Sunday, December 31, 2006

Kyle Snyder: The Struggle Continues


Kyle Snyder speaks outside gates of Fort Benning, Georgia, along with fellow Iraq veteran and war resister, Darrell Anderson, and Iraq Veterans Against the War, at November protest against the “School of the Americas.”

NEW YEARS 2007 – Kyle Snyder, AWOL from the U.S. occupation of Iraq, continues his impromptu speaking tour of the United States. He was last sighted in California, where, on December 8, Alameda police attempted to arrest him at the Army’s request (see below). Kyle continues to seek a discharge from the Army. And he continues to call for his fellow soldiers to come home from Iraq.

BACKGROUND
Kyle Snyder was recruited into the U.S. Army directly out of Job Corps when he was 19 years old. He wanted to better himself and to have material security. He enlisted to be part of an engineering unit and he thought he would help in the rebuilding of Iraq. But once in Iraq he was given a 50-caliber machine gun and was told to point his weapon at peaceful Iraqi civilians, including children. When a member of his unit shot an innocent Iraqi civilian, Kyle called for an investigation, but the Army refused. Instead, in April 2005, Kyle was granted a two week leave to British Columbia, Canada. Kyle decided to remain in Canada and join with other U.S. war resisters seeking refugee status there.

KYLE RETURNS TO UNITED STATES
After spending a year and a half as a political refugee in Canada, Kyle Snyder returned to the U.S. in late October in order to be discharged from the Army. Kyle hoped to get the Army off his back and to be able to return to Canada and begin a normal life. But the understanding that his lawyer, Jim Fennerty, had reached with Army Major Brian Patterson evaporated shortly after Kyle presented himself at Fort Knox, Kentucky on October 31.

Kyle, who understood he would be discharged in three days, was instead ordered to report to his old unit, the 94th Engineering Battalion, at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Commanders there would decide his fate. There would be no guarantees. He might be court-martialed and imprisoned. He might be ordered back to Iraq.

The 94th Engineers are slated to return to Iraq for a third time in August. Now, with President Bush’s escalation of the war, their deployment date will likely be moved up. Would the Army would want to make an example of Kyle? Might he face additional serious charges?

Kyle Snyder is not a fool. This was not why he took the chance of returning to the U.S. When Fort Knox authorities dropped him off unescorted at the Greyhound bus station in Louisville, Kyle resumed his AWOL status.

OUT THERE AWOL
But instead of slipping into the shadows with 8,000+ other young men and women currently on “unauthorized absence” from the military, Kyle is speaking out loud against the U.S. war on the people of Iraq. He tells people it is illegal and immoral. He tells people it is crazy.

But Kyle is not one to be rhetorical. Very compellingly, he tells his own story. How he was recruited from Job Corps with promises of money, education and pride. How he trained as a construction equipment operator, and believed he would be rebuilding in Iraq. How, once in Iraq he was given a 50-caliber machine gun and told to point his personal weapon of mass destruction at young children.

Kyle also tells how he witnessed an innocent civilian being shot by a fellow soldier, and how, despite his report on the incident, the Army refused to even investigate. That is when Kyle was given a two-week leave to visit British Columbia, Canada. But Kyle decided not to return to the war. Instead, he applied for political refugee status in Canada. He lived in Canada for a year and a half where he worked with the War Resisters Support Campaign before returning to the U.S. in October to seek a discharge from the Army.

KYLE SUPPORTS ANTIWAR REFERENDUM IN CHICAGO
Kyle has made many appearances around these United States since October 31. On November 6, the day before the midterm election, Kyle Snyder spoke at a well-attended press conference in Chicago, where he encouraged Chicagoans to vote yes on a referendum calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, organized by Chicagoans Against War and Injustice. On the following day, 80% of them did just that, along with millions of Illinois voters.

