By Military Counseling Network, Connection e.V., and Courage to Resist. December 3, 2008

FRANKFURT, Germany - U.S. Army Specialist Andre' Shepherd applied for asylum in Germany Nov. 26, becoming the first Iraq War veteran to pursue refugee status in Europe.

After attending college and failing to find meaningful employment, Shepherd enlisted in the military early in 2004. The promises of financial security and international adventure easily trumped working at a fast food chain. He became an Apache airframe mechanic, hoping to someday qualify up to the role of helicopter pilot.

December 2, 2008 update: Tony has been transfered to the Ft. Sill stockade. Write him at: Anthony Michael Anderson, PO Box 305, Fort Sill OK 73503-5305. Thank you to our four dozen friends who donated over $2,200 for Tony's legal expenses, phone cards, and books for the coming year.

By Sarah Lazare, Courage to Resist for AlterNet. November 20, 2008

19 year-old Army private Tony Anderson was court martialed Monday and sentenced to 14 months of confinement and given a dishonorable discharge from the military for "desertion with intent to avoid hazardous duty" and "disobeying a lawful order." The young soldier refused to deploy to Iraq in July of this year on the grounds of conscientious objection to war.

"I know in my heart that it is wrong to willfully hurt or kill another human being. I simply cannot do it. I don't regret following my conscience," he said at his trial as he struggled to compose himself. "I know there must be consequences for my actions and I must accept this fact."

By Robin Long, prisoner of conscience. November 6, 2008

Dear President-elect Obama,

My name is Robin Long. I am currently serving a 15-month sentence at a Naval brig in California. I am locked up for refusing to participate in the invasion of the sovereign nation of Iraq, a military action I felt was wrong and an action condemned by most of the international community.

It was illegal and immoral.

My sentence also includes dishonorable discharge. I was no doubt made an example, because not only did I refuse to deploy by going AWOL but I spoke out. I spoke out about the atrocities that are going on over there and also the extensive web of lies the Bush administration told us and Congress, to go over there. I did all of this very openly while AWOL in Canada, where I was making a life for myself.

Courage to Resist. November 18, 2008 update

Daniel Sandate, a mentally ill US soldier, was deported from Canada and sentenced to 8 months in the stockade at the end of a brief court-martial at Ft. Carson, Colorado on Monday, November 17. His civilian lawyer, James Branum, describes this case below and asks that you consider making a donation to his legal defense.

"Trading uniforms - Two Fort Carson desertion trials shed light on the route from post to prison" by J. Adrian Stanley, Colorado Springs Independent. November 20, 2008

By Benjamin Lewis and Brandon Neely (photo right), AlterNet. November 11, 2008

On this day, Veteran's Day, we would like to express to the American public why we, veterans of the Global War on Terror, have chosen to refuse orders to reactivate into military service. We are direct witnesses to the horrors of this war, having experienced its atrocities at their source, and we have decided that we can no longer carry out these illegal and immoral policies.

November 9, 2008 update - Robert Weiss was released this morning from the military prison at Coleman Barracks in Mannheim, Germany. More info.

By the Military Counseling Network and Connection eV. May 14, 2008

VILSECK, Germany – U.S. Army conscientious objector Robert Weiss was sentenced to seven months confinement during a court martial Tuesday at Rose Barracks in Vilseck, Germany. Weiss pled guilty to charges of desertion and missing movement, which reduced the court martial's proceedings mostly to the sentencing phase.

In early December of 2007, Weiss learned his application to be classified a conscientious objector and receive an honorable discharge was denied.

Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist Project Director. November 14, 2008

www.couragetoresist.org/donate

I’m proud to report that we doubled the number of military objectors advised or directly supported since last year. To do this, our organizing collective has stepped up to the challenge in major ways, and we increased our staffing as well.

We’re now attempting to do this work in the context of an unprecedented economic meltdown that financially affects every one of us in some way. Even prior to that, we were competing with a historic presidential election campaign for your donation. With the election of Barack Obama, I know many hold out hope for a new foreign policy not based on brutal occupations, and while I count myself among the hopeful, I’m not holding my breath.

