Aidan Delgado, Army Reserve Specialist. Aidan Delgado, 23, was a Florida
college student looking for a change when he decided to join the army
reserve. It was his misfortune to sign an enlistment contract on the
morning of September 11, 2001. After finishing the paperwork, he saw a
television broadcast of the burning World Trade Center and realized he
might be in for more than one weekend a month of low-key service. In
the ensuing months, Delgado became dedicated to Buddhism and its
principles of pacifism. By April 2003, when he began his yearlong tour
in Iraq, he was openly questioning whether he could participate in the
war there in good conscience. Having grown up in Cairo, Delgado spoke
Arabic and had not been steeped in the racism that drove many of his
fellow soldiers. When he surrendered his rifle and declared himself a
conscientious objector in the middle of 2003, he was punished by his
officers and ostracized by his peers. [more] and[more]
Abdulla Webster, Sgt. First Class. Abdulla
Webster refused to deploy to Iraq citing religious beliefs and was
sentenced June 3rd, 2004 to 14 months confinement and given a
bad-conduct discharge. He is currently in a prison in Washington
State. He had 18 years of service before his decision to refuse
to deploy to Iraq. Webster says this was a war of aggression, its
rationale falsely stated.He believes it would now be best if US
troops withdrew from Iraq immediately. He was just months shy of
completing 20 years of his military service, and as a result of his
stand he has lost his military pension, and his freedom. Amnesty
International has adapted Mr. Webster as a Prisoner of
conscience. See a summary of the Amnesty case report [here].
Carl Webb, Texas Army National Guard. Carl
Webb, 38, is a member of the Texas Army National Guard and a U.S. army
veteran. In 2001 following a 7-year break in service, he enlisted in
the National Guard expecting to serve for only three years. His term of
service ends August 22, however, less than two months shy of the end of
his service completion he was informed that his term had been
involuntarily extended and he would be sent to Fort Hood for training
and deployed to Iraq in November. Webb is one of many reservists who is
being compelled to serve in the war in Iraq under the "stop-loss"
program.This policy is practically an
unofficial draft, Webb
said. It is conscription against a
persons will. Webb's
perspective
is that the war is unethical and illegal U.S.
aggression, he said. It is all about oil and
profits. Carl Webb expects to serve prison
time for following his conscience. Carl Webb's Homepage is [here]
Abdul Henderson, Lance Corporal, U.S. Marines.
Abdul Henderson has not attempted to separate himself from the U.S.
Marines, but has publicly stated in Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit
9/11that he will would refuse to return to fight in Iraq, where he has
already served a 2 month tour of duty. He saw combat and won the Marine
Corps Achievement Medal after trying to rescue British soldiers who
were trapped in an overturned vehicle. The Marine Corps is conducting a
preliminary inquiry into Henderson's appearance in Fahrenheit 9/11.
Marine spokesman Capt. Patrick Kerr says authorities need to decide
whether any action is warranted. "He made it very clear that he would
not follow orders," Kerr says. "We're trying to determine what, if
anything, he said or did was wrong" and what the punishment might be.
Henderson faces harsher penalties if he fails to report for a second
Iraq tour. [more]
Wilfredo Torres, Private, U.S. Army. When
Army Pvt. Wilfredo Torres, 19, of Rochester, N Y walked to the podium
at a Veterans Day antiwar rally in New York City on November 10th,
2002, he took important steps for the newest generation of GIs and
reservists. Wilfredo told an audience of about 200 vets from WW II,
Korea, Vietnam, and the first Gulf War, that he'd joined the Army to
serve his country and to learn a trade. However, after suffering severe
harassment by one drill instructor he went AWOL from Ft Benning, GA.
Back in Rochester with his family, Wilfredo did some reading and
thinking. "I decided that it would be wrong for our country to attack
Iraq on its own, without working as part of the United Nations. I'm no
expert, but I think that such an attack would undermine the UN and
lower America's standing in the world." he told this reporter.- More [here]