IVAW member André Shepherd has applied for political asylum in Germany. Shepherd, a 31-year-old Army helicopter mechanic from Ohio, served for six months in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. While serving in Germany in the spring of 2007, Shepherd received orders to redeploy to Iraq. Instead, he chose to go into hiding.

Shepherd submitted his petition for asylum based on Germany's opposition to the illegal war in Iraq. "If I carried out my orders, it would make me a criminal. But I swore my oath on the American Constitution, which prohibits wars of aggression of any nature, such as the one in Iraq,"

After 19 months living with friends and supporters, Shepherd is now being held at a detention center in Giessen, Germany while he waits for a decision on his asylum application.

Media coverage of André Shepherd's case:
US Soldier Seeks Political Asylum in Germany Der Spiegel
US army deserter applies for asylum in Germany Army Times

Seven members from IVAW's LA Chapter staged an early morning action on October 11th, placing 4,200 miniature soldiers around a gas station along with posters declaring "The Price of Gas: 4171 US SOLDIERS" (since the action, the number of US soldiers has climbed to 4,193). Participants in the Operation W.A.N.T. (We Are Not Toys) said their goal was to show average Americans what 4,171 US Soldiers looks like and to connect the deaths of US troops to this country's dependence on foreign oil. Read more for a photo gallery of this action