Saturday, September 23, 2006

"AWOL Solider Says He Wants To Come Home" (Jim Warren)

Lexington's Darrell Anderson says he would rather come home -- even if it means facing prison for deserting from the U.S. Army -- than continue a lonely and uncertain life in Canada.
As for those who brand him a coward, Anderson declares, "I'm a combat veteran; I've been to Baghdad and back. What have they done?" But Anderson insists he has no regrets about fleeing to Canada in January 2005 and publicly opposing the war in Iraq.
He said he's making plans now to return to the United States, turn himself in to a special processing unit at Fort Knox for soldiers absent without leave and accept whatever punishment he's given. That could mean a dishonorable discharge, jail time or both.
"I decided that I've got to go back and get this over with once and for all, instead of living in limbo up here forever," Anderson said by phone from Toronto.

Meanwhile, the post-traumatic stress symptoms that had plagued Anderson since his combat experiences in Iraq were getting worse. He said he got no treatment while he was in the Army. And, with little money and no Canadian health coverage, he couldn't afford private help.
"I had a few times where any kind of loud bang would just drop me to the ground," Anderson said. "But it was worst at night, when you would wake up thinking the place was blowing up or something. Sleep is the time you're supposed to relax, but for me the worst part of the day is going to sleep. Since I got back from Iraq, I don't think I've had a dream that wasn't a nightmare."
After considering everything -- including his deep homesickness -- coming home seemed the only real alternative, Anderson said.


The above is from Jim Warren's "AWOL soldier says he wants to come home" (Lexington Herald-Leader) and the latest on war resister Darrell Anderson. An AP article is all over, which is good, but the Warren article is what the AP cites. You can read the AP article by clicking here (Washington Post -- so it will be up for awhile). From that article (entitled "AWOL Soldier Plans to Return From Canada"):

This summer, Anderson was among a group of American military deserters visited by "peace mom" Cindy Sheehan, who was in Canada to support sanctuary for those fleeing the U.S. military.
[. . .]
After reviewing Anderson's record, the commander could order a less-than-honorable discharge or refer the case to a court-martial, which could impose a prison term and a dishonorable discharge, said Fort Knox spokeswoman Gini Sinclair.

For those not registered at the Post, you can click here (CBS) and read it without registration.

Ruth's Report just went up and covers Anderson (before today's news). This is the report she had ready for last Sunday but pulled because I was tired (from the 36 hours plus involved in the last edition for The Third Estate Sunday Edition plus several hours spent, Sunday night, fixing the links which had been "open" and knocked out sentences and whole paragraphs). It was ready on Thursday but delayed due to computer issues. Friday, with four entries posted, it wasn't going up. It is up now and I asked Ruth if there was anything she wanted to add before it is posted (as members know, Ruth's forever revising). No, she was happy with this one as it currently was. (And I didn't tell her Darrell Anderson was in today's news.)

Lloyd, Marcia and Carl have all written in wondering about the report as well Isaiah's contribution tomorrow. Ruth's up. Isaiah has been doing comics for the gina & krista round-robin (there will be a special Sunday edition as well) and intends to have something for this site. If he doesn't (he's already done a comic for for Friday's edition, Saturday's edition and will shortly work on one for Sunday's edition) have another one in him, we'll run an old one that posted badly (his second). Badly? Small. If that doesn't run this Sunday (due to his having a new one), it will run on a Sunday he needs off because I asked him to bring the original with him and we've scanned it Friday to fix it. (In it's original form here, the white space around it was too great, reducing the actual comic.) And remember that Kat's latest went up yesterday -- "Kat's Korner: 'Mommy, May I Pet With Danger?'".

Dona's reading over my shoulder and asks that it be noted the "open" links at The Third Estate Sunday Review were not Dallas' fault. We have no idea what happened but it happened. One piece was actually fine and not every link in those features with a problem resulted in lost sentences and paragraphs. (We thank Dallas for his help and there wouldn't be links without his help -- his help isn't limited to links.)

Martha passed on the topics for RadioNation with Laura Flanders (by signing up for e-mail alerts at Flanders' site which you can as well, no cost, no social security number asked for). An archived version of the two shows (Saturday and Sunday's) usually goes up Wednesday here.) It doesn't contain everything from both shows (you can't reduce six hours to one without losing some segments.) So you can listen to RadioNation with Laura Flanders live from seven to ten p.m. EST Saturday and Sunday online, over Air America Radio stations and on XM satellite radio:

What democracy do you impose with marines and bombs? What democracy makes it all but impossible to vote? We'll pick up Hugo Chavez's question and add a few of our own with Playwright, EVE ENSLER, whose new book "Insecure at Last" is about to hit the bookstores.
Voter suppression expert SPENCER OVERTON. And the director of OXFAM AMERICA: the aid group is repackaging itself to tackle poverty and hunger right here. All that and our media panel with top Nation writers and more.
Next weekend RadioNation will host the Youngblood Brass Band -- all nine of them for a drop-dead, knock out world music fest live in studio!

Lastly Rachel asked that this be noted:

CAT RADIO CAFE
Robert B. Silvers, editor of The New York Review of Books, discusses "The Company They Kept: Writers on Unforgettable Friendships," a volume edited by him and the late Barbara Epstein, his co-editor of over 40 years; writer Bibi Wein on her first work of creative non-fiction, "The Way Home: A Wilderness Journy."

Cat Radio Cafe, hosted by Janet Coleman (and I believe David Dozier -- Coleman and Dozier have had a long running working partnership and should be noted as the longest running comedy duo on public radio) airs on WBAI each Monday at 2:00 pm EST. You can listen over the airwaves in NYC, online live or online via archived broadcasts at either WBAI or the site Cat Radio Cafe.

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