Military Draft and War Resistance News

March 14, 2008 | AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Anti-war film 'Body of War' roils emotions
When national media celebrity Phil Donahue, University of Texas film professor Ellen Spiro and Iraq war veteran Tomas Young resolved to make an anti-war documentary, they targeted hearts over minds. full story »

March 14, 2008 | The Associated Press
Military Women Report Harassment
One-third of women in the military and 6 percent of men said they were sexually harassed, according to the latest Pentagon survey on the issue. full story »

March 13, 2008 | OpEdNews.com
Can we be anti-war but pro-troops?
Nuremberg Tribunal (1950) states: "The fact that a person acted pursuant to order of his government or of a superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international law provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him." full story »

March 13, 2008 | USA Today
Opposition to Iraq war is divided after 5 years
Five years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Bree Tease is trying to balance the obligations she feels to Iraqis and to the children whose needs she sees every day in her fourth-grade class.  full story »

March 7, 2008 | Slate.com
Where Are This War's Winter Soldiers?
Why Iraq war veterans have not had much impact on the debate over the war. full story »

March 7, 2008 | Christian Science Monitor
Bombing in New York: latest recruitment protest?
Despite Times Square incident, the military says enlistment centers are key to recruiting. full story »

March 6, 2008 | New York Times
Army: Psychiatrists Needed on Warfronts
U.S. troops on the battlefield found it harder to get the mental health care they needed last year, when violence rose in Afghanistan and new tactics pushed soldiers in Iraq farther from their operating bases. full story »

March 5, 2008 | Stars and Stripes
Army mustering IRR members, reinvigorating force
The Army this week will begin to muster 10,000 Individual Ready Reserve members at locations across the United States. full story »

March 3, 2008 | In These Times
Silenced in the Barracks
When military sexual assault survivors call Susan Avila-Smith, she advises them to keep their mouths shut while she works on getting them home. full story »

February 27, 2008 | San Francisco Chronicle
Marine regiment heads back for 5th Iraq tour
Reymundo Parra has already served two tours in Iraq, and he has two Purple Hearts to show for it. Parra is a Navy hospital corpsman, a sailor who works as a medic in Marine infantry units. He could have gotten out of the Navy, or found a way to avoid another trip to the place they call "the Sandbox." full story »

February 25, 2008 | Health Beat
As the Army Approaches a Breaking Point
Since 9/11, one Army division has spent more time in Iraq than any other group of soldiers: the 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum, New York.  full story »

February 24, 2008 | The New York Times
After the War, a New Battle to Become Citizens
Despite a 2002 promise from President Bush to put citizenship applications for immigrant members of the military on a fast track, some are finding themselves waiting months, or even years, because of bureaucratic backlogs.  full story »

February 23, 2008 | Workers World
Refusing to commit war crimes - and testifying
"Trained to kill! Kill we will!" That's what U.S. Army recruits must shout while marching to the mess hall for a meal. That's all it took for Pvt. Jeremy Hintzman to know he had to get out. He was the first U.S. war resister from the Iraq war to seek refugee status in Canada.  full story »

February 21, 2008 | Rock Town Weekly
Conscientious Objector Speaks To EMU
When M.J. Sharp graduated from Eastern Mennonite University in 2005, his conscientious objection to war was "merely academic." But over the last two years, all that has changed, he said. full story »

February 19, 2008 | Montgomery Advertiser
Army tries out recruiting incentives in Montgomery
The Army is hoping that investing in people's homes and businesses will help them find a new home and a career in the Army and Army Reserve. full story »

February 18, 2008 | The Washington Post
Short Maternity Leaves, Long Deployments
Schedule sends Army moms back to the field quickly. full story »

February 15, 2008 | Nashua Telegraph
Want a house? All you have to do is join the Army
Faced with the challenge of expanding the U.S. Army in wartime, the military is testing an incentive program that pays enlistees up to $40,000 toward a home or a startup business after their commitment. The Army Advantage Fund program is being tested here and four other areas  Montgomery, Ala.; Cleveland; Seattle and San Antonio  for the next six to nine months. full story »

February 13, 2008 | The Plain Dealer
Cleveland test-markets Army fund
The Army rolled out its latest recruiting incentive Tuesday for a local audience of soldiers, civic leaders and a few old veterans who gave the effort a snappy salute. full story »

