stop funding the war
STOP THE WAR AT HOME AND ABROAD!
TROOPS OUT NOW!
IMPEACH BUSH & CHENEY FOR WAR CRIMES!
Details & bus info at www.TroopsOutNow.org
Also see calendar of Sept. protests in Washington, DC at http://www.troopsoutnow.org/septemberprotests.html. To have your DC protest event listed send details to operationimpeachment@yahoo.com
Army to expand recruiting incentives
By KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press
Need a down-payment for your home? Seed money to start a business? The Army wants to help - if you're willing to join up. Despite spending nearly $1 billion last year on recruiting bonuses and ads, Army leaders say an even bolder approach is needed to fill wartime ranks.
Under a new proposal, men and women who enlist could pick from a "buffet" of incentives, including up to $45,000 tax-free that they accrue during their career to help buy a home or build a business. Other options would include money for college and to pay off student loans.
An Associated Press review of the increasingly aggressive recruiting offerings found the Army is not only dangling more sign-up rewards - it's loosening rules on age and weight limits, education and drug and criminal records.
It's all part of an Army effort to fill its ranks even as the percentage of young people who say they plan to join the military has hit a historic low - 16 percent by the Pentagon's own surveying - in the fifth year of the Iraq war.
In June, the Army failed to meet its recruitment target for the second month in a row, although it apparently met its goal to recruit 9,750 troops in July and is on target for 80,000 for the year that ends Sept. 30.
As part of a push to make its 2007 goals, the Army is boosting the size of its 8,000-member recruiting force with 1,000 to 2,000 assistants - including some former recruiters.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants to increase the size of the active-duty Army by 65,000 to a total of 547,000 within five years. In part, that's to ease the wartime strain on the Army, which is the largest branch of the military.
"Recruiting next year and beyond will remain challenging and will ... require additional innovative approaches," said Lt. Col. Michael Rochelle, the Pentagon's deputy chief of staff for personnel. He asked lawmakers last week on Capitol Hill for money to pay for the new program.
Rochelle described the latest offering as an updated version of the Army's
college fund, a popular program started in 1982 to help soldiers pay for
college.
The Army would like to start a pilot program targeting 500 people who might
not otherwise considering joining. In the pilot, the takers who complete a
4-year enlistment would be eligible for up to $30,000 in incentives - including
money for a home loan or business. Eventually, the Army wants to offer up to
$45,000.
Beyond the Iraq war, the military says other factors have affected its
ability to recruit. More high school graduates are going to college, and the
economy is strong, providing lots of civilian jobs. At the same time, only three
of 10 people between 17 and 24 fully meet the military's standards.
Less obvious factors have also decreased the recruitment pool. They include
higher obesity rates, more people diagnosed with mental health conditions such
as attention-deficit disorder, more criminal citations due to the increase
of the drinking age from 18 to 21.
"The numbers of people who meet our enlistment standards is astonishingly
low," said Michael Dominguez, principal deputy undersecretary of defense.
Among the changes that have helped attract more recruits:
o Increasing to $20,000 the bonus for troops who join by Sept. 30 and leave
for boot camp within a month.
o Raising the enlistment age to 42.
o Allowing recruits to come in with non-offensive tattoos on their hands and
neck.
o Offering a $2,000 bonus to Army soldiers who refer a new recruit.
o Enlisting recruits who don't meet weight standards and must trim down
their first year.
o Advertising that targets potential recruits' parents.
o Increasing the number of recruits with general education diplomas rather
than regular high school diplomas.
o Creating a more pleasant boot camp environment.
o Sending "gung-ho" soldiers fresh from boot camp or war zones back to their
hometowns to visit old friends and schoolmates to promote the Army.
o Increasing to more than 15 percent the number of Army and Army Reserve
troops given waivers for medical and moral reasons or for positive drug and
alcohol screen tests.
Tyka Pettey, 21, of Philadelphia, said she was fully aware of the risks when
she signed up in late July for a six-year stint in the Army Reserve. Doing so
will help her pay to go to college in a medical field. With her $20,000
bonus, she plans to buy a car and pay off debt.
She said she had been thinking about joining for more than a year. Once she
made the decision, she said she was impressed with how much the recruiters in
Upper Darby, Pa., were able to help her.
"You really have to want to do something like that. You're really taking a
major step from your civilian life ... but I just decided to go for it," said
Pettey, who leaves in about a week for boot camp.
The Army spent $353 million last year on enlistment bonuses, $583 million on
recruiting and advertising and $700 million on pay and benefits for
recruiters, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union,
said her organization is concerned that low-income young people and minorities
are targeted by recruiters and lured with promises into making decisions they
would not otherwise have made.
