By Army National Guard Spc. Justin Cliburn. September 10, 2007

"No, I am not going back to participate in that war."

I had drill this weekend. Drill has been a forever-evolving presence in my life for the past six years. I went from looking forward to drill to hating it to missing it while I was in Iraq and back to looking forward to it when I returned. I used to hate drill, but found myself liking the weekends where I was reunited with those that I spent a year with in Iraq. Over the past few months, that has turned into dread, and I am questioning whether or not I can remain an effective member of the military.

Courage to Resist. September 12, 2007

Derek Hess is an Army veteran who was recently discharged after resisting deployment to Iraq. While tens of thousands of servicepersons have simply gone AWOL in the last few years, Derek’s story is one of nearly infinite versions of passive-aggressive resistance. He ended up with a medical discharge, under honorable conditions. After his conscientious objector discharge was denied, Derek threatened to kill himself if deployed—and he was serious about it.

Rev Lennox Yearwood, Jr.

By Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. September 6, 2007

On July 1, 2007 I sought the support of regular Americans after receiving notification from the U.S. Air Force Reserve that they were threatening to discharge me on the basis of behavior that, in their words, is "clearly inconsistent with the interest of national security." The behavior in question is my outspoken opposition to the occupation of Iraq and the inadequate and inhuman response to the tragedy of Katrina.

As a result of the outpouring of support I received from all over the United States and from around the world, the Air Force backed down. Thanks to my brothers and sisters in the movement, I will end my service with the honorable discharge that I earned. I am eternally grateful, and evermore committed to taking on the powers that be for the powers that ought to be.

IVAW members march for GI resisters. Photo: Jeff Paterson

By Aaron Glantz, OneWorld.net. August 21, 2007

SAINT LOUIS - Members of a leading Iraq war veterans’ organization voted this weekend to launch a campaign encouraging U.S. troops to refuse to fight.

The decision was made at the group’s annual membership meeting, held this weekend in Saint Louis, Missouri alongside the annual convention of the Veterans for Peace organization.

“Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) decided to make support of war resisters a major part of what we do,” said Garrett Rappenhagen, a former U.S. Army sniper who served in Iraq from February 2004 to February 2005.