February 12, 2008 | US Army
Army Testing 'Advantage Fund' Recruiting Incentives
The Army has begun a pilot program in five cities offering qualified recruits a down payment for home ownership or seed money to start their own business. full story »

January 29, 2008 | The Denver Post
Hurt GIs' medical status altered
Some say the Army is bending the rules to get soldiers redeployed. full story »

October 21, 2007 | Chicago Tribune
Army marching to tune of marketplace: Big bonuses used to draw, retain troops
With the Army entrenched in two protracted wars while trying to increase its overall troop levels, commanders are finding they have to sweeten the pot to attract a few good men and women and keep the ones they already have.  full story »

October 5, 2007 | National Post
Resisterville, B.C.:Many Americans opposed to war find a home and support in Nelson
Robin Long found his way here last month. It was, perhaps, inevitable. Considered B.C.'s counterculture capital, Nelson has become a haven for U.S. Army deserters. full story »

October 3, 2007 | Common Dreams
Canadians Demand Release of War Resister Robin Long
Supporters of the call for sanctuary in Canada for U.S. war resisters are demanding that the threatened deportation of conscientious objector Robin Long be halted immediately. full story »

October 3, 2007 | CNN.com
U.S. sailor: Don't deport my wife
Eduardo Gonzalez, a petty officer second class with the U.S. Navy, is about to be deployed overseas for a third time. Making his deployment even tougher is the fact his wife may not be around when he comes back. full story »

October 3, 2007 | WCSH6.com
National Guard Troops Denied Benefits After Longest Deployment Of Iraq War
When they came home from Iraq, 2,600 members of the Minnesota National Guard had been deployed longer than any other ground combat unit. The tour lasted 22 months and had been extended as part of President Bush's surge. full story »

October 3, 2007 | The Canadian Press
Supporters rally for U.S. army deserter
Supporters of a U.S. army deserter gathered at the police station yesterday to ensure that the man - the second deserter to be arrested here this year - got a fair hearing with a lawyer if he was to be deported. full story »

October 2, 2007 | NDP
NDP calling for the release of US war resister Robin Long
Following the arrest of US war resister Robin Long yesterday in Nelson, B.C., NDP immigration critic Olivia Chow (Trinity-Spadina) and NDP MP Alex Atamanenko (British Columbia Southern Interior) are calling on the Harper government to reexamine their decision to deport Long and allow him to stay in Canada.  full story »

October 2, 2007 | Vancouver Sun
U.S. war deserter arrested in Nelson
Another U.S. Army deserter has been arrested and is being detained at Nelson City Police headquarters. full story »

October 2, 2007 | National Lawyers Guild
Counseling Desertion or Engaging in Counter-Recruitment?: What are the Limits on One's First Amendment Rights
As support for the war in Iraq declines, and Americans seek to discourage their friends and loved ones from participating in the carnage, the question arises with increasing frequency: What, if any, are the limits on one's rights to engage in counter-recruitment, or to discourage enlistees from returning to duty? full story »

October 1, 2007 | Navy Times
Kids now are 'alien force' to Navy
Today's civilian pool of potential sailors is made up of "narcissistic praise junkies" and constitutes an "alien life force" to older Navy recruiters, according to a presentation on selling the Navy to the so-called "millennial" generation  people born in the mid- and late 1980s now in their late teens and early 20s. full story »

October 1, 2007 | TomahJournal.com
No military draft? Then abolish draft registration
If the United States is committed to an all-volunteer military, then why do we still have draft registration? full story »

September 30, 2007 | The Washington Post
Wounded Vets Also Suffer Financial Woes
He was one of America's first defenders on Sept. 11, 2001, a Marine who pulled burned bodies from the ruins of the Pentagon. He saw more horrors in Kuwait and Iraq.  full story »

September 29, 2007 | Salon.com
How the Navy plans to recruit "coddled" kids
Noah Shachtman, the master of Wired's Danger Room blog, and Entropic Memes both have cool posts about a presentation put together by some Navy experts regarding the difficulty of recruiting "millennials," Americans aged 17 to 24, to the armed forces. full story »

September 28, 2007 | Wired.com
OMG! Navy Calls MySpace Kids "Alien Life Force" (And They Hate the War, Too)
The MySpace generation is a "somewhat alien life force," a Navy recruiting presentation contends -- with a language and lifestyle that's almost unrecognizable to adults.  full story »