"I think as the incentives increase, the potential for misrepresentation and
abuse increases," Lieberman said.
Irene Fiala, a sociology professor at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
who has researched recruiting trends, said the military is attempting to change
with society because the days are over when it was an American virtue to join
and it was expected that all young men would do so.
"Uncle Sam pointing his finger at you saying, 'We want you,' isn't cutting
it for today's kids," Fiala said. "Today's kids are saying, 'Yeah, you want me
and so does GE and so does MIT, so what else are you going to offer me?'"
It's not just the attitudes of young people that have seemingly shifted. In
2005, statistical surveys revealed that because of the Iraq war, adults who
work with students were less likely to suggest joining the military.
"The willingness of coaches, teachers, counselors and parents to commend
military service to America's youth is lower than is good for our nation and our
military," said Dominguez, the Defense Department official.
Associated Press writer Pauline Jelinek contributed to this report.
On the Net: Army Recruitment: _http://goarmy.com_ (http://goarmy.com/)
Need a down-payment for your home? Seed money to start a business? The Army wants to help - if you're willing to join up. Despite spending nearly $1 billion last year on recruiting bonuses and ads, Army leaders say an even bolder approach is needed to fill wartime ranks.
Under a new proposal, men and women who enlist could pick from a "buffet" of incentives, including up to $45,000 tax-free that they accrue during their career to help buy a home or build a business. Other options would include money for college and to pay off student loans.
An Associated Press review of the increasingly aggressive recruiting offerings found the Army is not only dangling more sign-up rewards - it's loosening rules on age and weight limits, education and drug and criminal records.
It's all part of an Army effort to fill its ranks even as the percentage of young people who say they plan to join the military has hit a historic low - 16 percent by the Pentagon's own surveying - in the fifth year of the Iraq war.
In June, the Army failed to meet its recruitment target for the second month in a row, although it apparently met its goal to recruit 9,750 troops in July and is on target for 80,000 for the year that ends Sept. 30.
As part of a push to make its 2007 goals, the Army is boosting the size of its 8,000-member recruiting force with 1,000 to 2,000 assistants - including some former recruiters.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants to increase the size of the active-duty Army by 65,000 to a total of 547,000 within five years. In part, that's to ease the wartime strain on the Army, which is the largest branch of the military.
"Recruiting next year and beyond will remain challenging and will ... require additional innovative approaches," said Lt. Col. Michael Rochelle, the Pentagon's deputy chief of staff for personnel. He asked lawmakers last week on Capitol Hill for money to pay for the new program.
Rochelle described the latest offering as an updated version of the Army's
college fund, a popular program started in 1982 to help soldiers pay for
college.
The Army would like to start a pilot program targeting 500 people who might
not otherwise considering joining. In the pilot, the takers who complete a
4-year enlistment would be eligible for up to $30,000 in incentives - including
money for a home loan or business. Eventually, the Army wants to offer up to
$45,000.
Beyond the Iraq war, the military says other factors have affected its
ability to recruit. More high school graduates are going to college, and the
economy is strong, providing lots of civilian jobs. At the same time, only three
of 10 people between 17 and 24 fully meet the military's standards.
Less obvious factors have also decreased the recruitment pool. They include
higher obesity rates, more people diagnosed with mental health conditions such
as attention-deficit disorder, more criminal citations due to the increase
of the drinking age from 18 to 21.
"The numbers of people who meet our enlistment standards is astonishingly
low," said Michael Dominguez, principal deputy undersecretary of defense.
Among the changes that have helped attract more recruits:
o Increasing to $20,000 the bonus for troops who join by Sept. 30 and leave
for boot camp within a month.
o Raising the enlistment age to 42.
o Allowing recruits to come in with non-offensive tattoos on their hands and
neck.
o Offering a $2,000 bonus to Army soldiers who refer a new recruit.
o Enlisting recruits who don't meet weight standards and must trim down
their first year.
o Advertising that targets potential recruits' parents.
o Increasing the number of recruits with general education diplomas rather
than regular high school diplomas.
o Creating a more pleasant boot camp environment.
o Sending "gung-ho" soldiers fresh from boot camp or war zones back to their
hometowns to visit old friends and schoolmates to promote the Army.
o Increasing to more than 15 percent the number of Army and Army Reserve
troops given waivers for medical and moral reasons or for positive drug and
alcohol screen tests.
Tyka Pettey, 21, of Philadelphia, said she was fully aware of the risks when
she signed up in late July for a six-year stint in the Army Reserve. Doing so
will help her pay to go to college in a medical field. With her $20,000
bonus, she plans to buy a car and pay off debt.
