Support Your Local Hero

On June 22, Lieutenant Ehren Watada of the U.S. Army became the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to Iraq. "As the order to take part in an illegal act is ultimately unlawful as well," he stated, "I must refuse that order."

Last week, Lt. Watada spoke at the Veterans for Peace National Convention. His message was profound. He related his action to similar acts during the Vietnam War, but he emphasized one important difference, and in doing so, challenged us all to put our own actions where our declared convictions are.

"Today, I speak with you about a radical idea. It is one born from the very concept of the American soldier (or service member). It became instrumental in ending the Vietnam War - but it has been long since forgotten. The idea is this: that to stop an illegal and unjust war, the soldiers can choose to stop fighting it."

He spoke about the circumstances in which refusal would be appropriate, and the nature of their convictions. "They must know that resisting an authoritarian government at home is equally important to fighting a foreign aggressor on the battlefield." He said they must be willing to endure not only punishment but ostracism by their peers and the worry over what it might do to their families.

But handling the consequences for themselves is one thing. There's only so much outsiders can do, though they must do those things--keep the military on notice that they're watching, make sure the soldier has the moral support of a new community even if other communities withdraw theirs. But the price families may have to pay is something else, and something that supporters need to act on. That's why Lt. Watada said this:

"Finally, those wearing the uniform must know beyond any shadow of a doubt that by refusing immoral and illegal orders they will be supported by the people not with mere words but by action."

The first task is a familiar one--awareness. "If we want soldiers to choose the right but difficult path - they must know beyond any shadow of a doubt that they will be supported by Americans," he said. "To support the troops who resist, you must make your voices heard. If they see thousands supporting me, they will know. I have heard your support, as has Suzanne Swift, and Ricky Clousing - but many others have not. Increasingly, more soldiers are questioning what they are being asked to do. Yet, the majority lack awareness to the truth that is buried beneath the headlines. Many more see no alternative but to obey. We must show open-minded soldiers a choice and we must give them courage to act."

But there is another practical consideration that may be different now. Vietnam had draftees and middle class kids who either weren't married or had the parental backup to take care of their spouses and families. It was also a more generally prosperous era. All that has changed. Soldiers today are more likely to be married and have children, and since they are predominately from lower income backgrounds if not outright poor, their families are at risk in the best of times. Having a soldier spouse--a father or mother--in prison and in litigation indefinitely is not the best of times.

In fact, for many, Lt. Watada said: "The choices are to fight in Iraq or let your family starve. Many soldiers don't refuse this war en mass because, like all of us,, they value their families over their own lives and perhaps their conscience. Who would willingly spend years in prison for principle and morality while denying their family sustenance?

I tell this to you because you must know that to stop this war, for the soldiers to stop fighting it, they must have the unconditional support of the people. I have seen this support with my own eyes. For me it was a leap of faith. For other soldiers, they do not have that luxury. They must know it and you must show it to them. Convince them that no matter how long they sit in prison, no matter how long this country takes to right itself, their families will have a roof over their heads, food in their stomachs, opportunities and education. This is a daunting task. It requires the sacrifice of all of us. Why must Canadians feed and house our fellow Americans who have chosen to do the right thing? We should be the ones taking care of our own."

This is Lt. Watada's challenge to his fellow Americans. He did what we ask of him and other soldiers. We ask them not to be the Universal Soldiers, for without them all this killing can't go on. What are we going to do, when they answer our call? 'Support the troops' just took on a whole new meaning.

These are not the only local heroes who need support. "Local" means what it says--people in your community, your neck of the woods. But it also means, not everybody may know about it. It's not necessarily on the news. You have to be alert to even see it, and then you must decide what heroism is.

Here's one kind of example. Douglas Giles, according to Henry Porter in the Guardian, used to teach a class on world religions at Roosevelt University, Chicago, founded in memory of FDR and his liberal-inclined wife, Eleanor. Last year, Giles was ordered by his head of department, art historian Susan Weininger, not to allow students to ask questions about Palestine and Israel; in fact, nothing was to be mentioned in class, textbooks and examinations that could possibly open Judaism to criticism.

But one student did ask a question, and Giles allowed the discussion. He was fired. This is not an isolated case, and it transcends subject matter. There are web sites standing in for the Red Channels blacklist of the 50s, who bully schools into restricting free speech or even free inquiry, as if the very mention of entire peoples or topics is heresy.

It's been my experience that certain well-worn issues get predictable support, partly because they are familiar, and mostly because they are safe. For example, if censorship is attempted to restrict dirty words or sexual content, everybody automatically rallies around the victim--at least in most academic communities and urban settings. In the past year or so, people in smaller communities in PA and Kansas have started standing up for the integrity of science teaching, against those with a political agenda masked as religion. But anything to do with the Middle East, Islam and terrorism is still pretty scary. That's why local heroes like Douglas Giles need conscious and proactive support.