September 24, 2006 | Stars and Stripes
Army medic still AWOL three weeks after his unit deployed to Iraq
Two recent episodes in the life of Spc. Agustin Aguayo, a war veteran and professed conscientious objector, vividly underscore his long trial and newfound tribulations. full story »

September 23, 2006 | North County Times
Military officials: Iraq not affecting desertion rates
The number of Marines who deserted their military duties rose significantly last year but was still lower in 2005 than before the start of the Iraq war. according to figures from the Marine Corps.  full story »

September 23, 2006 | Washington Post
Harassment charges put AWOL soldier in spotlight
Suzanne Swift remembers standing in her mother's living room, hours away from her second deployment to Iraq. full story »

September 23, 2006 | The Associated Press
More War Veterans Suffering From Stress
More than one-third of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking medical treatment from the Veterans Health Administration report symptoms of stress or other mental disorders - a tenfold increase in the last 18 months, according to an agency study. full story »

September 22, 2006 | Los Angeles Times
Enlistee Flees Return to Iraq
Medic's attorney and wife say he had been told he could be taken by force for a second tour. He seeks a discharge as a conscientious objector. full story »

September 21, 2006 | CNS News
Wife Defends AWOL Husband at Anti-War Rally
The wife of a soldier who has gone absent without leave (AWOL) addressed a group of anti-war protestors in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, thanking them for their support and urging leniency for her husband.  full story »

August 20, 2006 | The Associated Press
AP Probe Looks at Recruiters' Misconduct
More than 100 young women who expressed interest in joining the military in the past year were preyed upon sexually by their recruiters. full story »

August 20, 2006 | The Washington Post
Home but Still Haunted
Maryland Iraq veteran and thousands like her are coping with post-traumatic stress. full story »

August 18, 2006 | Time Magazine
Putting the Iraq War on Trial
An army officer who refused duty in Iraq goes to court with a novel argument: he had a duty to disobey because the war is illegal. full story »

August 18, 2006 | Seattle PI
Hearing for soldier who won't serve in Iraq puts war on trial
The issue before an Army officer Thursday was whether Lt. Ehren Watada ought to face a court-martial for refusing to go to Iraq. full story »

August 17, 2006 | New House
One Day in Iraq, One Lifetime to Recover
His legs are gone, but Steven Smith's courageous Army swagger remains intact.  full story »

August 17, 2006 | WireTap
Lt. Watada's Courageous Dissent
As 28-year-old Lt. Watada faces a court hearing today, his refusal to deploy has revived a critique of the Bush administration's war crimes in Iraq. full story »

August 14, 2006 | St. Petersburg Times
Lutz AWOL woman sentenced 6 months
A young Lutz woman has received an unusually long sentence Ü six months' confinement Ü for walking away from her Army duties. full story »

August 14, 2006 | t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Lt. Ehren Watada's Speech: "Soldiers Can Choose to Stop Fighting"
Veterans for Peace Convention - August 12, 2006 full story »

August 10, 2006 | The Associated Press
Army recruiter disciplined for enlisting Portland autistic teen
A U.S. Army recruiter who signed up an autistic Portland teenager has been relieved of his recruiting duties and will be reassigned. full story »

August 7, 2006 | Alternet
What Does an Anti-War Movement Look Like Today?
Mass national protests didn't sway the Bush administration, so young organizers have focused their strategy on local counter-recruitment campaigns. full story »

August 6, 2006 | Counter Punch
Bad Apples from a Rotten Tree: Military Training and Atrocities
The mounting revelations of war crimes in Iraq have ripped the mask of democracy and nation-building off of a fatigued and wearied Uncle Sam, revealing the true face of U.S. imperialism.  full story »

August 1, 2006 | Military.com
Most Guard Units Not Ready for War
More than two-thirds of the Army National Guard's 34 brigades are not combat ready due largely to vast equipment shortfalls that will take as much as $21 billion to correct, the top National Guard general said Tuesday. full story »

July 8, 2006 | Alternet
Pentagon Reduced to Recruiting Neo-Nazis
Ten years after a scandal over neo-Nazis in the armed forces, extremists are once again worming their way into a recruit-starved military. full story »