She said she had been thinking about joining for more than a year. Once she
made the decision, she said she was impressed with how much the recruiters in
Upper Darby, Pa., were able to help her.
"You really have to want to do something like that. You're really taking a
major step from your civilian life ... but I just decided to go for it," said
Pettey, who leaves in about a week for boot camp.
The Army spent $353 million last year on enlistment bonuses, $583 million on
recruiting and advertising and $700 million on pay and benefits for
recruiters, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union,
said her organization is concerned that low-income young people and minorities
are targeted by recruiters and lured with promises into making decisions they
would not otherwise have made.
"I think as the incentives increase, the potential for misrepresentation and
abuse increases," Lieberman said.
Irene Fiala, a sociology professor at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
who has researched recruiting trends, said the military is attempting to change
with society because the days are over when it was an American virtue to join
and it was expected that all young men would do so.
"Uncle Sam pointing his finger at you saying, 'We want you,' isn't cutting
it for today's kids," Fiala said. "Today's kids are saying, 'Yeah, you want me
and so does GE and so does MIT, so what else are you going to offer me?'"
It's not just the attitudes of young people that have seemingly shifted. In
2005, statistical surveys revealed that because of the Iraq war, adults who
work with students were less likely to suggest joining the military.
"The willingness of coaches, teachers, counselors and parents to commend
military service to America's youth is lower than is good for our nation and our
military," said Dominguez, the Defense Department official.
Associated Press writer Pauline Jelinek contributed to this report.
On the Net: Army Recruitment: _http://goarmy.com_ (http://goarmy.com/)
School, military skirmish over data on students
Carolyn Jones, San Francisco Chronicle, June 12, 2007
Berkeley High remains the only high school in the nation that has failed to comply with the military's request for students' data, a Department of Defense spokesman said.
A month ago, the school -- under pressure from the government to release the data or lose funding -- changed its policy that blocked the release of students' personal information. The new policy allows students and parents who do not wish to be contacted by military recruiters to opt out by signing a form.
But the school did not immediately release the data to the government. Instead, a group of parents have been on a campaign to ask each and every student whether they want to opt out.
Thus far, 90 percent of the students at Berkeley High have refused to have their names released to miliary recruiters.
Berkeley High risked losing $10 million in federal funding, and possibly faced legal action, if it did not change its policy regarding military recruitment.
The controversy began in 2001, when the federal No Child Left Behind law passed. It requires school districts to hand over personal contact information for all juniors and seniors to military recruiters. The law also allows students to opt out.
The Berkeley Unified School District board has a strict policy against releasing students' personal information. So previously, instead of adopting an opt out policy, it used an "opt in" procedure in which students and parents could sign a form only if they wanted their information released to the military.
The result was that only about two dozen students a year opted in. One year only 16 did, said district spokesman Mark Coplan.
The military was not thrilled with the results and began pressuring district and school administrators to increase the numbers.
Maj. Stewart Upton, Department of Defense spokesman, said that recruiters have a tough time finding students because of "reduced interest" among young people and the strict eligibility requirements.
"Today's military recruiters must find and recruit from among the best and brightest of America's youth in a very challenging market," Upton wrote in an e-mail. "One vital tool that our recruiters rely on to help them succeed is access to high schools, in order to provide students with the opportunity to learn about the option of military service."
Local military recruiters complained, and progressively higher-ranking officers all the way up to a general came to Berkeley and met with Superintendent Michele Lawrence to resolve the matter.
Things escalated in May, when "the general got a call from the undersecretary of Defense, who made it clear in no uncertain terms that Berkeley was the last high school in the nation that has not complied and they would move forward with legal action," Coplan said. After that, Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asking for something to be done.
The school held several assemblies a month ago, explaining why the district was changing its policy and advising students to sign the forms immediately -- whether they wanted to opt in or opt out.
Of the school's 1,500 juniors and seniors, 1,350 signed opt out forms prohibiting the district from turning over their data. The remaining 150 either have not responded or signed consent forms allowing the district to turn over their names, address and phone numbers to the military.
Parent volunteers are contacting the 150 to determine their intentions. The results won't be available until next week, after school is out for the summer.
"Not a lot of people know what's going on with the war," said Krystal Elebiary, a junior who joined with student Daniel Sandoval to write a letter and collect about 250 student signatures proclaiming, "We will not be used as tools for an unjust and imperialist war."
At a news conference Monday, the pair criticized the Bush administration for forcing Berkeley's compliance by threatening to withhold education funding from the school.
E-mail Carolyn Jones at carolynjones@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Berkeley High remains the only high school in the nation that has failed to comply with the military's request for students' data, a Department of Defense spokesman said.
