As the
U.S. occupation of Iraq extends with no end in sight, and the
death toll for both U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians
continues to mount, more voices of dissent from military
personnel and families are surfacing every day.
One of the most poignant so far comes from a young Marine
who gave an interview with Pacifica Radio's Peacewatch
program the night before he was deployed to Iraq. He
discussed his strong commitment to peace, and said the Bush
administration was violating constitutional principles and
misleading the country into an unjust war.
He was killed in late June, fighting a war he didn’t
believe in.
Because the interview was given under the condition of
anonymity, and out of respect for the current wishes of his
family, the Marine will be identified in this story only as
John (not his real name). John’s friends describe him as a
passionate, intense person with an insatiable appetite for
knowledge and a commitment to peace. He studied philosophy
and peace with an emphasis on Middle Eastern affairs,
particularly Iraq and Israel.
His friends say he went into the military under the
Clinton administration to gain credibility, so that perhaps
someday his beliefs on how to build a lasting peace in the
Middle East would be taken seriously. In the months before
his deployment, he helped organize anti-war campaigns, mainly
working behind the scenes.
In his interview with Pacifica, John expressed outrage
that a legitimate public debate on the war had not occurred.
Many alternatives to combat were available, he explained,
such as using money being spent for war to finance a
grassroots Iraqi democracy movement that would rival the
Baath regime, or promoting democracy throughout the Middle
East to show people alternative forms of government.
"It is almost unimaginable to expect that this war is
going to create a better peace for anybody with the exception
of a very small percentage of people," he said.
He accused the administration of not talking honestly with
the American public about potential consequences of a U.S.
war on Iraq, such as the potential for urban combat, the
psyche of the Iraqi people, the impact on the United Nations
and the fate of the Middle East.
"This could have repercussions in terms of the war on
terrorism," he said. "It could have repercussions on
international diplomacy. It could have repercussions on the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It could have repercussions in
terms of our ability to get anything else done in the United
Nations. And even if... everything goes the way it's supposed
to go, what does that mean for the world order? It says that
we basically can do whatever we want to do whenever we want
to do it because we are the world's sole superpower."
But even as he expressed doubts about the Bush
administration’s decision, he spoke eloquently about his
patriotism, and looked to the highest ideals of the country
for inspiration:
"I believe in the United States. I believe in the
Constitution. I think it's perhaps one of the greatest
documents ever written. I believe in the idea that we the
people are sovereign and we determine our own destiny. We
have a democracy and the Bill of Rights and freedom of
expression, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and due
process. Until the world is such a place that we can really
live without the military, individual Americans have to step
up and they have to serve."
The Bush administration, he claimed, had not made a
credible case for war with Iraq, and was violating
constitutional principles by sending troops into combat. He
spoke of the Declaration of Independence, and how its writers
vowed to be free of England, where their lives were ruled and
determined by one man. "The constant rhetoric of the
administration is that there's going to be one person who
decides when we go to war," he said, "and that is such a
blatant violation of every constitutional principle that our
founding fathers came up with."
"But even beyond that, it's ‘we the people’ that this
nation is about," he continued. "It isn't about politics or
personal agendas or political agendas or economic agendas.
And I believe that this war is not the right thing for
America because it hasn't yet been proven conclusively that
there is a threat to ‘we the people’ -- and I think that is
the sole determining factor as to whether or not this nation
should ever go to war."
With chilling foresight, John predicted that much could go
wrong in a war with Iraq, saying the outcomes outlined by the
administration were based on highly optimistic and rosy
scenarios. He said it was unlikely that Iraqis would cheer
the arrival of a U.S. occupying force, and that long-term
urban combat could be a likely outcome.
Yet he went to Iraq, believing it to be his duty. And
continued, even in the midst of combat, to exercise his
belief in nonviolent resolution. One of his commanders wrote
a letter after his death explaining a situation in which John
negotiated a peaceful settlement to a potentially deadly
situation. A group of Baath Party officials were found inside
a house. Because he spoke Arabic, John entered the house and
talked with the officials until he negotiated a surrender.
His actions potentially saved the lives of both U.S. soldiers
and Iraqis.
In letters home, John described the peace movement as
"awesome," and said he hoped it would grow larger, never
relent against the Bush administration, and help bring an end
to the war.
Around June 20, those letters stopped.
As of July 14, 32 American soldiers have died from hostile
action since Bush declared an end to major combat operations
in Iraq on May 1, according to the Pentagon. Forty-three
other service members have died in incidents unrelated to
hostilities.
Nancy Lessin, co-founder of Military Families Speak Out,
says more people are becoming outraged now that the war
against Iraq has turned into a highly risky occupation.
"Too many U.S. military personnel and way too many
innocent Iraqis have been killed," she says. "And what we
predicted to be true has come true, that there are no weapons
of mass destruction. Everything we said was going to happen
is coming to pass, and one of the most frightening aspects of
this is that the people of this country haven't completely
risen up in opposition to what's going on."
Her words are echoed, and answered, by John’s. Before he
was deployed, John wrote a final letter as part of his will.
"That I have died means I have failed to achieve the one
thing in life I truly longed to give the world -- peace," the
letter reads. "The plight of human suffering consumed me and
I dedicated much to trying to find the ideas that might lead
humankind toward alleviating it for all. It was a quest which
was inextricably intertwined with my quest for freedom. If
you know anything about me you know that. Understand it and
come to understand how the suffering of others tormented my
soul. Then seek to honor my memory by trying to achieve what
I could not."
Chris Strohm is a freelance reporter and volunteer with
the DC Independent Media Center. Ingrid Drake is a
correspondent for Pacifica Radio's Peacewatch program. Andrew
Korfhage provided additional reporting for this article.