Former Marine Liam Madden served in Iraq and was honorably discharged. Upon
return, he joined Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). Liam is also a
cofounder of the Appeal for Redress, a statement signed by nearly 2,000
active-duty troops that garnered a lot of media coverage, and he has been
helping to organize a bus tour to some 20 military bases throughout the
eastern U.S. Liam participated in the first installment of Operation First
Casualty, in which IVAW members brought the war home through street theater
by mounting "patrols" in the streets of Washington, D.C., on March 19. Now
the Marine Corps is trying to make an example of him and others.
Liam is being charged with appearing in uniform at a political event
making "disloyal statements" for calling the war in Iraq "a war crime." If
he his found guilty, Liam may receive an "other than honorable discharge"
which will prevent him from ever being able to get a government job or many
other types of jobs, similar to the effect of a criminal record. Liam has
not received a hearing date yet, but he expects to.
"The military is trying to stifle the IVAW's voice in the public discourse
about the war," Liam has said. "If we are to have an informed and free
discussion in society about the most pressing issue of our generation, the
war in Iraq, then the voices of returning veterans are a crucial aspect."
This is an attempt to squash informed discussion of the true reality of
their war as well squash the budding movement of antiwar soldiers and
veterans turning against the war. They want to silence Liam's message that
the whole war is a war crime- and you cannot "win" a war crime, you can only
end it-- immediately. The military's charges against Liam send a threatening
message to other soldiers and veterans that they should not dare to speak or
organize against the war. If they get away with punishing Liam, the military
will be emboldened to go after many other dissenters. The antiwar movement
must step up and send a message that it will have the backs of its antiwar
brothers and sisters within the ranks of the military.
At a time when the majority of people in the US, the vast majority of
Iraqis, and unprecedented numbers of US troops are against this war, we
can't let some of the most important voices in the antiwar movement be
silenced. This is about the important antiwar voice and contributions of
Liam Madden but also about the current and future antiwar leadership of
countless soldiers and veterans whose vocal and active opposition will be
essential to ending this war.
Sign the Petition
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