On Saturday night, I was lucky enough to be at the Veterans for Peace National
Convention. For that night, Lt. Ehren Watada was able to give the following
speech, which I've just received permission to post here. The speech was met
with a powerful, standing ovation from the vets who've been there.
Lt. Ehren Watada, for those who don't already know, became the first commissioned
officer to publicly refuse deployment to the unlawful war and occupation in
Iraq. While doing this on June 22, 2006, Watada said, "As the order to
take part in an illegal act is ultimately unlawful as well, I must refuse that
order."
Just as Watada took the stage and began to speak, over 50 members of Iraq Veterans
Against the War filed in behind him. Watada, surprised by this and obviously
taken aback by the symbolic act, turned back to the audience, took some deep
breaths, then gave this speech:
Thank you everyone. Thank you all for your tremendous support.
How honored and delighted I am to be in the same room with you tonight. I am
deeply humbled by being in the company of such wonderful speakers.
You are all true American patriots. Although long since out of uniform, you
continue to fight for the very same principles you once swore to uphold and
defend. No one knows the devastation and suffering of war more than veterans
- which is why we should always be the first to prevent it.
I wasn't entirely sure what to say tonight. I thought as a leader in general
I should speak to motivate. Now I know that this isn't the military and
surely there are many out there who outranked me at one point or another - and
yes, I'm just a Lieutenant. And yet, I feel as though we are all citizens
of this great country and what I have to say is not a matter of authority -
but from one citizen to another. We have all seen this war tear apart our country
over the past three years. It seems as though nothing we've done, from vigils
to protests to letters to Congress, have had any effect in persuading the powers
that be. Tonight I will speak to you on my ideas for a change of strategy. I
am here tonight because I took a leap of faith. My action is not the first and
it certainly will not be the last. Yet, on behalf of those who follow, I require
your help - your sacrifice - and that of countless other Americans. I may fail.
We may fail. But nothing we have tried has worked so far. It is time for change
and the change starts with all of us.
I stand before you today, not as an expert - not as one who pretends to have
all the answers. I am simply an American and a servant of the American people.
My humble opinions today are just that. I realize that you may not agree with
everything I have to say. However, I did not choose to be a leader for popularity.
I did it to serve and make better the soldiers of this country. And I swore
to carry out this charge honorably under the rule of law.
Today, I speak with you about a radical idea. It is one born from the very
concept of the American soldier (or service member). It became instrumental
in ending the Vietnam War - but it has been long since forgotten. The idea is
this: that to stop an illegal and unjust war, the soldiers can choose to stop
fighting it.
Now it is not an easy task for the soldier. For he or she must be aware that
they are being used for ill-gain. They must hold themselves responsible for
individual action. They must remember duty to the Constitution and the people
supersedes the ideologies of their leadership. The soldier must be willing to
face ostracism by their peers, worry over the survival of their families, and
of course the loss of personal freedom. They must know that resisting an authoritarian
government at home is equally important to fighting a foreign aggressor on the
battlefield. Finally, those wearing the uniform must know beyond any shadow
of a doubt that by refusing immoral and illegal orders they will be supported
by the people not with mere words but by action.
The American soldier must rise above the socialization that tells them authority
should always be obeyed without question. Rank should be respected but never
blindly followed. Awareness of the history of atrocities and destruction committed
in the name of America - either through direct military intervention or by proxy
war - is crucial. They must realize that this is a war not out of self-defense
but by choice, for profit and imperialistic domination. WMD, ties to Al Qaeda,
and ties to 9/11 never existed and never will. The soldier must know that our
narrowly and questionably elected officials intentionally manipulated the evidence
presented to Congress, the public, and the world to make the case for war. They
must know that neither Congress nor this administration has the authority to
violate the prohibition against pre-emptive war - an American law that still
stands today. This same administration uses us for rampant violations of time-tested
laws banning torture and degradation of prisoners of war. Though the American
soldier wants to do right, the illegitimacy of the occupation itself, the policies
of this administration, and rules of engagement of desperate field commanders
will ultimately force them to be party to war crimes. They must know some of
these facts, if not all, in order to act.
Mark Twain once remarked, "Each man must for himself alone decide what
is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot
shirk this and be a man. To decide against your conviction is to be an unqualified
and inexcusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country …"
By this, each and every American soldier, marine, airman, and sailor is responsible
for their choices and their actions. The freedom to choose is only one that
we can deny ourselves.
The oath we take swears allegiance not to one man but to a document of principles
and laws designed to protect the people. Enlisting in the military does not
relinquish one's right to seek the truth - neither does it excuse one from rational
thought nor the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. "I was
only following orders" is never an excuse.
The Nuremburg Trials showed America and the world that citizenry as well as
soldiers have the unrelinquishable obligation to refuse complicity in war crimes
perpetrated by their government. Widespread torture and inhumane treatment of
detainees is a war crime. A war of aggression born through an unofficial policy
of prevention is a crime against the peace. An occupation violating the very
essence of international humanitarian law and sovereignty is a crime against
humanity. These crimes are funded by our tax dollars. Should citizens choose
to remain silent through self-imposed ignorance or choice, it makes them as
culpable as the soldier in these crimes.
The Constitution is no mere document - neither is it old, out-dated, or irrelevant.
It is the embodiment of all that Americans hold dear: truth, justice, and equality
for all. It is the formula for a government of the people and by the people.
