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Protest and SurviveA Rochester, N.Y. Army Reserve officer faced charges for sticking up for his rights and the rights of his soldiers. Capt. Steve McAlpin, of the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion, faced a court-martial and demotion because he questioned a legal waiver that his unit was ordered to sign. The waiver allowed his unit to be deployed in a war zone for the third time since January 2002. The 401st went Afghanistan in early December.  McAlpin pointed out in a teleconference with a higher-up that the Army was probably violating federal law by not allowing members of the 401st a 12-month “stabilization period.” For sticking up for his men and trying to abide by federal law, he was charged with having a “negative attitude” toward the 401st and being “insubordinate towards the leadership of the unit”!
Capt. Brian Earey, a spokesman for the 401st, defended the brass’ decision to punish McAlpin saying, “There are only soldiers who meet the standards who can deploy. Some soldiers don’t make the grade. It’s like any team. You need to make cuts.” So instead of cutting the incompetent or the law-breaking commanders, they cut those who stand up for their soldiers! The brass decided to punish McAlpin – who has served in the military for 25 years and 12 of them on active-duty – because the military is becoming over-stretched and under manned. Instead of backing down, he got himself a lawyer and refused to back down. Shortly after, all charges against McAlpin were dropped and he was not punished. Thanks to McAlpin’s actions, 17 officers and enlisted soldiers from his unit decided not to sign the waiver and won’t be shipping out. The McAlpin case shows that protest works and that exercising your legal rights can pay off. It may save you from getting killed in combat. As McAlpin put it, “If an officer said to sign something, you signed it – that’s what I did as a kid. Now I’m a little older, a little wiser, and my mouth is a lot bigger.” F.T.A. in BaghdadBy Khury Petersen-Smith, Campus Antiwar Network delegation to Iraq I spoke with one group of Military Police, resting between dispatches. They were from the Missouri National Guard Reserve, and never expected to be deployed. Most of them were fathers with jobs and lives back home, and are just waiting to get out of Iraq. A couple had already done tours of duty in Germany and now were doing another in Iraq. I also spoke with some troops at the Green Zone, and they seemed tired and bored, and wanted to go home. I saw something interesting though. There were big barricades all around the entrance of the Green Zone, where many soldiers hang out and stand guard. Written on one of the barricades in permanent marker were the letters “FTA.” During the Vietnam War, “FTA,” which stands for “Fuck The Army,” was a slogan of resistance to the war inside the Army. 
Bush explains how to “win hearts and minds” in IraqAt a White House photo-op on October 27, President and Commander-in-Chief Bush outlined his plan to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people: “The vast majority of Iraqis want to live in a peaceful, free world. And we will find these people and we will bring them to justice.” Just like in Vietnam, Washington politicians and the brass talk a lot about “winning hearts and minds.” As if they were having a peaceful, reasoned dialogue with the Iraqis and not occupying their country, stealing their oil, and installing a puppet government! With geniuses like Bush at the helm, it’s no wonder the U.S. isn’t winning anything in Iraq – least of all the hearts and minds of Iraqis. Source: "President Bush, Ambassador Bremer Discuss Progress in Iraq Remarks by the President and Special Envoy to Iraq, Ambassador Bremer, in Photo Opportunity,"Office of the Press Secretary, October 27, 2003. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/10/20031027-1.html Page 4--> |
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