Resisting the Gulf War: a photo essay

All Photos: Ethan Vogt

On February 9-11, 2001, military war objectors from the Gulf War era gathered to reflect on their experiences. These soldiers and sailors said NO when confronted with the call to go to war against Iraq a decade ago.

The retreat was held at the Walker Center for Global Mission in Newton, MA. This historic event, which marked the tenth anniversary of the Gulf War, was sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee’s Youth and Militarism Program, based in Philadelphia. The gathering included twelve former members of the US Armed Forces who opposed the Gulf War based on their moral, religious, and ethical values as well as political convictions. They were joined by three persons who had played prominent support roles during that war.

Ten years ago many resisters were mistreated by the military. Most were incarcerated and received bad discharges. Amnesty International recognized thirty-two of them as “Prisoners of Conscience.” During the war, AFSC assisted young people from diverse backgrounds, including those who came to oppose the war for different reasons.

Most people are unaware of the struggles endured by ordinary men and women to preserve freedom, respect humanity, and create a more just social order. The three women and nine men discussed the impact of the personal, emotional, spiritual, and financial consequences related to their actions of conscience.

As they redefined honor, patriotism, and heroism, these and other war resisters faced the absurdity of imprisonment for refusing to kill other human beings. The former Navy, Marine, and Army service members shared anecdotes of their path to conscientious objection and opposition to war, trusting their ability to make a difference. The white, Asian-American, African-American, and Chicana/Latino war resisters had enlisted in the military under the pressures of economic conscription. Over the course of the three day retreat, the sacrifices, retributions, and lingering issues regarding their principled stands were explored.

The retreat was an intense and moving period of healing, observation, reflection, celebration, and statement of support and friendship.

“I came because I wanted to see friends. I wanted to find out what it meant to us, to the movement, to the country and talk about where we go from here …I want the experience to mean something to the upcoming generation.”

“Resistance was personal. As I focus on that moment of decision, I felt it was the best thing I ever did -- to stand for something.”

“I filed for status one year before I knew where Iraq was. I found my objection and held onto it strongly. It keeps coming up so I still have to do something, small and personal, but do something.”

Reflections on the future

“We have to change the face of the resister. We need to test assumptions about who objectors are and lift our role models.”

“Young people have to see their role in the community as something other than being around to pull the trigger of a gun.”

Sharing

“I started my CO process before the war started. I wrote my statement knowing the military could care less about my beliefs. I was facing the death penalty and my dad was carrying a sign that said 'free the Camp Lejeune hostages.' I cannot forget the Gulf War, but I moved on. My focus today is on my family and creating a non-violent center at home for my child. Family and prayer are very important to my life now.”

"I have talked to a few people who went to the Gulf and killed someone. They said they wished they’d done the same thing I did. I want to be remembered as someone who acted on something I believed in and took a stand."

“I thought the Marine Corps represented social justice and democracy …… People in the United States are AWOL from their conscience.”

Legacies

I want to be remembered by those coming after me as …

“Kindhearted. Someone who tried to do the right thing. Complex with contradictions, but guided by good intentions.”

“A kind, generous person whose view of the world questioned loyalty and freedom while taking a stand with a willingness to live with the consequences.”

“I stood up against injustice when it mattered, loved my wife, and proved certain stereotypes wrong.”

"For each of us, acknowledging and acting upon our beliefs remains the most profound experience of our lives.... Each of us, in our own way, continues to serve our country and our communities."

Supporting War Objectors

I almost never started my sessions with GIs by trying to define CO. Rather I asked about experiences inside the military. What was basic training like? What did you think it would be like when you were being recruited? What did a recruiter say to you? What I tried to get at was what experiences they had in the military that made them uncomfortable. Did they write or call a friend or loved one about it? What did they communicate to others? How hard was it for them to adapt to the military regimen?

What I learned is that most COs hold moral and political views. Developing a CO position while inside the military is different than as a civilian. Almost all of the self-declared military COs I had met came to that position in part out of conflict with the violence and dehumanization they had experienced in the military (the language, the weapons training, etc.) Yet it seemed so abstract to them until they were mobilized.

Harold Jordan, American Friends Service Committee

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