Kyle Snyder remains AWOL, continues to speak out against the war
Kyle Snyder, Iraq veteran and war resister, remains AWOL after returning last week from Canada and attempting to be discharged from the Army.
At the risk of arrest, he is speaking out bravely on behalf of war resisters and active duty GI's. Kyle has been speaking to the media, in public forums, to university students, to military age youth and even to those in the military.
"When I joined the Army I took an oath to defend the U.S. Constitution, and that is what I am doing. By refusing to fight in an illegal war, I am obeying international laws," Snyder explains.
His former unit, the 94th Engineers, now based at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, is slated to return to Iraq in January for the 3rd time. The Army wants Kyle to return to that unit, and will not say what they will do when he does. Military authorities at Ft. Leonard Wood have not yet returned calls from Snyder's attorney, Jim Fennerty, of Chicago.
Call Ft. Leonard Wood Fort Leonard Wood Office of the Commanding General Major General William McCoy, Jr., 573-596-0131 and the Public Affairs Office, 573-563-4013 email: alleym@wood.army.mil
Demand that the Army "Discharge Kyle Snyder with No Punishment"
It is clear that the vast majority of Americans want the war to end and the troops to come home. This is the moment to give our full support to Kyle Snyder and all war resisters.
Send your words of encouragement and support to Kyle Snyder at: supportkyle@couragetoresist.org
Donations are still urgently needed for Kyle's legal and political defense!
For updated action alerts, information, and to donate visit:www.CouragetoResist.org/kylesnyder
The above is from an e-mail sent out by Courage to Resist that Brenda has noted. Meanwhile, Skip notes John Catalinotto's "More than 1000 GIs sign anti-war petition" (Australia's Green Left Weekly):
Asimple petition initiated by rank-and-file US service members has caught on and begun to attract a mass sentiment of GI opposition to the continued US occupation of Iraq.
Starting around October 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 October 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 organisation was working on a way to validate all the signatures. David Cortright, a veteran organiser and author of the book Soldiers in Revolt, told the October 28 Biloxi Sun Herald when the count had gone over 700 that they were being validated by hand, and that less than 10% "looked fishy". 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 US troops to come home."
The statement stops short of exposing US aggressive aims or the war crimes committed in Iraq, unlike the statements made by active-duty military resisters like Stephen Funk, Abdullah Webster, Camilo Mejia, 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.
That's Appeal for Redress (more information by using the link).
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
kyle snyder
