In This Issue Eye on Iraq 2005 Contents Your Product is Defective Dear Friends of CCCO Going Back is Not an Option Do Not Let Them Do It- Interview with Sue Niederer Julius Eichel: Opponent of War and Conscription in WWI and WWII "I Think We Can Convince These People We Are Here To Help Them" Free Us Before You Draft Us CCCO's Legacy of Peace Program OIF Vet & Author Tells It Like It Is Sign Here, Kid Proyecto Guerrero Azteca por La Paz The War is Over: Interview with a Conscientious Objector Profiles of OIF Conscientious Objectors and War Resisters

Profiles of Operation Iraqi Freedom Conscientious Objectors and War Resisters by Jim Harris Stephen Funk- Marine Corps Reserve The first conscientious objector imprisoned for refusing to fight in Operation Iraqi Freedom, anti-war hero Stephen Funk returned home from six months in a North Carolina military prison to a community celebration in Oakland, California on March 14, 2004. The event was announced on the front page of the local news section of the San Francisco Chronicle and was covered by most Bay Area television stations, Democracy Now!, and many others. A dozen progressive organizations presented Stephen with an “Anti-War Hero” plaque in recognition for his courageous stand against an unjust war. In a significant victory, a military jury acquitted Marine Stephen Funk, Iraq War resister, of "desertion" on September 6, 2003. However, they then convicted him of the lesser charge of "unauthorized absence" (aka AWOL). The jury later sentenced him to six months imprisonment. Abdul Henderson- Marine Corps Abdul Henderson has not attempted to separate himself from the U.S. Marines, but has publicly stated in Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11 that he would refuse to return to fight in Iraq, where he has already served a 2 month tour of duty. He saw combat and won the Marine Corps Achievement Medal after trying to rescue British soldiers who were trapped in an overturned vehicle. The Marine Corps is conducting a preliminary inquiry into Henderson's appearance in Fahrenheit 911. Marine spokesman Capt. Patrick Kerr says authorities need to decide whether any action is warranted. "He made it very clear that he would not follow orders," Kerr says. "We're trying to determine what, if anything, he said or did was wrong" and what the punishment might be. Henderson faces harsher penalties if he fails to report for a second Iraq tour. "Technically, he'd be a deserter," Kerr says. Punishment could range from an administrative discharge to a court-martial, which could land Henderson in a military prison for up to a year, Kerr says. Jeremy Hinzman- Army Jeremy Hinzman was a United States soldier in the elite infantry division, the 82nd Airborne. He served in Afghanistan and after returning to the States, heard they were being sent to Iraq. Hinzman thought the war would only benefit the likes of the Vice President’s old company Halliburton, which gained the lions share of post-war rebuilding contracts. He also didn’t believe the stated reasons for the Iraq war. So, one night he drove north to Canada to seek asylum. He is currently living in Vancouver with his wife Nga Nguyen and daughter Liam. His case is in Canadian courts, as he seeks refugee status. For updates on Jeremy Hinzman see http://www.jeremyhinzman.net Brandon Hughey- Army Brandon Hughey has also fled the United States and is in Canada seeking refugee status. Hughey, a San Angelo, Texas native and 2003 Central High School graduate, fled his Army unit before it shipped out to Iraq in March. It was, he says, his obligation to leave. "I feel that if a soldier is given an order that he knows to not only be illegal, but immoral as well, then it is his responsibility to refuse that order," he wrote in response to e-mailed questions from the San Angelo Standard-Times. "It is also my belief that if a soldier is refusing an order he knows to be wrong, it is not right for him to face persecution for it." "If you were given an order to participate in an unlawful occupation that is resulting in the deaths of thousands of innocent people with no justifiable cause, would you be able to live with yourself if you carried out that order?" he wrote in his e-mail to the Standard-Times. For updates on Brandon Hughey see http://www.brandonhughey.org Camilo Mejia- Army On Friday, 21 May 2004, US Army National Guard staff sergeant Camilo Mejia was sentenced to one year in prison, reduction in rank to E-1, forfeiture of 2/3 pay for one year, and a bad conduct discharge, by a special court martial at Fort Steward. Camilo Mejia had been charged with desertion, although he applied for conscientious objector status. Camilo Mejia went into hiding after returning from duty in Iraq for rest and recreation, to prepare his conscientious objection application. This application has since been denied. Ironically, just days after the sentencing of Camilo Mejia to one year for refusing to return to Iraq to kill and torture other humans, Jeremy Sivits received a similar sentence for his part in the mistreatment of Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison. Camilo is currently being held at Fort Sill military prison, in Oklahoma, imprisoned for his conscientious objection to participating in war. For updates on Camilo Mejia see http://www.freecamilo.org For a larger list of US soldiers resisting war go to http://www.tomjoad.org

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