June 23, 2006 | Military.com
Army Raises Maximum Enlistment Age
For the second time in six months, the Army is raising the maximum enlistment age for new recruits, this time from 40 to 42, recruiting officials announced Wednesday. full story »

January 5, 2006 | CODE PINK
Global Women Launch Campaign to End Iraq War
Global Women Launch Campaign to End Iraq War Alice Walker, Cindy Sheehan, Susan Sarandon, Margaret Cho, Barbara Lee and Others Join Iraqi Women to Urge the Withdrawal of Foreign Troops and Foreign Fighters from Iraq  full story »

December 29, 2005 |
40 Representatives have joined Rep. Lewis, GA, as co-sponsors to the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Act
40 Representatives have joined Rep. Lewis, GA, as co-sponsors to the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Act, HR 2631. AND-- in Oct. the City Council of Providence, RI approved unanimously a city resolution supporting this Act!  full story »

September 29, 2005 | SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
Parents are upset by 'loophole' for military recruiters
When Jill Watson intercepted a call from an Army recruiter wanting to speak with her 17-year-old daughter, she was shocked. Not only is her phone number unlisted and her family steadfast Mennonite conscientious objectors, but she had also told Seattle Public Schools not to give information about her children to military recruiters. full story »

August 11, 2005 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Parent-trap snares recruiters
The tune changes at some homes when they hear 'sign here' full story »

August 8, 2005 | AP
Pentagon Plans to Send More Troops to Iraq
WASHINGTON - Anticipating a new burst of insurgent violence, the Pentagon plans to expand the U.S. force in Iraq to improve security for a planned October referendum and a December election. full story »

August 3, 2005 | The Washington Post Company
Documents Tell of Brutal Improvisation by GIs
Interrogated General's Sleeping-Bag Death, CIA's Use of Secret Iraqi Squad Are Among Details full story »

July 31, 2005 |  The New York Times
On Farthest US Shores, Iraq Is a Way to a Dream
Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands - By jogging at sunset on the white sands of a palm-fringed beach here, 17-year-old Audrey O. Bricia is doing more than toning up for her next try in this island's Miss Philippines contest. She is getting in shape for United States Army boot camp. full story »

July 29, 2005 | The Washington Post
Conscientious Objector Sentenced to 15 Months
An Army mechanic who refused to go to Iraq while he sought conscientious-objector status was acquitted of desertion Thursday but found guilty of a lesser charge and sentenced to 15 months in prison. full story »

July 29, 2005 | The Seattle Times Company
Military classes are off course
In Seattle, the public schools are hostile territory for the military, as parents shoo away recruiters and are pushing to bar them entirely. full story »

July 6, 2005 |
LEAVE MY CHILD ALONE COALITION URGES DEFENSE SECRETARY DONALD RUMSFELD TO ESTABLISH NATIONAL "DO NOT CALL" LIST FOR MILITARY RECRUITING
Today, the LeaveMyChildAlone coalition called on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to establish a National Do Not Call List to safeguard family privacy from unwanted military recruitment.  full story »

July 5, 2005 | Boston Globe
Military Recruiters Find the War a Difficult Sell: Youths shy away from future in Iraq
The Army, trying to lure enough people to make up a recruiting deficit of about 8,000 this fiscal year, is talking less about patriotism and duty and more about $20,000 bonuses and shorter enlistments. full story »

July 4, 2005 | Philly.com
Are Americans too craven to die for their ideals?
 full story »

June 27, 2005 | The Village Voice
Johnny Comes Marching Home to Loans
Think joining the army will clear your student debt? Better check the fine print. full story »

June 23, 2005 | The Washington Post Company
Pentagon Creating Student Database: Recruiting Tool For Military Raises Privacy Concerns
The Defense Department began working yesterday with a private marketing firm to create a database of high school students ages 16 to 18 and all college students to help the military identify potential recruits in a time of dwindling enlistment in some branches. full story »

June 22, 2005 | Deutsche Welle
If this is happening in Germany ... why not here? Court Backs Soldier's Anti-Iraq War Stance
A German court ruled Wednesday that a soldier, who refused to follow orders because he did not want to support the US-led war in Iraq, had every right to do so.  full story »

June 17, 2005 | ARMED FORCES INFORMATION SERVICE
General Cites Influencers as Part of Recruiting Challenge
FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md., June 17, 2005 – The greatest challenge facing recruiters is the people who influence young men and women of the "Millennium Generation" not to serve, the commander of the Army Recruiting Command said here today. full story »