...to organize war resister support in your community

By Courage to Resist. November 7, 2008

Support networks are a vital part of the war resistance movement: providing political, emotional, and material support to military objectors and helping amplify their stories of resistance lays the foundation for a strong movement and ensures that resisters do not have to go it alone. Through collective aid and alliance, we can act directly to stop unjust war and occupation.

By Courage to Resist, November 7, 2008

On October 15, 2008, police attacked a peaceful gathering of Iraq Veterans Against the War and other demonstraters at Hofstra University in Long Island, the site of the presidential debate. Demonstrators were hoping to push the campaigns to address veterans' concerns about the war in Iraq and inadequate benefits for returning troops. They were met with with violence from police, who rode horses into the crowd, trampling two peaceful demonstrators, including Nick Morgan, an Iraq Veteran and IVAW member, who suffered a shattered cheek bone after being stepped on by a horse. 15 demonstrators were arrested, including 10 IVAW members, and they face arraignment on Monday, November 10th for "Disorderly Conduct." Sign this petition to show support for the Hempstead 15 and to call for an end to police repression of anti-war voices.

Marine Benjamin "Benji" Lewis served two tours in Iraq and was honorably discharged in 2007. Recently, he received notification that he was a candidate to be recalled to active duty. Two weeks ago at a Winter Soldier event in Portland, Oregon, Lewis publicly announced his intention to refuse reactivation from the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). This is an article he wrote about his experience in the Marines.

By Benjamin "Benji" Lewis for ZNet. November 5, 2008

An imperative exists within United States Marine Corps dogma that states it is necessary to win the 'hearts and minds' of the indigenous population. Though seemingly amicable, the rationale for this statement translates into control through direct influence. For the Corps, this is parallel rhetoric: to accomplish this goal it is first necessary to control the minds of the Marines that are chosen to execute this task, an indoctrination that goes to the very roots of American society.

By Courage to Resist. October 28, 2008

James Burmeister was serving in Baghdad when his humvee was caught in an IED explosion and he was hit in the face with shrapnel. Suffering from the physical and emotional wounds resulting from his injury, and his experiences working with "bait and kill" teams in Iraq, James went to Canada and was AWOL until earlier this year when he decided to return to the U.S., turn himself in, and move on with his life. On July 17, James was sentenced to six months in the stockade and a bad conduct discharge. James was released from the stockade today months early, we believe due at least in part to the public attention focused on this case.

By Courage to Resist. October 27, 2008

Marine Benjamin "Benji" Lewis served two tours in Iraq and was honorably discharged in 2007. Recently, he received notification that he was a candidate to be recalled to active duty. Last week at a Winter Soldier event in Portland, Oregon, Lewis publicly announced his intention to refuse reactivation from the Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR). Ten days before that event, Lewis spoke with Courage to Resist.

Part one. 18:20 min. (above). Part two. 12:01 min. (below)

By Sarah Lazare, Courage to Resist for AlterNet. October 23, 2008

"I believe war is the crime of our times," Blake Ivey, a specialist in the U.S. Army, said over the phone in a slow, deliberate voice.

Ivey, currently stationed in Fort Gordon, Ga., is publicly refusing to deploy to Afghanistan. The 21-year-old soldier filed for conscientious objector status in July but was ordered to deploy while his application was being processed. He is determined not to go, and as of our last phone call, was still actively serving on his base, weighing his options for refusal.

To read Blake Ivey's blog, go to: www.blakeivey.com/blog/

By Mark Jensen, UFPPC. October 22, 2008

A federal judge said Tuesday that Lt. Erhen Watada cannot be retried on the most serious charges against him, because he is protected by the U.S. Constitution's ban on double jeopardy, the Associated Press reported.[1]

Lt. Watada refused to deploy to Iraq in June 2006 on the grounds that the Iraq war is illegal, and his U.S. Army court-martial in February 2007 ended in a mistrial.

By Courage to Resist. October 8, 2008

When the Army recalled Iraq vet Brandon Neely from his Inactive Ready Reserve status to active duty, Bradon did not answer the call. Today he is president of the Houston chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War. Brandon declares, “I looked at my dad and told him right there I’m not going back.... I never thought in a million years that the government and the President would send troops into harms way for nothing.... I got on the Internet and came across the Courage to Resist website.”

Part one. 16:14 min. (above). Part two. 10:44 min. (below)