Rally at Ft. Lewis supports military resister Ehren Watada

Ft. Lewis Army Base in Washington has become a focal point for military resistance to the war in Iraq. Most recently, on Aug. 16, demonstrators gathered outside the base to show support for Lt. Ehren Watada on the eve of his Article 32 hearing. The hearing was to determine whether Watada will face a court-martial for “conduct unbecoming an officer, missing troop movement and contempt toward officials” as a result of his refusal to deploy to Iraq.

At the hearing, Watada’s attorneys put the war itself on trial. Over objections by military prosecutor Dan Kuecker, Lt. Col

War resister Ehren Watada with his mother Carolyn Ho.

Mark Keith, acting as judge, allowed Watada’s lawyers to call three expert witnesses to testify about the war’s illegality as justification for Watada’s actions. These witnesses included University of Illinois law professor Francis Boyle, an international law expert; former United Nations undersecretary general Denis Halliday; and retired Army colonel Ann Wright. All three testified that the war is illegal.

The only pieces of evidence presented against Watada were clippings and videotapes of Watada’s public statements, including his speech at the recent Veterans for Peace convention in Seattle.

Anti-war protester arrested

At the Aug. 16 demonstration at Ft. Lewis, Washington state patrol officers told the demonstrators to take down their banners from the bridge crossing the Interstate 5 freeway. Doug Nielson of the anti-war group Stand Up Seattle then was arrested and charged with “obstructing an officer.”

In an interview with PSLweb.org, Nielson explained that Stand Up Seattle has been doing freeway bannering for almost four years. “We have been bannering I-5 at Ft. Lewis since January, in support of Kevin Benderman, and this is the first time anything like this has happened.” About three years ago, Seattle police ticketed the group for bannering, but the ticket was challenged and the court issued an apology, according to Nielson.

“We just think the banners are an effective method to get our message out. It’s one of the few ways ordinary people are able to spread the word. We have gone to Ft. Lewis to show solidarity with the resisting soldiers and their families.”

Cops have allowed pro-war demonstrators at the Ft. Lewis I-5 overpass to put up extremely large signs. They’ve also been permitted to attach flag holders and yellow ribbons to the bridge structures. This blatant double standard is not lost on anti-war activists.

Ft. Lewis, hub of resistance

Other resisters at Ft. Lewis include Iraq war veteran Suzanne Swift, who has refused redeployment to Iraq in her fight against rape and sexual harassment in the U.S. military, and Sgt. Kevin Benderman, who is serving time in the Ft. Lewis brig for his anti-war stance. Swift’s supporters started an encampment in her support at Ft. Lewis on Aug. 16.

Benderman had served as an Army mechanic for 10 years when he turned against the war in Iraq, after serving there in 2003. He has since refused to deploy again. After seeing scenes of devastation in Iraq, he filed an application for conscientious objector status in December 2004. His application was turned down in April 2005 and he was court-martialed and sentenced to 15 months in military prison.

Sgt. Ricky Clousing turned himself in to military authorities at Ft. Lewis on Aug. 11, 2006. He has since been shipped to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.