June 14, 2005 | HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
Mother of dead soldier vilifies Bush over war: PRESIDENT RIDICULED AT INTERFAITH RALLY
The president of Gold Star Families for Peace, a mother who lost a son in Iraq, criticized the United States' "illegal and unjust war" yesterday during an interfaith rally in Lexington. full story »

June 14, 2005 |
US lawmakers concerned about 'crisis' in army recruiting
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A top Democrat in the US Congress joined a growing chorus of lawmakers concerned about the effects of the Iraq war on US army recruiting, which has now fallen short for four straight months. full story »

June 13, 2005 | Agence France-Presse
Military draft back on US agenda
The United States would "have to face" a painful dilemma on restoring the military draft as rising casualties saw the number of volunteers dry up, a senator warned today. full story »

June 8, 2005 | Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Kidnapped by USMC Recruiters
When Marine recruiters go way beyond the call. For mom Marcia Cobb and her teenage son Axel, the white letters USMC on their caller ID soon spelled, "Don't answer the phone!" full story »

June 6, 2005 | The Gainesville Sun
State's draft boards need 78 Floridians to fill posts
Uncle Sam wants you and is willing to hold basic training time down to eight hours if you are willing to volunteer. full story »

June 6, 2005 | The Washington Post
Despite US Pledges, Fear of Draft Persists
WASHINGTON — Rarely in the more than 30 years since the draft was abolished has the Selective Service triggered such angst. Two years into the Iraq war, concern that the draft will be reinstated to supplement an overextended military persists — no matter how often, or emphatically, President Bush and members of Congress say it won't. full story »

June 2, 2005 | Washington Post
After 30 Years, Draft Fears Rise
In their Ellicott City kitchen, Jeff Amoros's parents handed their son the Selective Service registration form that arrived shortly after his 18th birthday. For them, it evoked dark memories of the Vietnam era. For Amoros, it meant: "I'm old enough to die for my country now." full story »

May 30, 2005 |
Get Ready for the Draft
With recruitment bottoming out and U.S. military commitments expanding overseas, a return to conscription looms on the horizon. full story »

May 26, 2005 |
Make an Informed Decision
A military captain's comments about the military recruiter process and contracts full story »

May 25, 2005 | Counterpunch
Prisoners of Conscience; Peace Doesn't Come Easily
Just about a year a go I was tried by a special Court-martial at Fort Stewart, Georgia. The charge: desertion with the intent to avoid hazardous duty. My case received a lot of attention from the media, mainly because I was the first Iraq veteran to have been to combat, returned on a two-week furlough, and publicly refused to return to Iraq while denouncing the war as illegal, and who then surrendered himself to military authorities. For the first time since the invasion of Iraq the military had to deal with the delicate issue of public dissent within the ranks. full story »

May 21, 2005 | http://www.registerguard.com/news/2005/05/21/a6.wst.academy.0521.html
Air Force Academy review under way
Forty-six Democratic members of Congress urged the Air Force's top commander on Friday to get personally involved in the investigation of religious intolerance at the Air Force Academy. An Air Force task force began a review last week of reports that evangelical Protestants were harassing those of other faiths, but the lawmakers said they were skeptical that the panel would do an adequate job. full story »

May 21, 2005 | The New York Times
Recruiters rest, but not their quotas
The Army, responding to reports of widespread cheating to enlist unqualified applicants, suspended recruiting nationwide on Friday to retrain its ranks in ethics, but officials said they would not lift the monthly quotas that some recruiters see as a catalyst for abuse. full story »

May 20, 2005 | From: DoD Transcripts
Army Recruiting Commander Briefing
DoD News Briefing Major General Michael D. Rochelle, U.S. Army Recruiting Commander Friday, May 20, 2005 - 1:32 p.m. EDT full story »

May 19, 2005 | BBC News, Washington
Iraq veterans' unspoken epidemic
They are getting restless at Fort Hood. The flight from Iraq should have arrived mid-afternoon, but there is a delay and it is now getting dark. full story »

May 18, 2005 | Christian Science Monitor
Rift over recruiting at public high schools
Rift over recruiting at public high schools A Seattle high school bars military solicitation, touching off debate over Iraq war and free speech. full story »