A month ago, the school -- under pressure from the government to release the data or lose funding -- changed its policy that blocked the release of students' personal information. The new policy allows students and parents who do not wish to be contacted by military recruiters to opt out by signing a form.
But the school did not immediately release the data to the government. Instead, a group of parents have been on a campaign to ask each and every student whether they want to opt out.
Thus far, 90 percent of the students at Berkeley High have refused to have their names released to miliary recruiters.
Berkeley High risked losing $10 million in federal funding, and possibly faced legal action, if it did not change its policy regarding military recruitment.
The controversy began in 2001, when the federal No Child Left Behind law passed. It requires school districts to hand over personal contact information for all juniors and seniors to military recruiters. The law also allows students to opt out.
The Berkeley Unified School District board has a strict policy against releasing students' personal information. So previously, instead of adopting an opt out policy, it used an "opt in" procedure in which students and parents could sign a form only if they wanted their information released to the military.
The result was that only about two dozen students a year opted in. One year only 16 did, said district spokesman Mark Coplan.
The military was not thrilled with the results and began pressuring district and school administrators to increase the numbers.
Maj. Stewart Upton, Department of Defense spokesman, said that recruiters have a tough time finding students because of "reduced interest" among young people and the strict eligibility requirements.
"Today's military recruiters must find and recruit from among the best and brightest of America's youth in a very challenging market," Upton wrote in an e-mail. "One vital tool that our recruiters rely on to help them succeed is access to high schools, in order to provide students with the opportunity to learn about the option of military service."
Local military recruiters complained, and progressively higher-ranking officers all the way up to a general came to Berkeley and met with Superintendent Michele Lawrence to resolve the matter.
Things escalated in May, when "the general got a call from the undersecretary of Defense, who made it clear in no uncertain terms that Berkeley was the last high school in the nation that has not complied and they would move forward with legal action," Coplan said. After that, Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asking for something to be done.
The school held several assemblies a month ago, explaining why the district was changing its policy and advising students to sign the forms immediately -- whether they wanted to opt in or opt out.
Of the school's 1,500 juniors and seniors, 1,350 signed opt out forms prohibiting the district from turning over their data. The remaining 150 either have not responded or signed consent forms allowing the district to turn over their names, address and phone numbers to the military.
Parent volunteers are contacting the 150 to determine their intentions. The results won't be available until next week, after school is out for the summer.
"Not a lot of people know what's going on with the war," said Krystal Elebiary, a junior who joined with student Daniel Sandoval to write a letter and collect about 250 student signatures proclaiming, "We will not be used as tools for an unjust and imperialist war."
At a news conference Monday, the pair criticized the Bush administration for forcing Berkeley's compliance by threatening to withhold education funding from the school.
E-mail Carolyn Jones at carolynjones@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
June 27 - July 1 US Social Forum in Atlanta
Another World Is Possible - Another U.S. Is Necessary!
The US Social Forum is more than a conference, more than a networking bonanza, more than a reaction to war and repression.
The USSF will provide space to build relationships, learn from each other's experiences, share our analysis of the problems our communities face, and bring renewed insight and inspiration. It will help develop leadership and develop consciousness, vision, and strategy needed to realize another world.
The USSF sends a message to other people’s movements around the world that there is an active movement in the US opposing US Policies at home and abroad.
We must declare what we want our world to look like and begin planning the path to get there. A global movement is rising. The USSF is our opportunity to demonstrate to the world Another World is Possible!
United States Social Forum: http://www.ussf2007.org
The US Social Forum is more than a conference, more than a networking bonanza, more than a reaction to war and repression.
The USSF will provide space to build relationships, learn from each other's experiences, share our analysis of the problems our communities face, and bring renewed insight and inspiration. It will help develop leadership and develop consciousness, vision, and strategy needed to realize another world.
The USSF sends a message to other people’s movements around the world that there is an active movement in the US opposing US Policies at home and abroad.
We must declare what we want our world to look like and begin planning the path to get there. A global movement is rising. The USSF is our opportunity to demonstrate to the world Another World is Possible!
United States Social Forum: http://www.ussf2007.org
Fort Stewart Soldier, Blogger Goes AWOL, Objects to Iraq Deployment
By Sarah Olson, Atlanta Progressive News
June 11, 2007
(APN) FORT STEWART – "Just because we volunteered, doesn't mean we volunteered to throw our lives away for nothing. You can only push human beings so far," Marc Train, 19, a soldier from America's heartland, stationed most recently in Fort Stewart, Georgia, says.
"Soldiers are going to Iraq multiple times. The reasons we're there are obviously lies. We're reaching a breaking point, and I believe you're going see a lot more resistance inside the military."
