Spring Break
Jamail promotes his new book
Joseph Adinolfi
Issue date: 9/21/09 Section: News
First Lieutenant Aaron Mutada of the U.S. Army was faithful to his military oath.
So faithful, in fact, that he defended the Constitution, not against any threat posed by a foreign enemy, but against a more insidious one - from within our own government.
"The highest-ranking person to date to refuse combat deployment to Iraq didn't go to jail and didn't go to Iraq," said Dahr Jamail, who spoke Sunday night at the Dodd Center as part of a speaking tour to promote his new book "The Will to Resist: Soldiers who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Jamail has won acclaim worldwide for his extensive accomplishments as an independent journalist, most notably for writing pieces that exposed the startling realities of the nascent war in Iraq. He is trying to spread the word about resistance to the war stemming directly from the enlisted soldiers.
"He's trying to bring to attention that issue and encourage everyday Americans to resist the war in their own way," said David Haseltine, a 7th-semester political science major and the Public Affairs Director for WHUS.
"'The Will to Resist' goes where the silence is," said Dori Smith, a producer at WHUS who interviewed Jamail for the radio station back in December of 2007.
At the podium, Jamail touched upon several subjects, ranging from his early work in Iraq to the topic of his most recent book.
"We're in the midst of a total breakdown of the U.S. military," said Jamail.
Throughout the hour or so that he spoke, Jamail unleashed some jarring statistics on the audience.
Jamail cited the fact that an average of 18 U.S veterans commit suicide every day, and that more than 12 percent of the troops on active duty in Iraq take some form of prescription medication - including muscle relaxants and sleep aids - to help them deal with stress.
He also spoke about the backlogged department of Veteran's Affairs which, according to Jamail, takes at least six months to process veterans' health care claims.
"It's not news in the military that people are coming back home and being tossed aside," said Jamail.
Jamail also detailed what he referred to as "Search and Avoid" missions, incidences of internal military resistance to the war that involve defrauding Army satellite monitors so that Humvees out on patrol missions can remain safely in one place.
Despite his critical message, Jamail made it clear that he supported the troops - but especially those brave enough to honor their convictions and stand up against a war that is continuing in violation of both domestic and international law.
"How do we support the troops without supporting the war? Support the ones who are doing their best to stop it," said Jamail.
Jamail was presented with the CT Independent Reporting award after he finished speaking in appreciation for his distinguished efforts in Iraq as a self-funded, un-embedded reporter.
The night concluded with a brief question-and-answer session.
So faithful, in fact, that he defended the Constitution, not against any threat posed by a foreign enemy, but against a more insidious one - from within our own government.
"The highest-ranking person to date to refuse combat deployment to Iraq didn't go to jail and didn't go to Iraq," said Dahr Jamail, who spoke Sunday night at the Dodd Center as part of a speaking tour to promote his new book "The Will to Resist: Soldiers who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Jamail has won acclaim worldwide for his extensive accomplishments as an independent journalist, most notably for writing pieces that exposed the startling realities of the nascent war in Iraq. He is trying to spread the word about resistance to the war stemming directly from the enlisted soldiers.
"He's trying to bring to attention that issue and encourage everyday Americans to resist the war in their own way," said David Haseltine, a 7th-semester political science major and the Public Affairs Director for WHUS.
"'The Will to Resist' goes where the silence is," said Dori Smith, a producer at WHUS who interviewed Jamail for the radio station back in December of 2007.
At the podium, Jamail touched upon several subjects, ranging from his early work in Iraq to the topic of his most recent book.
"We're in the midst of a total breakdown of the U.S. military," said Jamail.
Throughout the hour or so that he spoke, Jamail unleashed some jarring statistics on the audience.
Jamail cited the fact that an average of 18 U.S veterans commit suicide every day, and that more than 12 percent of the troops on active duty in Iraq take some form of prescription medication - including muscle relaxants and sleep aids - to help them deal with stress.
He also spoke about the backlogged department of Veteran's Affairs which, according to Jamail, takes at least six months to process veterans' health care claims.
"It's not news in the military that people are coming back home and being tossed aside," said Jamail.
Jamail also detailed what he referred to as "Search and Avoid" missions, incidences of internal military resistance to the war that involve defrauding Army satellite monitors so that Humvees out on patrol missions can remain safely in one place.
Despite his critical message, Jamail made it clear that he supported the troops - but especially those brave enough to honor their convictions and stand up against a war that is continuing in violation of both domestic and international law.
"How do we support the troops without supporting the war? Support the ones who are doing their best to stop it," said Jamail.
Jamail was presented with the CT Independent Reporting award after he finished speaking in appreciation for his distinguished efforts in Iraq as a self-funded, un-embedded reporter.
The night concluded with a brief question-and-answer session.
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