May 18, 2005 |
Busted! This Friday, May 20th, every military recruiting center across the country will be closed for what the U.S. Army Recruiting Command calls an "Army Values Stand Down Day."
Busted! This Friday, May 20th, every military recruiting center across the country will be closed for what the U.S. Army Recruiting Command calls an "Army Values Stand Down Day." The "stand down" will be a retraining in ethics for the military's 7,500 recruiters, following a rash of complaints that recruiters are resorting to unscrupulous tactics to enlist new soldiers.  full story »

May 16, 2005 |
The deserters: Awol crisis hits the US forces
As the death toll of troops mounts in Iraq and Afghanistan, America's military recruiting figures have plummeted to an all-time low. Thousands of US servicemen and women are now refusing to serve their country.  full story »

May 12, 2005 |
'Counter-recruiting' and alleged unethical conduct
n Colorado, Arvada High School Senior David McSwane says he wanted to see just how desperate recruiters were so he put them to the test.  full story »

May 9, 2005 |
Conscientious Objection on Trial/The Court Martial of Keith Benderman
This Wednesday, May 11, the court martial of Sgt. Keith Benderman begins. Sgt. Benderman, who has served in the military for eight years including one tour of duty in Iraq, filed for conscientious objector status after seeing the reality of war in Iraq. He has been denied and now faces court martial on two counts, for desertion with the intent to avoid hazardous duty and missing movement by design. He could spend five years incarcerated if found guilty of the first charge and up to two years for the second. full story »

May 5, 2005 | From the Wilderness
Refugees & Extradition: Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide
May 5, 2005 1000 PST (FTW): The decision by Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) to deny refugee status to Jeremy Hinzman came as no surprise to this reporter. Hinzman is an Afghanistan veteran of the 82nd Airborne who refused deployment to Iraq and is now seeking refuge in Canada as a conscientious objector. full story »

May 4, 2005 | © 2005 The Washington Post Company
Air Force to Probe Religious Climate at Colorado Academy
The Air Force said yesterday it is creating a task force to address the religious climate at the U.S. Air Force Academy, following allegations that its faculty and staff have pressured cadets to convert to evangelical Christianity.  full story »

May 3, 2005 |
War Sends Military Recruiting Into Retreat
With the Iraq war straining the all-volunteer U.S. military, the Army has missed its recruiting goals in April and expects to do so again in May, while the Marines also fell short, officials said on Monday.  full story »

May 2, 2005 | p_didhe@hotmail.com]
CALL FOR NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR GI RESISTERS: MAY 10
We urge you to join us in a "National Day of Action for GI Resisters" on Tuesday May 10, 2005. This is the day before the US military is planning to bring sailor Pablo Paredes and soldier Kevin Benderman before military court martial tribunals for their opposition to the Iraq War. They face forfeiture of pay and benefits, and military jail time.  full story »

April 29, 2005 | The Rocky Mountain News
Military recruiting center attacked
An Army and Marines recruitment cnter was shot at eight times this morning, an incident police believe is related to the airing of a television news report Thursday night that raised questions about recruitment practices. full story »

April 28, 2005 | Mother Jones Magazine
The Draft: Between Iraq and a Hard Place
After two years of intensive fighting in Iraq, the Pentagon is feeling the strain in every military muscle and has been looking for relief in just about every direction but one -- the draft. All across the United States today, young people are wondering whether, sooner or later, in its increasingly airless military universe, the Bush administration will open the window a crack and let the draft in.  full story »

April 26, 2005 |
An army of the unwilling
"..... Langley and others say parents need to be educated about parts of the No Child Left Behind Act that allow military recruiters to access information about students including their home address, telephone number, and extracurricular activities. Most are unaware that they can prevent this information from being released by submitting an opt-out form signed by parents or students to the school administration. ....."  full story »

April 21, 2005 | San Francisco Bay Guardian
Campus battlegrounds: Desperate military recruiters and a growing opposition square off in local schools
As the body counts rise in Iraq and Afghanistan, military recruiters in the United States must contend with an increasingly formidable mission of their own: to convince the nation's young people to join the ranks of a military at war.  full story »

