To the Editor:
On Monday, February 5, the trial of Lt. Ehren Watada will begin in Fort Lewis, Washington.
Lt. Watada, a 28-year-old from Hawaii, faces up to six years in prison if convicted, but he will not be allowed to incorporate into his defense the motives that led him to act. His crime?
Refusing to fight in the Iraq War.
After working his way through college and graduating magna cum laude, Watada enlisted in the Army in 2003 and was stationed in Korea from 2004 to 2005. He received high praise from his superiors, who cited his “unlimited potential” and “exemplary” conduct in his evaluations as evidence of undeniable leadership ability.
Watada’s mother Carolyn Ho, who spoke at UB in December via video-conference, explained that Watada was given the choice between staying in Korea and preparing for deployment to Iraq. Watada chose the latter and began studying the history and background of the war. The process of examining the justifications for the U.S. attack on Iraq led Watada to an unexpected realization; he could not agree with the war. He became the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to Iraq.
In the months leading up to his court martial, Lt. Watada has attracted worldwide attention, particularly for his speech at a Veterans for Peace conference on August 12, 2006.
Speaking with eloquence and demonstrating the obvious leadership qualities for which he has been commended, Watada explained his rationale for refusing deployment. “Duty to the Constitution and the people,” he said, “supersedes the ideologies of (military) leadership… resisting an authoritarian government at home is equally important to fighting a foreign aggressor on the battlefield.” Watada continued, “This is a war not out of self-defense but by choice, for profit and imperialistic domination…The soldier must know that our narrowly and questionably elected officials intentionally manipulated the evidence presented to Congress, the public, and the world to make the case for war.” Lt. Watada’s full speech, as well as additional information about his story and national actions supporting his cause, can be found at www.thankyoult.org .
During a pre-trial hearing on January 16, the judge declared that Lt. Watada could not discuss his objections to the war, or his motives for refusing deployment, in the February 5 court martial. This decision betrays the military’s awareness of the consequences of putting the war on trial; furthermore, it contradicts the original purpose of the military court martial itself – to provide a forum for the airing of grievances within the armed forces. For his public speeches Watada was charged with conduct unbecoming of an officer in addition to missing troop movement. During pre-trial hearings, even the judge noted the irony in this additional charge – it actually allows the jury to consider Watada’s motives despite the military’s insistence on disregarding them.
“I have broken no law but the code of silence and unquestioning loyalty,” Watada said near the end of his August 12 speech. “If I am guilty of any crime, it is that I learned too much and cared too deeply for the meaningless loss of my fellow soldiers and my fellow human beings.” Lt. Watada’s supporters have been tireless in generating awareness for his cause; the court recently postponed the testimony of four anti-war journalists, to whom it had issued highly controversial subpoenas, after tremendous public outrage. Watada’s story has struck a chord with thousands who believe, as Watada’s mother Carolyn Ho put it, “even one day is too long (a sentence) when he hasn’t done anything wrong.”
By the time this goes to print, the trial will have begun. On its own this may seem to be a small event with little impact on American history, but Lt. Watada represents the collective voice of thousands of servicemen and women who oppose the war in Iraq but have been silenced by legal repercussions and fear of rejection in society. Perhaps it’s time to consider an expanded definition of “supporting the troops.” Lt. Watada said, “If we want soldiers to choose the right but difficult path, they must know beyond any shadow of a doubt that they will be supported by Americans.” Without knowing the outcome, I can only say that on Monday I and many of my friends and fellow Americans against the war will wear a black armband – the universal symbol of war resistance – to show our support for this inspiring and courageous young man.
-Julia Burke
