Iraq veterans discuss war opposition in Ithaca

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http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/23564

Iraq veterans discuss war opposition in Ithaca
Submitted by davidswanson on Tue, 2007-06-12 14:05. Nonviolent Resistance

By Gannett News Service (thanks to http://charlotteaction.blogspot.com )

snip//

Phil and Eli, two other members of the chapter, joined Blake in recounting their journeys in the U.S. military and in the veterans' group. Phil and Eli are both currently enlisted in the Army and did not want their full names used. Some members of the military have experienced reprisals for speaking out against the war.

Both men are stationed at the Fort Drum army post in Watertown, where Phil said the group's fastest-growing chapter is based, having gained 10 members in the last two months.

Phil spoke at length about the situation that the U.S. has created in Iraq, where he said 655,000 people have been killed since the start of the war on terror. In addition, 4 million people have been displaced, be it internally or externally.

“Where do we go from here? Where do we start?” Phil asked.

The anti-war movement is fragmented, he said. It needs to unite, with a single, clear message that the war needs to end immediately.

“The day my boots hit that desert, I realized I had a serious conflict of guilt,” said Eli, who served from September 2003 to September 2004.

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