KYLE SPEAKS AT VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL
Kyle spoke to Spanish language media in Chicago along with Juan Torres, whose son served in the Army as a Certified Public Accountant in charge of all cargo in and out of Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan. After telling his father that had learned of things that made him fear for his life, Spc. Juan Torres, Jr. was murdered while taking a shower. Juan Torres is conducting an independent investigation of his son’s death, which the Army claims was a suicide.

On Veterans Day, Kyle spoke at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Chicago, and then celebrated with Vietnam Veterans Against the War and Veterans For Peace. The celebration took place at the Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, where Kyle was moved by the art exhibit of a fellow Iraq veteran, Aaron Hughes.

KYLE SPEAKS AT FORT BENNING, GEORGIA
Next Kyle traveled to Fort Benning, Georgia for the annual November protest organized by School of Americas Watch. Twenty thousand activists, including many religious and youth, participated. Kyle was invited to speak on the stage just outside the gates of Fort Benning. He was introduced by Col. Ann Wright, a leader in the antiwar movement after almost 50 years of military and government service. Kyle called for the closing of the School of Americas and the end of the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Accompanying him as he spoke was fellow Iraq veteran and war resister, Darrell Anderson, and a group of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). Kyle was so happy to find his fellow soldier/resisters.

KYLE AND IRAQ VETS WORK IN NEW ORLEANS
Kyle hopped on the IVAW bus to New Orleans, where he and other Iraq veterans – women and men – talked about how they were affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, in a therapeutic setting organized by Vets 4 Vets. Kyle then joined in reconstruction efforts that Iraq Veterans Against the War (ivaw@ivaw.org) have been carrying out in New Orleans since early last summer, helping to rebuild the flood damaged homes of musicians and veterans. This meant a lot to him.

But Kyle was also upset by what he saw in New Orleans: huge neighborhoods that were still disaster areas a year and half after Hurricane Katrina. “Why isn’t the 94th Engineering Brigade helping here, where they are really needed,” he asked. “Why are they being told to return to Iraq, where they will do no reconstruction at all?”

SPEAKING TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Kyle’s Canadian girlfriend, Maleah, and I have accompanied him ever since we crossed the border from British Columbia into Washington State on October 28. After working in New Orleans, the three of us returned to Chicago. The American Friends Service Committee had arranged for Kyle to speak in Chicago high schools, especially the most highly recruited, in segregated African American and Latino neighborhoods.

Everyday for a week, Kyle spoke in multiple high school classrooms and assemblies. African American and Latino students had no trouble relating to Kyle’s story. Several young men and women told him they were reconsidering their plans to join the military. Some students signed the “opt out” form in order to keep military recruiters from having access to their school records and contact information.

SANCTUARY, HERE WE COME
A few days after the winter had abruptly asserted itself back into the lives of Chicagoans, Kyle, Maleah and I headed for San Diego, California, where it was warm and beautiful. The Iraq Veterans Against the War had arrived from New Orleans with their bus. Kyle and fellow Iraq veteran/resister Darrell Anderson spoke at a meeting of the San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice. On the following evening, Kyle was the honored guest of at a fundraising party organized by the San Diego Military Counseling Project.

We found many good friends in San Diego, as we had in Louisville and Chicago. We found committed communities that gladly supported us. We found people who understood the importance of GI’s sitting down and saying no more killing.

We were offered sanctuary in several places. In fact, before Kyle spoke at the Church of the Brethren in San Diego, the church board decided to reassert its status as a “Sanctuary Church.” During the Vietnam War, they had provided sanctuary to 9 sailors.

ATTEMPTED ARREST
On Friday evening, December 8, the Alameda police came looking for Kyle at an event in support of GI resisters. The speaker at the event was Bob Watada, father of Army Lieutenant Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to the Iraq War. Army authorities at Fort Lewis, Washington are planning to court martial Lt. Watada on February 5, 2007. (see http://www.thankyoult.org/)

Three Alameda policemen entered the event and asked for Kyle Snyder. But Kyle was not there. He was speaking at another event in San Jose, California, organized by the Quaker Meeting and Veterans for Peace. The San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday, Dec. 10 quoted an Alameda police sergeant saying they were “tipped off by someone in the Army in Kentucky.”