April 21, 2005 | TomHayden@ceasefire.ca
US soldiers need Canada's help
Thousands of U.S. troops are refusing to fight Bush's war in Iraq. These are young people who volunteered to defend their country thinking it was under attack, but now they realize this war is not about defending America -- it is about fulfilling the unbridled ambition of the Bush administration. full story »

April 20, 2005 | tragan@santacruzsentinel.com
Protesters target military recruiters at Watsonville High job fair
WATSONVILLE ˜ Dozens of protesters lined up outside the Veterans Memorial Hall on Tuesday to protest the presence of military recruiters who set up information booths inside at a job fair for Watsonville High seniors. full story »

April 17, 2005 | Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)
Where Do Your Federal Tax Dollars Go?
An article this week in Parade Magazine, which is distributed to more than 15 million people nationwide in Sunday newspapers, offers an opportunity to engage Friends, neighbors, and local opinion leaders in a discussion about federal tax policy as tax day approaches. full story »

April 14, 2005 | Common Dreams
Kucinich: New Report From Congressional Research Service Shows US Has Long-Term Plans To Stay In Iraq
Kucinich: New Report From Congressional Research Service Shows US Has Long-Term Plans To Stay In Iraq Report Commissioned By Kucinich Shows US Is Spending Hundreds of Millions of Dollars On "Long-Term" Bases In Iraq full story »

April 13, 2005 |
The US Army has created Earthday messaging
The US Army has created Earthday messaging worthy of spinmeister grand-champion Frank Luntz himself. Thought you'd enjoy seeing what treats they have in store. full story »

April 13, 2005 | Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon
Military recruiters turn to marketing in schools
Familiarity is what the Marines and Army need if they are to keep their ranks replenished. As the conflict in Iraq entered its third year, the Marines missed their monthly recruiting goals in January through March for the first time in a decade, and the Army and the National Guard also fell short of their needs. This year, the Army and the Marines plan not only to increase the number of recruiters, but to penetrate high schools more deeply, especially those least likely to send graduates to college. full story »

April 12, 2005 | Counterpunch
Parents Against Military Slavery: The Time to Oppose the Draft is Now
In February, the Army missed its recruiting goal for the first time in nearly five years. The Army missed its March goal by 32 percent while the need for soldiers is on the rise. The United States Armed Services have announced a new plan to solve their recruiting problems--convincing parents to get their children to enlist. At the same time, parents are organizing to ensure the military draft does not return. The battle lines for the bodies of America's youth are beginning to take shape. full story »

April 5, 2005 | LA Times
They're Talking Up Arms
Military recruiters are fortifying their outposts at high schools, hoping a chummy familiarity will entice students to enlist. Some decry the tactics. full story »

April 5, 2005 | The Register-Guard
Journey home not always an easy trip
Andrea Westfall came home from Iraq ready to take back her life as a surgical technician, but the war isn't quite done with her yet. Westfall, who served with the Oregon National Guard as a flight medic ferrying soldiers from the thick of battle, has been back in Eugene for almost two years. full story »

April 4, 2005 | San Francisco Chronicle Washington Bureau
Support grows for beefing up U.S. forces
The war-strained all-volunteer U.S. military has a growing manpower problem and a cross-section of Washington policymakers has proposed a solution -- increase the size of the regular military by 30,000, 40,000 or even 100, 000 or more.  full story »

April 2, 2005 | In Motion Magazine
Army Reservist Witnesses War Crimes:
Aidan Delgado, an Army Reservist in the 320th Military Police Company, served in Iraq from April 1st, 2003 through April 1st, 2004. After spending six months in Nasiriyah in Southern Iraq, he spent six months helping to run the now-infamous Abu Ghraib prison outside of Baghdad. The handsome 23-year-old mechanic was a witness to widespread, almost daily, U.S. war crimes in Iraq. His story contains new revelations about ongoing brutality at Abu Ghraib, information yet to be reported in national media. full story »

March 30, 2005 | Center for American Progress
The Draft: Inevitable, Avoidable or Preferable?
U.S. troops are stationed abroad in Afghanistan and Iraq with no end in sight. The National Guard and Reserve are missing their recruiting targets. If the U.S. military continues to be deployed at its current pace, the all-volunteer force will break down and some kind of conscription will become necessary. What can be done to avoid this fate? Or is mandatory national service with a military option actually the answer? The Washington Monthly has recently published an article titled "The Case for the Draft," arguing that the time when we could rely on an all-volunteer force has come to an end. full story »

