More than 1,000 GIs sign anti-war petition

A simple petition initiated by rank-and-file U.S. service members has caught on and begun to attract a mass sentiment of GI opposition to the continued U.S. occupation of Iraq.

Starting around Oct. 24, an announcement that 65 GIs had signed the petition—promoted by the group Appeal for Redress—was picked up by the corporate media. By Oct. 30, the number of signers, “including active-duty and inactive-duty troops,” had grown to “over 1,000,” according to an Appeal for Redress volunteer who preferred anonymity.

The organization was working on a way to validate all the signatures. David Cortright, a veteran organizer and author of the book “Soldiers in Revolt,” told the Biloxi Sun Herald when the count had gone over 700 that they were being validated by hand, and that less than 10 percent “looked fishy” (Oct. 28). Cortright’s book had inspired one of the GIs who started the petition.

The appeal itself is moderate, even patriotic in tone, but the top Pentagon officers who depend on unthinking obedience from their privates and sailors are sure to see it as a challenge to their chain of command. It reads:

“As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq. Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home.”

The statement stops short of exposing U.S. aggressive aims or the war crimes committed in Iraq, as did the statements made by active-duty military resisters like Stephen Funk, Abdullah Webster, Camilo Mejía, Pablo Paredes, Jeremy Hinzman and Kevin Benderman. But for the many GIs who are not ready to take such a heroic position, the statement offers an opportunity to take the first active step in opposing the occupation and protecting their own lives.

In addition, it is legal for active duty troops to take such a stand. The Military Whistleblower Protection Act (Department of Defense directive 7050.6) guarantees the right of active-duty military, National Guard and reservists to send a protected communication to a member of Congress regarding any subject without reprisal. Of course, people in the U.S. armed services can be subject to extralegal punishment. But knowledge that an act is legal on paper provides support and encouragement for those who wish to take their first stand.

That the appeal made shivers run up the spine of Pentagon officers and die-hard right-wingers could be seen when Fox News attacked it as being maneuvered by activist groups. Their real fear is that such an appeal will spread quickly through the armed forces and create a climate in which more decisive action can receive support.

According to a report in online alternative news The Raw Story, three active-duty servicemen (one speaking anonymously) held a press conference Oct. 25 to discuss this appeal. A retired military lawyer accompanied them.

“Many of us—who have to follow orders and took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies both foreign and domestic—[also] have reservations about the orders. And,” concluded Jonathan Hutto, a Navy seaman based in Norfolk, Virginia, “at this point some of us feel compelled to let our reservations be known and that the occupation should come to an end right now.” (www.rawstory.com, Oct. 25)

The current plan is to present the signatures collected to Congress on Martin Luther King Day in mid-January.

Catalinotto was a civilian organizer with the American Servicemen’s Union, an anti-war GI group, from 1967 to 1971.

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