Courage to Resist. May 10, 2008

War objector Army PFC Ryan Jackson was temporarily moved from his brig cell yesterday and arraigned at Fort Gordon, Georgia. Ryan was formally changed with multiple counts of AWOL stemming from his attempt to be released from the Army prior to Iraq deployment. He is scheduled to face a special court martial—with a maximum one year prison sentence—on Tuesday, June 3. Since voluntarily returning to Fort Gordon on April 14 and formally applying for a conscientious objector discharge, Ryan has been held in pre-trial confinement at the Charleston Navel Brig.

Write to Ryan | Donate to Ryan's defense | Attend Ryan's court martial

Courage to Resist. 17:40 min. May 12, 2008

Bryan Currie joined the Army in November 2004 because he says, "I thought it would be a good thing to fight for my country." He was trained as an Infantry Grenadier and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2006 for 11 months. He describes what he experienced when he got injured: "We were on a convoy to pick up another soldier. I was the driver. On the way back my truck got hit by a land mine.... me, I got burned, I lost four teeth, broke my jaw, got shrapnel on my hands, I was jolted forward so my knees are all swollen and my back's always sore." He was treated in Afghanistan and was out of combat for three weeks and was sent back to driving trucks.

Erich's son James Burmeister (photo right) voluntarily returned from Canada, were he had taken refuge from an Iraq redeployment. James turned himself in at Fort Knox, Kentucky on March 4. The Army has yet to decide between court martialing him, discharging him, or attempting to "reabilitate" him for another deployment .

Erich Burmeister. May 12, 2008

Passion and empathy: Why is it that it takes a harsh reality to kick in your own front door, grab you by the scruff of your own all too relaxed neck, before you really cry again. Maybe its cancer, a hurricane, a drunk driver, somebody gone crazy with a gun on campus, in a shopping center, on the job, on the freeway, or maybe a kid with a gun in a war, a soldier, your kid, like mine PFC James Burmeister.

Action Alert: Write James!
PFC James Burmeister; HHC Bldg 298; Gold Vault Rd; Fort Knox, KY 40121

PFC Ryan Jackson held in pre-trial confinement to mute criticism of war; supporters mount campaign protesting June 3rd court-martial

Courage to Resist
April 20, 2008

"Since I joined up with Courage to Resist and Iraq Veterans Against the War, my life has changed. I plan to write a book about all of this, and to make positive change in my community when I get out," said AWOL PFC Ryan Jackson, before turning himself in at Fort Sill, Oklahoma on April 4. He had been absent without leave since December when a local commander vetoed his pending discharged from the 35^th Signal Brigade at Fort Gordon, Georgia.

• Donate to Ryan's defense today via Courage to Resist by noting "Ryan Jackson" in the "comments and notes" field online, or on your check memo line.
• Write Ryan today:
  Ryan Jackson, 1050 Remount Rd Bldg 3107, Charleston SC 29406-3515
  Or by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Select "Read more..." below for Ryan's story, including our audio interview with him.

On April 30, 2008 Courage to Resist and SF Bay Area allies gathered to appreciate our staff organizer Lori Hurlebaus who recently resigned. She is in Philadelphia for the Summer working as an interim Organizer in the national office of Iraq Veterans Against the War while their Organizing Director is out on paternity leave.

Sara Rich, Courage to Resist
May 8, 2008

It is with mixed emotions that Courage to Resist says goodbye to Lori Hurlebaus. Lori's passion and expertise around supporting war resisters has been invaluable. From a collective point of view she was a leader and an amazing organizer. She has a vision for what we all have to do to end this war.

Courage to Resist. April 5, 2008

Iraq veteran David James Cortelyou suffered severe symptoms of PTSD when he returned to his base in Germany from a tour in Iraq. Failing to get the help he needed, David went AWOL twice rather than return to Iraq. He turned himself in recently, expecting to go to military prison, but was given a discharge instead.

Select "Read more..." for part 2 of the Courage to Resist audio interview, and David's written statement.

Courage to Resist. April 9, 2008 update

Courage to Resist was proud to attend and support “Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan” held March 13-16 at the National Labor College near Washington DC. Iraq Veterans Against the War brought together over 200 recent veterans to speak out against the occupations. Below is audio testimony of "The Future of GI Resistance" panel which ended the hearings. Also are a few snapshots of the weekend. We also have brief commentary from Courage to Resist organizers Sara Rich (who attended with her active duty daughter Suzanne Swift) and Lori Hurlebaus—the behind the scenes stage manager of the hearings. Select "Read more..." for audio and photos.