Train's a Private in the US Army, but the last time anyone saw him on base at Fort Stewart was March 16, 2007, just before he headed to Washington, DC, to protest the Occupation in which he is expected to fight.
Before leaving for DC, Train contacted Garett Reppenhagen, Chairman of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). Train wanted to participate in the street theater protests Reppenhagen was organizing for Iraq veterans to mark the fourth anniversary of the Invasion.
"When I learned he was coming from Fort Stewart where he was still an active duty soldier, my first thought was, Wow, the kid has guts," Reppenhagen said.
Photos show Train at an anti-war demonstration outside the Pentagon that drew over 30,000 people on March 17, 2007. He was on stage with veterans and other GIs opposing the Occupation. In one hand he held an antiwar banner; in the other, a red flag, waving in the wind, high above his head.
"We parted that evening with plans for Marc to get a ride to the Operation First Casualty [street theater] preparation the next day," Reppenhagen recalls. "Marc never showed. Something deep down inside me figured he wasn't going back to Fort Stewart."
TRAIN’S JOURNEY INTO MILITARY SERVICE
Marc Train was an Army brat. His father, Eric, was stationed in Germany, where Marc spent the first three years of his life.
Eric Train was responsible for border security between East and West Germany. "He may have seen some bad things there," his son Marc says, uncertain. "I've heard stories from people stationed with my Dad. When people tried to cross from East to West, they'd get pretty torn up. They were shot down. My Dad might have been exposed to that."
When the Berlin Wall came down, Eric moved his family back to the United States. Seeking to spare them the monotony of an active duty lifestyle, Eric transferred to the Army Reserves.
When Eric couldn't find a job, he started drinking. Spiraling into debt, Eric and Charlene were in the process of splitting up. When young Marc Train was five, his father shot himself in the head with a deer-hunting rifle.
After that, Train went through a predictable string of psychotropic medications for young people with trauma.
At one point, he was spent a month at Charter Mental Hospital in Wichita, Kansas.
"I'm kind of a mamma's boy," Train says, laughing a little. "For 13 years, I put her through a lot... I never went to class and the school would call her job all the time. We'd get really frustrated and yell at each other. The cops would come and I'd get taken away to jail. My Mom always came to pick me up later, though."
Marc and his mother ended up in Salina, Kansas, a city that promised boom-time economic growth. Marc Train bounced from school to school just the same: Salina High School South, an alternative school, and finally the Job Corps. He graduated from the Job Corps with a GED.
Marc and his mother weren't hungry, but they still struggled to make ends meet. The family wasn't homeless, but they occasionally went to stay with his grandparents. Mostly, they just kept moving from place to place. Looking around, Train didn't see much in the way of a future ahead of him.
"I was in an economic trap," he says. "I just wanted to find some stability in my life. The Army seemed like just the thing. Going through school, they teach you implicitly, if you're [unsuccessful] here, you're gonna be [unsuccessful] forever. I needed a way out of that."
Train signed up for the Army under the delayed-entry program in the summer of 2005.
TRAIN’S JOURNEY OUT OF MILITARY SERVICE
On September 1, 2005, Marc Train was picked up at his house by a recruiter and delivered to the military entrance-processing station (MEPS) in Kansas City. Nine days later, Train ended up at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he began a new life on September 9, 2005.
"That was zero day," Train says, talking about the Army process of breaking down and rebuilding new recruits. "They tried to shatter everybody."
As Train's boyhood was being smashed out of him by Army drill instructors, he watched Hurricanes Katrina and Rita rip through the Gulf Coast of the US. As drill instructors tried to remake him into a US Army soldier, Train grew more and more critical of the government's callous response to the death and economic devastation in the region.
He knew the National Guard should have been around to assist with the disaster, but the troops were deployed in Iraq instead.
After Basic Training, Train spent 16 weeks at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, learning to be an intelligence analyst. He was given an interim top-secret security clearance, and after an initial investigation, would have access to highly sensitive compartmentalized intelligence.
"The really spooky, CIA stuff," Train explains, without going into further detail.
In April 2006, he arrived at his first duty station at Fort Stewart, Georgia.
The problems began when Train started a blog critical of the US government's financial decisions. How could the Administration disburse funding to its pals at Halliburton's KBR and Bechtel, but allocate nothing for the people in the Gulf Coast, he asked. Along the way, Train says he may have been a bit disrespectful to those responsible.
Seeing as how his writings were posted anonymously, it shouldn't have mattered.
But when Train's commanders saw his blog, they hit the roof. On the grounds he was a threat to national security, his clearance was suspended. A months-long investigation resulted in the revocation of his top-secret security status and other disciplinary action. He could no longer do the only job he knew how to do.