COURAGE TO RESIST
On Saturday morning, December 9, Courage To Resist hosted a forum on GI resistance at the Veterans War Memorial Building in San Francisco. Courage To Resist, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, had coordinated a weekend of actions in support of GI resisters (see http://www.couragetoresist.org/).

The event was co-sponsored by the Bay Area’s Chapter 69 of Veterans For Peace. Bob Watada spoke. Vietnam war resister Mike Wong. Iraq war resister Darrell Anderson. Anita Dennis, antiwar activist and mother of Darrell Anderson. Maxine Hong Kingston, editor of “Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace," a compilation of writings of veterans. And Not In Our Name organizer Jeff Paterson, first GI resister of the Gulf War. Due to the attempt to arrest him the night before, Kyle Snyder addressed the gathering by speakerphone. Kyle later appeared in person at an outdoors rally.

MEDIA ATTENTION
All throughout Kyle Snyder’s journey, he has been followed by interested media from the U.S., Canada and around the world. Associated Press wrote three different stories that reached hundreds of media outlets throughout the globe. Canadian media continues to follow Kyle. CBC Radio called up Kyle for his comments on the firing of Donald Rumsfeld. Kyle was live on Fox Radio with the Alan Colmes Show, which airs on sixty radio stations. He was interviewed for 30 minutes, followed by an hour-and-a-half of lively discussion about war crimes and recruiter fraud.

SPEAKING OUT IN THE NEW YEAR
Kyle Snyder has been meeting with peace and justice activists wherever he goes. Due to recent attempts to have him arrested, Kyle is keeping a slightly lower profile over the holidays. But he continues to speak out. He is calling for his 94th Engineering Battalion to be sent to New Orleans instead of Iraq. He is requesting a discharge from the Army.

On Friday, Dec. 15, Kyle spoke, again by speakerphone, to the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Whatcom County Peace and Justice Coalition in Bellingham, Washington. Also present were many good friends in the Bellingham chapter of Veterans For Peace, whom Kyle met last August at a solidarity picnic in Peace Arch Park on the border between British Columbia and Washington State.

CALL THE ARMY AND DEMAND A DISCHARGE FOR KYLE SNYDER
Thanks to all of you who have made calls to the Commanding Generals at Fort Knox, Kentucky and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Please continue to call General William McCoy, Jr., the new Commanding General of Fort Leonard Wood, 573-596-0131, or call the Public Affairs Office at 573-563-4013 or 4015, fax: 573-563-4012, email: alleym@wood.army.mil. We want to deliver one clear message: Discharge Kyle Snyder with No Punishment.

KYLE REQUESTS YOUR CONTINUING SUPPORT
Kyle Snyder’s remarkable journey home to the U.S. has been almost magical. He has found tremendous support wherever he has gone. Several communities offered various forms of sanctuary. Generous donations at each meeting have enabled him to keep traveling, keep speaking out, and to pay modest legal fees as he continues to seek a discharge from the Army. Thanks much to Lori Hurlebaus and Courage To Resist for coordinating action alerts and collecting online donations.

But Kyle has no surplus funds, and he will have significant travel and legal expenses in the coming weeks. Please consider donating to his expenses online at Courage To Resist (http://www.couragetoresist.org/).
Or you can make a check out to Courage To Resist, write “Kyle Snyder” in the memo line, and mail the check to Courage To Resist, 484 Lakepark Ave. #41, Oakland, CA 94610.

PEACE IN THE NEW YEAR
Kyle is looking forward to the New Year as a time when he can join with war resisters in Canada and the U.S, with veterans and with active duty GI’s to bring a grinding halt to George Bush’s disastrous war on the people of Iraq.

