First soldier to quit Iraq war

“I don’t think we’re fighting terror in Iraq. The justification for this war is money, and no soldier should go to Iraq and give his life for oil. … My commanders are not evil but this war is evil. I did not sign up for the military to go halfway around the world to be an instrument of oppression. … When I saw with my own eyes what war can do to people, a real change began to take place within me. I have witnessed the suffering of a people whose country is in ruins and who are further humiliated by the raids, patrols and curfews of an occupying army. My experience of this war has changed me forever.”

These are the words of Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejía of the Florida National Guard. He had enough of the war in Iraq. He decided to defy orders to go back. He is going to go on trial for desertion.

His mother, Maritza Castillo, wrote the letter below, asking that he not face the enemy alone. The enemy is this Imperial war government, which intends to send him to prison for refusing to be complicit in their deadly greed for Iraqi oil.

As journalist Christian Parenti has pointed out, so far this war has produced only a few AWOL convictions and one high-profile asylum case in Canada. Pfc. Jeremy Hinzman of the 82nd Airborne is seeking refuge north of the border on the grounds that he is a conscientious objector. Marine Reserve Lance Cpl. Stephen Funk also went AWOL and claimed conscientious objector status this past April. Funk was convicted of being away without leave, demoted, forfeited two-thirds of his pay, received a bad-conduct discharge and sent to the brig for six months.

Most recently, Brandon David Hughey, a private in the Army stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas, was successfully smuggled over the Canadian border by war resisters who have organized a new underground railroad. He will not be the last. He also sees the war in Iraq for what it is: an attempt at Imperial conquest, one of the worst causes in which soldiers can fight.

Individual soldiers are saying no, one way or another. With no publicity or organizational support, more are simply walking away. This is how it starts. The initial stages of resistance tend to be individual. The really effective action builds more slowly until soldiers begin to act together to stop a war.

What does that look like?

In October, 1971, riflemen of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division at Firebase Pace made a decision together and acted together.

Ordered to set up a night ambush four hundred yards from their base, sixty-five men, including nine sergeants, out of a total force of one hundred ten, signed a petition saying they would face court-martial rather than obey. Actions like this brought the Vietnam war to a halt.

Help defend Sgt. Mejia. His mother’s letter explains how you can do that:

My name is Maritza Castillo and I'm an active member of Military Family Speak Out (MFSO). I'm also the mother of Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia.

On March 24, 2004, Louis Font, my son's lawyer informed me about the charges that my son is being accused of. This is what he told me: “Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia, 28, of Miami, Florida was charged by his commanders at Ft. Stewart, Georgia with desertion on Wednesday, March 24, 2004. He will be tried by a Special Court Martial, which means that the maximum sentence he can receive is one year imprisonment and a Bad Conduct Discharge.”

I've also learned that army officials have restricted Camilo to Ft. Stewart and have barred him from conducting face to face interviews on the base with the media. Louis Font, his civilian attorney, plans to challenge this "gag" order, arguing that my son's rights to free speech are being abridged.

President Bush does not give any explanation about the weapons of mass destruction that have not been found and for which he invaded and bombarded the people of Iraq and sent our young soldiers to die in this illegal and immoral war. Instead he makes a mockery about the reasons he's had to spend the money of the American people in this bellicose adventure. When he is asked about the weapons of mass destruction and the chemical weapons, he responds with vulgar gestures.

It is in this context that the army ignores the conscientious objection application that my son Camilo submitted to this institution. Instead they accuse him of desertion.

I'm addressing the people of the United States of America, the Hispanic Community and the world to express my deepest sorrow and indignation about the injustice that is being made against my son. I want to ask you to continue giving him your support. Please write letters to Camilo expressing your support towards his cause. Send letters to the Army Officials and to the Congress of the United States demanding that his conscientious objection application be accepted.

Camilo's Address:
Ssg. Mejia Camilo
A Company USAG MED-HOLD 865
Hase Road,
Ft. Stewart, GA 31315

Commanding General, Fort Stewart's Address:
Major General William G. Webster, Jr. Commanding General, Fort Stewart,
42 Wayne Place,
Ft Stewart GA 3131

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