"No one ever asked me if I intended to overthrow the government, or even if I would have supported that. If they had asked, I would have said no, because I wanted to support my unit," Train says. "I'd seen movies like Iraq for Sale, and I had heard about the scandal at Abu Ghraib. I wanted to use my knowledge to support our mission and help the people in Iraq. But no one asked me.”
Train says his commanders told him they “thought I was an infiltration and espionage threat."
In November 2006, Train's security clearance was formally revoked and his commanding officer started to talk seriously about Train leaving the Army. Train agreed he and the Army weren't such a good fit anymore. He filled out a separation packet, and was pulled off the deployment roster in January 2007. His paperwork made its way through the chain of command.
By every indication, Train was on his way to getting out of the Army.
By this time, Train had signed the Appeal for Redress, an online petition for active duty members of the military. He joined IVAW and was developing a political critique of the policies that supported the Invasion of Iraq.
In February 2007, Train began hearing rumors his discharge had been rejected and he would be sent to Iraq anyway. His Rear Detachment Commander eventually confirmed the rumors, saying Train would deploy as an 11Bravo infantryman, with generic assignments and combat responsibilities.
"Everyone in the Army gets a few combat skills. But infantry? It's not what I was trained for," Marc says. "It would have been a suicide mission."
Train knew the threats were serious when he was sent to the rapid fielding initiative (RFI) and equipped for deployment.
Because he wasn't reclassified with more useful duties or properly prepared for the ones to which he was now assigned, Train became convinced going AWOL was his best option.
He left for the March 17, 2007, protests in Washington, DC, knowing he wouldn't return to Fort Stewart. Train arranged to meet other GIs in DC.
Jonathan Hutto, Cofounder of the Appeal for Redress, didn't know about Train's plans, but no soldier makes the decision to go AWOL lightly, he says.
"I support any and everyone who has been driven to go AWOL," says Hutto, himself an active duty member of the Navy. "It's not his fault he went AWOL. It's the government's fault for committing this war and creating such an untenable situation."
Like Hutto, IVAW’s Garett Reppenhagen says Train going AWOL was an understandable choice given the circumstances. "I also would have supported him if he had gone back and continued service," Reppenhagen said.
"I have a huge pain in my heart, like it's literally breaking," Train said after leaving Washington, DC.
SOLDIER QUESTIONS RECRUITMENT IN SCHOOLS
"The recruiters are coming into these inner-city schools, full of kids who are already going to have a hard life, harder than most people. When the same kids come back with post-traumatic stress disorder, the military denies them benefits. It sickens me because I wore that uniform. I represented a system of treating people like garbage."
The militarization of America's schools is shocking, Train says. "They're creating a culture of conformity. They're teaching kids to lash out at anything different." Train notes the metal detectors, the security guards on every floor, and students wearing uniform-like clothes.
"I want to counter the whole idea that just because you think you might have messed up one area of your life, your life is ruined forever," Train says.
He doesn't know specifics, but in the long run knows his future work will have something to do with giving young people hope. "I want to build support networks for troubled kids so they don't have to join the military."
"Regardless of what the mainstream media says about troops supporting the war, a lot of people around me disagreed with the policies," Train says.
"Recruiting is down. The length and number of tours is up. GIs are exhausted, and we're angry. When a bunch of uniformed soldiers say the war is [messed] up, the anger begins to spill over. There's going to be a breaking point soon. The Army already has a situation on its hands."
About the author:
Sarah Olson is an independent journalist and radio producer based in Oakland, CA. She can be reached at solson75@yahoo.com. Olson was previously featured in Atlanta Progressive News for objecting to testifying against another Iraq objector who she interviewed, Lt. Ehren Watada, in his recent tribunel.
June 11, 2007
(APN) FORT STEWART – "Just because we volunteered, doesn't mean we volunteered to throw our lives away for nothing. You can only push human beings so far," Marc Train, 19, a soldier from America's heartland, stationed most recently in Fort Stewart, Georgia, says.
"Soldiers are going to Iraq multiple times. The reasons we're there are obviously lies. We're reaching a breaking point, and I believe you're going see a lot more resistance inside the military."
Train's a Private in the US Army, but the last time anyone saw him on base at Fort Stewart was March 16, 2007, just before he headed to Washington, DC, to protest the Occupation in which he is expected to fight.
Before leaving for DC, Train contacted Garett Reppenhagen, Chairman of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). Train wanted to participate in the street theater protests Reppenhagen was organizing for Iraq veterans to mark the fourth anniversary of the Invasion.
"When I learned he was coming from Fort Stewart where he was still an active duty soldier, my first thought was, Wow, the kid has guts," Reppenhagen said.