Kyle and I thank you so much for your very kind support and we wish you a Happy New Year. We look forward to working together with you in the coming year.

for peace and justice,
GERRY CONDON with KYLE SNYDER

(206) 306-4103

Soldier Say No / Project Safe Haven

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Kyle Snyder in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A U.S. army soldier who fled to Alberta, rather than return to Iraq, spent Thanksgiving week gutting houses flooded more than a year ago by hurricane Katrina.

Friday, November 24, 2006

Iraq Vets and War Resisters Protest School of Americas

Kyle Snyder and Darrell Anderson joined the Iraq Veterans Against the War to protest the School of Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia. When Kyle was introduced onstage by Col. Ann Wright (ret.), along with Darrell and the vets, they all received an emotional standing ovation.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Kyle Snyder Helps Rebuild in New Orleans

War resisters Kyle Snyder and Darrell Anderson help Iraq Veterans Against The War and Volunteers from Common Ground Relief to gut homes at Camp Liberty, Slidell, on the Bayou near New Orleans. Music by IVAW member Dennis Kyne. Rap by Darrell Anderson.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Kyle Snyder, AWOL in America, Travels and Speaks Against U.S. War on Iraq

Dear friends,

I continue to travel with Iraq war veteran and resister, Kyle Snyder, who remains AWOL after returning last week from Canada and attempting to be discharged from the Army. Right now we are in Chicago, where Kyle spoke to a well attended press conference on Monday, calling on the people of Illinois to vote against the war policies of the Bush administration. (They did, supporting a referendum to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq by an 8-1 margin!)

We are finding lots of support in Chicago, from veterans groups, military familes, peace groups and others. Kyle has been speaking in public forums and to university students. There continues to be a lot of national and international media interest in Kyle's struggle to be discharged from the Army.

On Thursday, Nov. 9, at 11 pm EST, Kyle was interviewed on the Alan Colmes radio show, which airs on 60 radio stations throughout the U.S. His 30-minute interview then generated another hour-and-a-half of discussion with calls from veterans who testified about war crimes in Iraq and Vietnam as well as recruiters' lies. To hear this interview, go go http://www.foxnews.com/radio/alancolmes/index.html

The Army has not yet given a reasonable response to our call for Kyle to be released from military service without any punishment. At one point, Kyle had been willing to accept an Other Than Honorable discharge that we understood the Army was offering him. But this deal evaporated when he presented himself to Army authorities at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

So Kyle is AWOL again. (AWOL's new meaning: "A War Of Lies") At the risk of arrest, he is speaking out bravely on behalf of war resisters and active duty GI's. His old unit, the 94th Engineers, now based at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, is slated to return to Iraq in January for the 3rd time. The Army wants Kyle to return to that unit, and will not say what they will do if does. Could they order him back to Iraq?

Thanks to all of you who have made calls to the Commanding General at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The phones have been ringing off the walls there. Now it is time to make the phones ring at Fort Leonard Wood. Say hello to Fort Leonard Woods's brand new commander, Major General William McCoy, Jr., recently returned from the U.S. occupation of Iraq (you can read his emotional address upon assuming his new command at http://www.flw-guidon.com/).

Here are the numbers to call at Fort Leonard WoodOffice of the Commanding General (that's how they answer) 573-596-0131Public Affairs Office, tel. 573-563-4013 or 4105, fax: 573-563-4012, email: alleym@wood.army.mil

We want to deliver one clear message:
RELEASE KYLE SNYDER WITHOUT ANY PUNISHMENT

For more information on Kyle's campaign and how you can support it, please visit the webiste of Courage To Resist, http://www.couragetoresist.org/. Monies are much needed and you can make an online donation there.

Last Friday, Nov. 3, Kyle was interviewed by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales on Democracy Now. You can watch or listen to this interview at http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/11/03/1431228. You can also read and/or download a written transcript.

