Father of Army Officer Resisting War Speaks Out

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.berkeleydaily.org/text/article.cfm?issue=08-22-06&storyID=24908

When Ehren Watada signed up for the army, he thought he was being patriotic. But after talking to veterans returning from Iraq and studying documents that showed Bush had lied about weapons of mass destruction there, the 28-year-old lieutenant became convinced that the patriotic position was to refuse deployment to Iraq.

When the twin towers fell, he was studying at the university and working at Federal Express. “The media was telling us that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that Saddam Hussein was a tyrant,” Watada said. “There was a build up of fear and paranoia.”

Ehren Watada joined the military in 2003. snip

An artillery officer stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash., he was told, however, that he would have to wait for a year to be deployed. During that time the lieutenant began talking to veterans returning from Iraq and reading documents such as the Downing Street memos and reports about the tens of thousands of Iraqis the Americans had killed.

He also learned about the brutality the United States inflicted on the people of Felluja and the torture committed by his fellow soldiers. He began to see “how Bush had lied and violated the constitution,” Watada said.

[Peace Patriot]

1. Such courage and real patriotism! Thank you, Ehren Watada! And thank

you, Ehren Watada's father!