Photos show Train at an anti-war demonstration outside the Pentagon that drew over 30,000 people on March 17, 2007. He was on stage with veterans and other GIs opposing the Occupation. In one hand he held an antiwar banner; in the other, a red flag, waving in the wind, high above his head.
"We parted that evening with plans for Marc to get a ride to the Operation First Casualty [street theater] preparation the next day," Reppenhagen recalls. "Marc never showed. Something deep down inside me figured he wasn't going back to Fort Stewart."
TRAIN’S JOURNEY INTO MILITARY SERVICE
Marc Train was an Army brat. His father, Eric, was stationed in Germany, where Marc spent the first three years of his life.
Eric Train was responsible for border security between East and West Germany. "He may have seen some bad things there," his son Marc says, uncertain. "I've heard stories from people stationed with my Dad. When people tried to cross from East to West, they'd get pretty torn up. They were shot down. My Dad might have been exposed to that."
When the Berlin Wall came down, Eric moved his family back to the United States. Seeking to spare them the monotony of an active duty lifestyle, Eric transferred to the Army Reserves.
When Eric couldn't find a job, he started drinking. Spiraling into debt, Eric and Charlene were in the process of splitting up. When young Marc Train was five, his father shot himself in the head with a deer-hunting rifle.
After that, Train went through a predictable string of psychotropic medications for young people with trauma.
At one point, he was spent a month at Charter Mental Hospital in Wichita, Kansas.
"I'm kind of a mamma's boy," Train says, laughing a little. "For 13 years, I put her through a lot... I never went to class and the school would call her job all the time. We'd get really frustrated and yell at each other. The cops would come and I'd get taken away to jail. My Mom always came to pick me up later, though."
Marc and his mother ended up in Salina, Kansas, a city that promised boom-time economic growth. Marc Train bounced from school to school just the same: Salina High School South, an alternative school, and finally the Job Corps. He graduated from the Job Corps with a GED.
Marc and his mother weren't hungry, but they still struggled to make ends meet. The family wasn't homeless, but they occasionally went to stay with his grandparents. Mostly, they just kept moving from place to place. Looking around, Train didn't see much in the way of a future ahead of him.
"I was in an economic trap," he says. "I just wanted to find some stability in my life. The Army seemed like just the thing. Going through school, they teach you implicitly, if you're [unsuccessful] here, you're gonna be [unsuccessful] forever. I needed a way out of that."
Train signed up for the Army under the delayed-entry program in the summer of 2005.
TRAIN’S JOURNEY OUT OF MILITARY SERVICE
On September 1, 2005, Marc Train was picked up at his house by a recruiter and delivered to the military entrance-processing station (MEPS) in Kansas City. Nine days later, Train ended up at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he began a new life on September 9, 2005.
"That was zero day," Train says, talking about the Army process of breaking down and rebuilding new recruits. "They tried to shatter everybody."
As Train's boyhood was being smashed out of him by Army drill instructors, he watched Hurricanes Katrina and Rita rip through the Gulf Coast of the US. As drill instructors tried to remake him into a US Army soldier, Train grew more and more critical of the government's callous response to the death and economic devastation in the region.
He knew the National Guard should have been around to assist with the disaster, but the troops were deployed in Iraq instead.
After Basic Training, Train spent 16 weeks at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, learning to be an intelligence analyst. He was given an interim top-secret security clearance, and after an initial investigation, would have access to highly sensitive compartmentalized intelligence.
"The really spooky, CIA stuff," Train explains, without going into further detail.
In April 2006, he arrived at his first duty station at Fort Stewart, Georgia.
The problems began when Train started a blog critical of the US government's financial decisions. How could the Administration disburse funding to its pals at Halliburton's KBR and Bechtel, but allocate nothing for the people in the Gulf Coast, he asked. Along the way, Train says he may have been a bit disrespectful to those responsible.
Seeing as how his writings were posted anonymously, it shouldn't have mattered.
But when Train's commanders saw his blog, they hit the roof. On the grounds he was a threat to national security, his clearance was suspended. A months-long investigation resulted in the revocation of his top-secret security status and other disciplinary action. He could no longer do the only job he knew how to do.
"No one ever asked me if I intended to overthrow the government, or even if I would have supported that. If they had asked, I would have said no, because I wanted to support my unit," Train says. "I'd seen movies like Iraq for Sale, and I had heard about the scandal at Abu Ghraib. I wanted to use my knowledge to support our mission and help the people in Iraq. But no one asked me.”
Train says his commanders told him they “thought I was an infiltration and espionage threat."
In November 2006, Train's security clearance was formally revoked and his commanding officer started to talk seriously about Train leaving the Army. Train agreed he and the Army weren't such a good fit anymore. He filled out a separation packet, and was pulled off the deployment roster in January 2007. His paperwork made its way through the chain of command.