Another Iraq war veteran and resister,Ivan Brobeck, returned from Canada on election day to the Marine base at Quantico, Virginia. Ivan was recruited into the Marines when he was 17 and fought in Iraq when he was only 19. Ivan is prepared to face a court martial, if necessary. The Marines have not yet decided what they will do with him. To read Ivan's open letter to President Bush, go to http://www.couragetoresist.org/ivanbrobeck/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17

Below are links to two articles I have written about U.S. war resisters. They were published, respectively, by Z magazine and CCCO's Objector. The Z magazine article includes much of the Counseling Memo of the War Resisters Support Campaign in Canada (http://www.resisters.ca/), and the Objector article discusses the injustice of the military's handling of Conscientious Objectors.

Sanctuary and Counseling for War Resisters (Z Magazine)http://zmagsite.zmag.org/JulAug2006/condon0706.html

Support for War Resisters Grows (The Objector, pg. 11)http://www.objector.org/2006JulyObjector.pdf

GI's (or their families) who are seeking discharge from the military or need counseling on how to deal with other issues they may be facing within the military are well advised to contact the GI Rights Hotline, 405 14th Street, Suite #205, Oakland, CA 94612, toll free number: (800) 394-9544 (from the US), (215) 563-4620 (from other countries) Fax: (510) 465-2459, Email: girights@objector.org, web: http://www.girights.org/

Active duty GI's who have information and support will be more likely to follow their consciences and to obey international and U.S. laws against illegal wars and war crimes.

Supporting war resisters is more important than ever. Who else will hasten the end to the unjust, illegal, and unwinnable wars in Afghanistan and Iraq?

for peace and justice,
Gerry Condon

(206) 306-4103
_______________________________________________

Soldier Say No / Project Safe Haven
SoldierSayNo@yahoo.com, projectsafehaven@hotmail.com
http://www.soldiersayno.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Veterans and War Resisters Enjoy Solidarity Picnic on US-Canada Border

by Gerry Condon

In a show of support for GIs who are refusing to fight in Iraq, 150 veterans traveled to the U.S.-Canada border on Sunday, Aug. 13, for a “solidarity picnic” with war resisters seeking sanctuary in Canada. Two buses and a caravan of cars ferried members of Veterans For Peace from their national convention in Seattle to Peace Arch Park, a neutral zone on the border between Washington State and British Columbia.

U.S. war resisters were accompanied by Canadian supporters, including World War II veterans. The War Resisters Support Campaign, with chapters across Canada, co-sponsored the event with Veterans For Peace.

“This is the worse combat situation since Vietnam. War crimes are being committed every single day,” said Kyle Snyder, 22, who was a machine gunner in Iraq. “When I reported the shooting of an innocent civilian, my superiors didn’t even bother to investigate,” continued Snyder, one of 30 U.S. military personnel who have applied for refugee status in Canada.

Colonel Ann Wright (ret.) told Snyder he was doing the right thing. “There is a time honored tradition in the U.S. military to refuse to follow illegal orders or to commit war crimes,” said Col. Wright, who resigned from the U.S. State Department in protest of the Iraq War.

“We’re here today to tell the war resisters that we are behind them 100 percent,” said Dave Cline, national president of Veterans For Peace. Cline, a highly decorated veteran who was wounded three times in the Vietnam War, called on the Canadian government to provide sanctuary for U.S. war resisters.

Musicians from both sides of the borders sang songs of peace while the 300 participants enjoyed a family style picnic in a festive atmosphere. Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War held friendly conversations with their war resister peers in Canada, and invited them to join their growing organization. Several of the war resisters have already fought in the Iraq War but fled to Canada after being ordered back for a second tour.

Kelly Dougherty, a woman who fought in Iraq, met with two young women who are AWOL from the U.S. Air Force. Dougherty, who was recently elected board chairperson of Iraq Veterans Against the War, has also been speaking out in support of Army Specialist Suzanne Swift, who has refused to return to Iraq after being sexually harassed by several of her superiors.