March 28, 2005 |
Jailed War Resister Camilo Mejia on His 9-Month Jail Sentence, Torture in Iraq and Why He Refused to Fight
Mejia was the first US soldier court-martialed for desertion and was ultimately sentenced to a year in jail. He was released in mid-February.  full story »

March 27, 2005 | The New York Times
Recruiters pay high toll to meet goal
Some Army recruiters charged with recruiting an all-volunteer force during an extended period of conflict say the demands are taking a toll. full story »

March 26, 2005 |
MH soldier is AWOL
A 1999 Mountain Home High School graduate is among a number of U.S. military deserters who have fled to Canada seeking political asylum from a nation at war in Iraq that at least seven deserters believe is unjust and illegal. full story »

March 25, 2005 | Register Guard
Guest Viewpoint: Veterans' 'welcome home' deficient without mental health screening
As I read and rejoice about our warriors returning from a long stay in the Middle East, I know that our work has just begun. full story »

March 24, 2005 | CNN
Canada: No refuge for U.S. soldier
The Canadian government has denied refugee status to former U.S. Army paratrooper Jeremy Hinzman, a major blow to a handful of U.S. military deserters who have fled to Canada rather than fight in a war they claim commits atrocities against civilians. full story »

March 19, 2005 | Hudson Valley News
Arms Inspector Turned Peace Activist Says Get Ready for the Draft
Former United National Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter gained more prominence, or notoriety, for what he did after leaving that job. His blunt criticism of the war in Iraq, and in particular, the Bush administration’s policy in the Mid-East, has made him a hit on college campuses. full story »

March 10, 2005 | The World
Return of the Draft?
America has had an all-volunteer fighting force since the end of the draft more than 30 years ago. But The World's Katy Clark reports that America's commitments in Iraq and elsewhere are prompting calls for its return.  full story »

March 5, 2005 | Washington Monthly
The Case for the Draft
America can remain the world's superpower. Or it can maintain its current all-volunteer military. It can't do both.  full story »

February 24, 2005 | The CS Monitor
Will there be a draft?
While Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and President Bush have repeatedly said there is no need for a draft, and one of the military’s top recruiters said only last week that a draft ‘would not improve the quality’ of soldier, Delaware Online reports that several well-known conservatives and moderates sent congressional leaders a letter in January that said, “the United States military is too small for the responsibilities we are asking it to assume.” full story »

February 23, 2005 | The State (South Carolina)
Military Recruiters Unrivaled Access to Schools
Should parents have the right to choose to protect a child from being targeted by military recruiters in school? Is it an inherent part of public school education to be pressured to sign an irrevocable contract and join the U.S. armed forces?  full story »

February 18, 2005 | TruthOut.org
Experts See Military Draft as Inevitable
Anti-war activists fear revival of selective service full story »

February 16, 2005 | Register Guard
The Pentagon's Dream Soldier Is A Robot
The American military is working on a new generation of soldiers, far different from the Army it has. ``They don't get hungry,' said Gordon Johnson of the Pentagon's Joint Forces Command. ``They're not afraid. They don't forget their orders. They don't care if the guy next to them has just been shot. Will they do a better job than humans? Yes.' full story »

February 16, 2005 | Register Guard
Recruiters capture teens' attention
In the convention area of the Lane Events Center, a mob of teenage boys clustered around the Marine Corps recruiting booth, taking turns on a pull-up bar. Do 15 pull-ups and get a keychain and a CD case. Do 20 pull-ups and get a T-shirt and a lanyard. Do 35, as one young man did Tuesday, and get everything they've got. full story »

February 7, 2005 | Associated Press
Conscientious Objector Launches Web Site
A 22-year-old veteran from Peaks Island, Maine who was granted conscientious objector status from the Army last November is taking to the Internet to share what he learned with others.  full story »

January 9, 2004 | The Telegraph U.K.
US Soldiers Flee to Canada to Avoid Iraq
American Army soldiers are deserting and fleeing to Canada rather than fight in Iraq, rekindling memories of the thousands of draft-dodgers who flooded north to avoid service in Vietnam. full story »

December 4, 2002 | Findlaw
NO CHILD LEFT UNRECRUITED? The Problem With the New "Opt Out" System For Providing High School Students' Names to Military Recruiters
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