Lt. Watada speaks out in Olympia

author : Janine Gates topic : Ehren Watada | Iraq occupation

by Janine Gates

"I swore no oath to the Commander-in-Chief, but to the Constitution," said Lt. Ehren Watada, a Fort Lewis, Washington commissioned officer, who is facing court-martial and a possible four year prison sentence for refusing to go to Iraq.

Watada spoke before a crowd of several hundred in Olympia at South Puget Sound Community College Wednesday night. Most were sympathetic with his cause and interrupted Lt. Watada several times, often with a standing ovation, during his nearly two hour speech.

Watada, dressed in plain clothes, spoke calmly and evenly. He admitted that soldiers not performing their duties during wartime will lead to the degradation of the armed forces. "That's why," Watada, said, " . . . it must be a just war."

The US government refuses to document Iraqi civilians deaths, but it is estimated that over 650,000 have died. It is reported that 1.8 million refugees have fled Iraq, mostly into nearby Syria. "Unemployment within Iraq is at 70%. Eighty percent of commissioned officers have gotten divorced since the Iraq War started, and reconstruction efforts have failed," Watada said.

"I don't have to be a general or a PhD, or 'stay within my pay range' to speak out," Watada said. "In a democracy, everyone is a politician. Who is acting on our behalf (the enlisted)? Who is speaking for us? Is it any wonder I have stood up?" Watada asked the audience.

"I am not against war, but I am against a war that supports corporate interests. When I joined the military three and a half years ago, I did not join to be an agitator. We have all been deceived over the war. Fifty percent of Americans feel that there are still weapons of mass destruction. Seventy four percent of service members believe Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9-11," Watada said.

"People are more interested in American Idol and Fantasy Football -- don't get me wrong. Sometimes I would rather be somewhere else than bringing awareness of what is going on," Watada admitted.

"Yes, I have broken rank. I have not been a good lieutenant. But my life does not matter . . . We are expanding terrorism, not stemming it . . . . I think I know why my fellow soldiers have died. For me, for you, to ensure this does not happen again."

"In Congress, 536 people will decide our future. Will they do so in a vacuum, or as our servants? What kind of democracy are we living in where voting machines are made by companies that have ties to politicians?"

"Here we sit today, a sick déjà vu . . . Iraq is Vietnam . . . Terrorism is a new communism. It is one thing to end a war, it's another thing to make sure it never happens again. You have the power to fulfill your obligation to each other. In the end, I have tried." Watada said.

During the question and answer period, someone asked, simply, "What specifically can we do to stop the war in Iraq?" "Knowledge," Watada responded. "We need to build a mass movement of people who know what is going on. We need to show up, we need to protest, we need to do things we don't feel comfortable doing. For each of us, we have to do what is right to each of us. Do what is right, regardless of the consequences."

Asked, "If you don't believe in the war, why did you join the Army?" Watada responded, "I believed the Administration three and a half years ago. [President Bush] played upon our fear and our ignorance. It was only when I found out the facts that by staying in the Army, I realized I was in violation of my oath . . . I joined the Army to defend my country and I am doing that today."

Watada, considered a coward by some, said he twice offered to go Afghanistan. He was told that "if we let you go there, then that would be an admission that something was wrong with Iraq."

"It's not that I was scared to go, or that I am a conscientious objector. When they offered me a safe position behind a desk, I said no," Watada explained. "When you look back, we will see the rampant criminality of this administration."

Lt. Watada's court martial will begin on Monday, February 5 at Ft. Lewis and it is open to the public. Carpools and buses will be organized by supporters. For more information, contact the Western Washington Veterans for Peace at http://www.vfp92.org or http://www.thankyoult.org .

Janine Gates, a freelance writer and photographer, can be reached through her website at http://www.janinegatesphotography.com .