More than 100 anti-war activists and other supporters of U.S. Army first lieutenant Ehren K. Watada, who faces court martial for refusing to go to Iraq, came out on Aug. 23 to hear his father, Bob Watada, and others speak on his case and the illegality of the war and occupation. Co-sponsoring the event were South Bay Mobilization, an anti-war coalition; the Nihonmachi Outreach Committee, a
Japanese American group that organizes an annual “Day of Remembrance” commemorating the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII and others.
War resister Ehren Watada
The event, held at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, also featured a 10-minute clip from “Sir! No Sir!,” a documentary about GI resistance to the Vietnam War. Bob Watada was one of those resisters.
Three statements of support were read, two from clergy and a third from a Japanese American WWII vet. Dennis Kyne, a resister from the first Gulf war also spoke. The appreciative, supportive and diverse audience included a strong contingent from the Japanese American community.
On Aug. 24, the Article 32 pre-trial hearing investigator recommended a general court martial on all charges. According to the support committee’s website, Lt. Watada faces over seven years in prison—more than five years for First Amendment speech alone.
The organization Friends and Family of Lt. Watada is calling for an international mobilization of support the day before the court martial—possibly sometime in September.
The support committee asks groups “to begin planning demonstrations, rallies, marches, vigils and/or educational events at appropriate sites in your community (federal buildings, military recruiting centers, highly visible intersections, etc.).”
Groups and individuals in the Pacific Northwest, and friends, who can travel, are asked to converge at Fort Lewis near Seattle for the actual court martial and a series of educational events and actions prior.