Suzanne Swift is currently awaiting her fate at Fort Lewis, Washington, where Sgt. Kevin Benderman has been imprisoned for 15 months for refusing to return to Iraq, and Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to Iraq, is awaiting court martial.

Sgt. Ricky Clousing, who served in Iraq as an interrogator for the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division, announced his refusal to deploy to Iraq during the Veterans For Peace convention. Clousing gave himself up to military authorities at Fort Lewis.

Check out Jeff Paterson's excellent photos of the Solidarity Picnic.
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/08/14/18297229.php

For more information on how you can help the war resisters in Canada and the U.S., visit www.Resisters.ca and www.CourageToResist.org.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Californians Call for Sanctuary for U.S. War Resisters in Canada


Keith Mather, David Solnit, Father Louis Vitale, Steve Grossman,
Gerry Condon, Jacqueline Cabasso, Jeff Paterson, Evangeline Mix
Photo: Bill Carpenter

Activists meet with Canadian Consul
in San Francisco

by Gerry Condon

On May 15, International Conscientious Objectors Day, a delegation of concerned Californians visited the Canadian Consulate in San Francisco to appeal for sanctuary for U.S. war resisters in Canada. The visit was coordinated by Courage To Resist, Project Safe Haven and the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors (CCCO). The delegation included military veterans, a Catholic priest, an expert on international law, and resisters of U.S. wars, present and past. Four delegation members lived in Canada during the Vietnam War.

They delivered a letter addressed to Peter MacKay, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. The letter was received by Tristan Landry, Consul, Political/Economic Relations and Public Relations, who listened respectfully as each of his visitors stated their support for sanctuary for U.S. war resisters in Canada.

Gerry Condon of Project Safe Haven gave a brief overview of the plight of U.S. war resisters in Canada, telling the Canadian Consul that several hundred AWOL GI’s were estimated to be in Canada, and that 25 of them have applied for political refugee status. The first two, Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey, have had their claims for refugee status denied, but they are appealing in Canada’s Federal Court system.

“I know these young people personally,” said Condon. “I know how sincere they are. Several of these young men already served one tour in Iraq. They were witness to U.S. war crimes and, obeying international law, they refused to return for more of the same. If Canada’s refugee system cannot accommodate U.S. war resisters, then we appeal to the Canadian government to fashion a sanctuary policy, as called for by many Canadians, including Members of Parliament.”

“The war in Iraq must be opposed not only as a
matter of law, but as a matter of principle.”

Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director of the Western States Legal Foundation, forcefully argued that the U.S. war in Iraq is illegal. “It must be opposed not only as a matter of law, but as a matter of principle,” she said. “If the Bush Doctrine of preemptive war is allowed to stand, the next states in line may be Iran and North Korea, as we have seen.”

Ms. Cabasso later said she was encouraged when the Canadian representative reminded her that Canada had refused to participate in the war in Iraq. “So, welcoming conscientious Iraq War resisters from the United States would certainly be consistent,” she asserted.

Several Vietnam War resisters spoke passionately about Canada’s traditional role, in the words of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, as a “refuge from militarism.” Keith Mather, Evangeline Lantana Mix, and Steve Grossman each thanked Canada for providing them with a viable alternative to going to war or to prison during the Vietnam War.

“When a U.S. judge promised me five years in prison for refusing to be drafted into an unjust war, I decided to go to Canada instead,” said Steve Grossman, a theater arts teacher. I am very grateful to the Canadian people and government for five years of creative, useful life instead of five years in prison. And I want to thank those Canadians who are now welcoming another generation of young Americans of conscience.”

Father Louis Vitale, who recently finished a six-month prison sentence for peacefully protesting the “School of the Assassins” at Fort Benning, Georgia, was nonetheless passionate about supporting the troops. “Our military people are really in danger,” said Father Vitale. “They’re really at high risk. Some of them are threatening suicide, or are on the border of suicide. Some of them are tortured in prison. Some of them give in and do go to Iraq and do get killed. They really need the humanity that exists in Canada to accept them and give them sanctuary.”