By every indication, Train was on his way to getting out of the Army.
By this time, Train had signed the Appeal for Redress, an online petition for active duty members of the military. He joined IVAW and was developing a political critique of the policies that supported the Invasion of Iraq.
In February 2007, Train began hearing rumors his discharge had been rejected and he would be sent to Iraq anyway. His Rear Detachment Commander eventually confirmed the rumors, saying Train would deploy as an 11Bravo infantryman, with generic assignments and combat responsibilities.
"Everyone in the Army gets a few combat skills. But infantry? It's not what I was trained for," Marc says. "It would have been a suicide mission."
Train knew the threats were serious when he was sent to the rapid fielding initiative (RFI) and equipped for deployment.
Because he wasn't reclassified with more useful duties or properly prepared for the ones to which he was now assigned, Train became convinced going AWOL was his best option.
He left for the March 17, 2007, protests in Washington, DC, knowing he wouldn't return to Fort Stewart. Train arranged to meet other GIs in DC.
Jonathan Hutto, Cofounder of the Appeal for Redress, didn't know about Train's plans, but no soldier makes the decision to go AWOL lightly, he says.
"I support any and everyone who has been driven to go AWOL," says Hutto, himself an active duty member of the Navy. "It's not his fault he went AWOL. It's the government's fault for committing this war and creating such an untenable situation."
Like Hutto, IVAW’s Garett Reppenhagen says Train going AWOL was an understandable choice given the circumstances. "I also would have supported him if he had gone back and continued service," Reppenhagen said.
"I have a huge pain in my heart, like it's literally breaking," Train said after leaving Washington, DC.
SOLDIER QUESTIONS RECRUITMENT IN SCHOOLS
"The recruiters are coming into these inner-city schools, full of kids who are already going to have a hard life, harder than most people. When the same kids come back with post-traumatic stress disorder, the military denies them benefits. It sickens me because I wore that uniform. I represented a system of treating people like garbage."
The militarization of America's schools is shocking, Train says. "They're creating a culture of conformity. They're teaching kids to lash out at anything different." Train notes the metal detectors, the security guards on every floor, and students wearing uniform-like clothes.
"I want to counter the whole idea that just because you think you might have messed up one area of your life, your life is ruined forever," Train says.
He doesn't know specifics, but in the long run knows his future work will have something to do with giving young people hope. "I want to build support networks for troubled kids so they don't have to join the military."
"Regardless of what the mainstream media says about troops supporting the war, a lot of people around me disagreed with the policies," Train says.
"Recruiting is down. The length and number of tours is up. GIs are exhausted, and we're angry. When a bunch of uniformed soldiers say the war is [messed] up, the anger begins to spill over. There's going to be a breaking point soon. The Army already has a situation on its hands."
About the author:
Sarah Olson is an independent journalist and radio producer based in Oakland, CA. She can be reached at solson75@yahoo.com. Olson was previously featured in Atlanta Progressive News for objecting to testifying against another Iraq objector who she interviewed, Lt. Ehren Watada, in his recent tribunel.
May 19 National Truth About Recruiters Day
May 19 National Truth About Recruiters Day
http://www.May19.info/
On May 19th, 2007, Armed Forces Day, people will
set up information tables and hold events outside
every military recruiting office across the country to
tell the truth about military recruiters. Iraq War Military
Resister, Terri Johnson, who went AWOL from the Army
rather than be sent to Iraq, told the crowd at the
April 21 anti-war rally in Greensboro, NC that we
all needed to be at the recruiters offices to tell young
people the truth. This is the beginning of such an
effort and we will continue these activities on a
daily basis. Join us to help expose military recruiters
out of our schools and communities.
List your event on our website, click here.
Volunteer to help in your area, click here.
Get help organizing an event in you area, click here.
Endorse the May 19 National Truth About Recruiters Day, click here.
The May 19 National Truth About Recruiters Day was initiated
by the Action Center For Justice.
Donate: We need funds for printing thousands of leaflets,
postage, newspaper ads, and the costs of organizing the
May 19 National Truth About Recruiters Day to insure its success.
Click here to donate online or by mail.
Contact us:
May 19 National Truth About Recruiters Day
www.May19.info
704.492.8527
The May 19 National Truth About Recruiters Day was initiated
by the Action Center For Justice.
Donate: We need funds for printing thousands of leaflets,
postage, newspaper ads, and the costs of organizing the
May 19 National Truth About Recruiters Day to insure its success.
Click here to donate online or by mail.
Contact us:
May 19 National Truth About Recruiters Day
www.May19.info
704.492.8527
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