It is a government that is transparent and accountable to whom they serve. It
dictates a system of checks and balances and separation of powers to prevent
the evil that is tyranny.
As strong as the Constitution is, it is not foolproof. It does not fully take
into account the frailty of human nature. Profit, greed, and hunger for power
can corrupt individuals as much as they can corrupt institutions. The founders
of the Constitution could not have imagined how money would infect our political
system. Neither could they believe a standing army would be used for profit
and manifest destiny. Like any common dictatorship, soldiers would be ordered
to commit acts of such heinous nature as to be deemed most ungentlemanly and
unbecoming that of a free country.
The American soldier is not a mercenary. He or she does not simply fight wars
for payment. Indeed, the state of the American soldier is worse than that of
a mercenary. For a soldier-for-hire can walk away if they are disgusted by their
employer's actions. Instead, especially when it comes to war, American soldiers
become indentured servants whether they volunteer out of patriotism or are drafted
through economic desperation. Does it matter what the soldier believes is morally
right? If this is a war of necessity, why force men and women to fight? When
it comes to a war of ideology, the lines between right and wrong are blurred.
How tragic it is when the term Catch-22 defines the modern American military.
Aside from the reality of indentured servitude, the American soldier in theory
is much nobler. Soldier or officer, when we swear our oath it is first and foremost
to the Constitution and its protectorate, the people. If soldiers realized this
war is contrary to what the Constitution extols - if they stood up and threw
their weapons down - no President could ever initiate a war of choice again.
When we say, "… Against all enemies foreign and domestic," what
if elected leaders became the enemy? Whose orders do we follow? The answer is
the conscience that lies in each soldier, each American, and each human being.
Our duty to the Constitution is an obligation, not a choice.
The military, and especially the Army, is an institution of fraternity and
close-knit camaraderie. Peer pressure exists to ensure cohesiveness but it stamps
out individualism and individual thought. The idea of brotherhood is difficult
to pull away from if the alternative is loneliness and isolation. If we want
soldiers to choose the right but difficult path - they must know beyond any
shadow of a doubt that they will be supported by Americans. To support the troops
who resist, you must make your voices heard. If they see thousands supporting
me, they will know. I have heard your support, as has Suzanne Swift, and Ricky
Clousing - but many others have not. Increasingly, more soldiers are questioning
what they are being asked to do. Yet, the majority lack awareness to the truth
that is buried beneath the headlines. Many more see no alternative but to obey.
We must show open-minded soldiers a choice and we must give them courage to
act.
Three weeks ago, Sgt. Hernandez from the 172nd Stryker Brigade was killed,
leaving behind a wife and two children. In an interview, his wife said he sacrificed
his life so that his family could survive. I'm sure Sgt. Hernandez cherished
the camaraderie of his brothers, but given a choice, I doubt he would put himself
in a position to leave his family husbandless and fatherless. Yet that's the
point, you see. People like Sgt. Hernandez don't have a choice. The choices
are to fight in Iraq or let your family starve. Many soldiers don't refuse
this war en mass because, like all of us,, they value their families over their
own lives and perhaps their conscience. Who would willingly spend years in prison
for principle and morality while denying their family sustenance?
I tell this to you because you must know that to stop this war, for the soldiers
to stop fighting it, they must have the unconditional support of the people.
I have seen this support with my own eyes. For me it was a leap of faith. For
other soldiers, they do not have that luxury. They must know it and you must
show it to them. Convince them that no matter how long they sit in prison, no
matter how long this country takes to right itself, their families will have
a roof over their heads, food in their stomachs, opportunities and education.
This is a daunting task. It requires the sacrifice of all of us. Why must Canadians
feed and house our fellow Americans who have chosen to do the right thing? We
should be the ones taking care of our own. Are we that powerless - are we that
unwilling to risk something for those who can truly end this war? How do you
support the troops but not the war? By supporting those who can truly stop it;
let them know that resistance to participate in an illegal war is not futile
and not without a future.
I have broken no law but the code of silence and unquestioning loyalty. If
I am guilty of any crime, it is that I learned too much and cared too deeply
for the meaningless loss of my fellow soldiers and my fellow human beings. If
I am to be punished it should be for following the rule of law over the immoral
orders of one man. If I am to be punished it should be for not acting sooner.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "History will have to record that the
greatest tragedy of this period … was not the strident clamor of the bad
people, but the appalling silence of the good people."
Now, I'm not a hero. I am a leader of men who said enough is enough. Those
who called for war prior to the invasion compared diplomacy with Saddam to the
compromises made with Hitler. I say, we compromise now by allowing a government
that uses war as the first option instead of the last to act with impunity.
Many have said this about the World Trade Towers, "Never Again." I
agree. Never again will we allow those who threaten our way of life to reign
free - be they terrorists or elected officials. The time to fight back is now
- the time to stand up and be counted is today.
I'll end with one more Martin Luther King Jr. quote:
One who breaks an unjust law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly
accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the
community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for
law.
Thank you and bless you all.
The only thing Watada said that I would disagree with is that he claimed that
he is not a hero. He is a leader, yet again, by taking this stance. And he may
never know how many lives he has already touched.
Today, it is up to the anti-war movement to make sure his leadership touches
as many soldiers' lives in Iraq as possible. Watada is making his stand. He
needs continued support.
As he said, if more American soldiers in Iraq know that they, along with their
families, will be supported if they stand up against this illegal occupation,
countless more will follow, and this repulsive war will end.
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