Life of a Resister

What does Resistance look like?

There are many ways that members of the military are resisting from within, and it ranges widely.  Also, there are many things that civilian allies can help with – lend a vet some great reading material, give him/her a space to speak out safely and help the resistance movement! 

 Here are some examples of resistance:

  • Internally questioning, whether it be of the war, politics in general or specific orders.  All resistance begins within!
  • Reading anti-war literature
  • Signing the Appeal for Redress, where service members can appeal to their elected representatives to end the war : www.appealforredress.org
  • Becoming a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War: www.ivaw.org
  • Going to a civilian anti-war demonstration
  • Speaking out!  Starting a blog, speaking at events, speaking to the press. 
  • Organizing events around bases
  • Refusing orders to deploy
  • “Search and avoid” missions:  this is named after the Vietnam era “search and destroy” missions; this means that service members will ignore their mission and try not to get into conflict while in a conflict zone.
  • Going AWOL (Absent without official leave)
  • Going to Canada
  • Refusing orders while in a combat zone
  • “Fragging” an officer: this was a Vietnam era term for the killing of ones superior officers.  (The Peace Center does not condone of this, or the use of violence.)

 

What does a War Resister face?
Military members take a big risk when they start resisting and yet more and more are stepping forward and speaking out at great risk to themselves and their future prospects.  What can happen to them?

  • Harassment from both their colleagues and superior officers.  This is illegal but very widespread.
  • Non-judicial punishment or “article 32”: your unit punishes you without a full court hearing or lawyers involved.  You can receive:

                  Loss of pay
                  Reduction in rank
                  Being put in restriction – basically you can only go to work and to your home and are strictly supervised. 
                 Administrative separation – dismisses you from the military.

  • Court martial – this is a hearing and you have a lawyer.
  • You can receive all of the same punishments as the non-judicial punishment, but also can receive a dishonorable discharge.  That means you can lose your benefits as well.

Repercussions really vary from unit to unit as well as between the different branches of the military. 

As you can see, military personnel put a lot on the line to speak out about illegal and immoral actions but more and more are doing so every day.  The support of civilian allies is crucially important to provide a safe space for speaking out and alleviating harsh repercussions. 

How can you help?  Get involved in the Peace Center's GI Resistance campaign!  Fill our our volunteer survey or contact us at info@washingtonpeacecenter.net or 202-234-2000.