IRR Resister Declares Victory After Misconduct Hearing

[Hissyspit]

http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/701/1

IRR Resister declares victory after misconduct hearing

By Matthis Chiroux. April 22, 2009

Today (Apr. 21), I stood before the Army. I looked a board of officers in the eyes, and I told them I thought they were sending people off to participate in war crimes. And what did they say? Get out of here, Sergeant, and keep your damn G.I. Bill!

Indeed, folks! The Army awarded me a recommendation for a general discharge under honorable conditions from the Individual Ready Reserve for my refusal to deploy to Iraq last summer. This landmark decision means not only am I a free man, I’m free to continue school this fall with the “new” G.I. Bill that I earned while on active duty.

Though this discharge is identical to the one I refused in exchange for having this hearing, I can now rest easy knowing I never submitted, I never backed down and the Army has heard my story.

And not just my story, but the stories of those brave veterans at Winter Soldier and those who’ve participated in IVAW’s Warrior Writers’ program. Full texts of both books were submitted to the Army this morning, and I can only imagine the fun they’re having transcribing them into the record.

I testified, Marjorie Conn, the president of the National Lawyers’ Guild, testified, and my mother Patricia testified as to why my refusal to deploy was quite legitimate and not deserving of attack by the military.

Though Maj. Laws, the prosecution, did everything he could to keep my legal arguments from the ears of the board (he even prevented me from reading to them from my Constitution calling the document irrelevant), our voices were heard loud and clear by a board of gentlemen who’ve given me a new respect and hope for our nation and servicemembers world-wide.

The hearing, which lasted around four-and-a-half hours, cemented in my mind that not only is military resistance to our illegal occupations righteous, it is finding new breath amongst troops who are fed up with the status quo.

This all came after a provocative appearance this morning on the local Fox News Channel in which I wore a patriotic symbol of distress (an upside-down flag) on my uniform.

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[MineralMan]

1. Remarkable!

I hope this gets coverage nationally.

[gratuitous]

2. Oh, we can't afford national coverage of this

I mean, what would happen if every volunteer refused to cooperate with the country that has broken faith with its military? We'd be in a shit world of hurt if the country suddenly had to start treating its volunteers with humanity and compassion, because it might cut into the profits of the merchants of death. And we'd rather hand the nation over to Osama bin Laden than screw with Halliburton's bottom line.