April 11, 2008 update

Another way of supporting Courage to Resist is by donating "things", or making a donation earmarked for a specific item. These donations are tax-deductible. We're trying to update the technical resources that we use in our daily work. Currently we’re in need of two LCD monitors, a new-ish PC desktop, and two FileMaker Pro 9 database licenses. Below are detailed descriptions of the needed items, including estimated values, and specific descriptions in case you wish to purchase an item new on our behalf. However, if you can donate any of these items in working/good condition, please call us at 510-488-3559.

Also, your financial contribution towards helping us buy any of these items that we are not able to get donated is of course very welcome. If you would like to donate towards the expense of a specific item, please note the item in the comments field during the donation checkout process.
http://www.couragetoresist.org/donate

"Body of War" is an intimate and transformational feature documentary about the true face of war today. Meet Tomas Young, 25 years old, paralyzed from a bullet to his spine - wounded after serving in Iraq for less than a week.

National openings featuring Q&A with producers/directors Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, and Tomas Young's mom Cathy Smith begin this week in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Berkeley, Seattle, LA, San Diego, Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, and St. Louis. (view schedule featuring Q&A)

Courage to Resist. April 11, 2008 update

PFC James Burmeister recently returned from Canada and turned himself in to the Army at Fort Knox, Kentucky on March 4. In May 2007, James refused redeployment to Iraq. He lived in Canada for ten months with the help of the War Resisters Support Campaign. In order to move on with his life, he returned to the US and surrendered to the military. He has been threatened with a court martial and jail, however he is still waiting for the military to figure out what they are going to do with him. Supporters hope that James is discharged soon “in lieu of court martial” like hundreds of other returning AWOL soldiers are every year.

15 min. excerpt from a January 2008 radio interview with Erich and James Burmeister aired on KLCC of Eugene, Oregon:

By Courage to Resist, 19:20 min. March 12, 2008

James Morriss deployed from Fort Bragg to Afghanistan with the Army’s 82nd Airborne in 2005. James discusses refusing orders to shot a young boy carrying a rifle, indiscriminate shooting, and other instances that led him to conclude that “we are not doing the right thing over there.” In 2007 James went AWOL and lived in Canada for a year in order to resist deployment to Iraq. With the help of Courage to Resist, he recently surrendered to the Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. While he's technically still in the Army, he's in the process of being discharged and no longer has to report. He anticipates accepting an Other Than Honorable discharge.

Colonel Ann Wright, US Army (ret.)
Former US diplomat and author

What’s it going to take to end the illegal and unjust war and occupation of Iraq? I believe a critical part of the answer is support for the troops who refuse. That’s why I’m asking you to support and contribute to Courage to Resist. [donation info]

I served 29 years in the US Army/Army Reserves. When my government attacked Iraq, I was one of three US diplomats to resign in protest. I resigned my career on principle. Today, I fully support US military personnel who, in acts of conscience, refuse to fight in wars of aggression.

Berkeley students put pro-war, right-wing mob on defensive

Courage to Resist. February 19, 2008

For months, the anti-war women’s group CodePink staged near-daily protests outside of a Marine recruiting station in downtown Berkeley, California. These gatherings became a part of the local landscape. However, vigil-as-usual ended when the Berkeley City Council voted to officially endorse these ongoing protests and to send a letter to the Marine recruiters asking them to leave town. Right-wing radio rallied their listeners to “punish” the city, and anti-military recruiting advocates rallied to defend the council’s actions.

Cindy Sheehan and Daniel Ellsberg joined former diplomat Army Col. Ann Wright (ret.) for a Courage to Resist event in Oakland, California on January 17, 2008. This 7:05 min. highlight video features Ann Wright discussing her new book "Dissent: Voices of Conscience - Government Insiders Speak Out Against the War in Iraq"—now available for a $20 donation. Select "Read more..." below to watch the video.

"Talk about an organization that is really helping the men and women who are in our military. They are there when these men and women take their stands of conscience," says Ann Wright of Courage to Resist.