“Political persecution is a reality for people
opposing the war within the U.S. military.”

Jeff Paterson, an organizer for Not In Our Name, spoke last. “During the first Gulf War, I was a United States Marine,” said Paterson. “I considered that war unjust and immoral and I applied for a discharge as a Conscientious Objector. The Marine Corps told me I was sincere, but not sincere enough. I quickly found myself serving months in the military brig.

“Today, GI’s are being persecuted for refusing to fight in another unjust and illegal war. My friend Camilo Mejia served a year in prison for refusing to return to Iraq. And my friend, Sgt. Kevin Benderman, is entering his second year of imprisonment for refusing to return to Iraq.

“Political persecution is a reality for people opposing the war within the U.S. military,” continued Paterson. “That’s why a safe haven in Canada is a necessity. It’s not a theoretical thing; it’s not a political stunt we’re trying to do.”


Canadian Consul: “Is the Conscientious Objector system not working?”

The Canadian Consul, Tristan Landry, then asked the delegation a question. “Don’t these soldiers have alternatives within the military? Because this is what we are hearing from our counterparts [in the U.S. government]. They are telling us that if soldiers are opposed to going to war, they can apply for Conscientious Objector status. Is that system not working?”

One after another, members of the delegation explained how the current system for applying for Conscientious Objector status is inadequate and arbitrary. The Canadian representative was told that only a very few GI’s are granted this status, just enough for the military to claim there is an “alternative.” Many soldiers are never told of their option to apply for Conscientious Objector status. Or they are told that C.O.’s are cowards and homosexuals to be scorned and abused.

Some GI’s do manage to apply for C.O. status, a serious process of soul-searching and intensive writing, only to have their applications “lost” or “thrown away” by the military. Others wishing to apply for C.O. status have been told to wait until after they are in Iraq or Afghanistan.

In 2004, Sergeant Kevin Benderman, a 10-year Army veteran, returned from the Iraq War and declared himself a Conscientious Objector. The Army violated its own procedures, denied him C.O. status, and ordered him back to Iraq. But Benderman refused to return to war. Last July, he was given a General Court Martial, usually reserved for high crimes. He was convicted of “missing movement” and was sentenced to 15 months in prison and a Dishonorable Discharge.

As Benderman was led off to prison, his company commander, Army Captain Gary Rowley, had some telling words: "If [the rest of the Army] saw this and found out it works using smoke and mirrors to get by, we'll have other soldiers saying, ‘Well, I'm a conscientious objector.’ …They need to know there are consequences for not doing their duty." In other words, Kevin Benderman was sent to prison in order to intimidate his fellow soldiers from getting any ideas.

Delegation members also explained that the U.S. military grants Conscientious Objector status only to those who can prove they are opposed to all war, such as religious pacifists. This narrow definition does not take into account a soldier’s obligations under international law.

The Canadian Consul asked the delegation to provide further documentation about the problems with applying for C.O. status. The delegation thanked him for receiving them so courteously, promised to provide the information he requested, and bid him “adieu.”

Outside the Canadian Consulate, Bill Carpenter of Indymedia videotaped the delegates’ statements. Courage To Resist organizer David Solnit said, “Our democracy has failed us and we’ve been forced into an illegal and immoral war. Our soldiers are the one hope to restore that democracy and to shut down that war. That’s why we must support them in every way we can.”
To see Bill Carpenter’s photos, video, and more information about U.S. war resisters in Canada, please go http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/05/1824046.php
(Paste it into your web browser.)

There are Canadian government offices in twenty U.S. cities. Those wishing to appeal to the Canadian government on behalf of U.S. war resisters are encouraged to contact Project Safe Haven at projectsafehaven@hotmail.com or the War Resisters Support Campaign in Toronto at resisters@sympatico.ca or 416-598-1222. For more information on military resisters and how to support them, please visit www.CourageToResist.org.