One way to end the wars is if the troops refuse to go

[annm4peace]

10. from one of the 1st of the Iraq War Resisters. Army Staff Sergeants Camilo Mejia

"I say without any pride that I did my job as a soldier. I commanded an infantry squad in combat and we never failed to accomplish our mission. But those who called me a coward, without knowing it, are also right. I was a coward not for leaving the war, but for having been a part of it in the first place. Refusing and resisting this war was my moral duty, a moral duty that called me to take a principled action. I failed to fulfill my moral duty as a human being and instead I chose to fulfill my duty as a soldier. All because I was afraid. I was terrified, I did not want to stand up to the government and the army, I was afraid of punishment and humiliation. I went to war because at the moment I was a coward, and for that I apologize to my soldiers for not being the type of leader I should have been."

Mejía is interviewed in "The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends (2006)", a documentary about the training and dehumanization of U.S. soldiers, and how they struggle to come to terms with it when they come back home. A quote from him in the movie:

"To the troops, I want to say that there is a way out. We signed a contract, and we swore to protect the constitution and to fight for freedom and democracy, but that's not what we're doing in Iraq. And if it means jail, or if it means disgrace or shame, then that's what it's going to take.... There is no higher freedom that can be achieved than the freedom we achieve when we follow our conscience, and that's something that we can live by and never regret."