Last Saturday, Feb. 9, the usual silence and tranquility of Olin’s Smith Reading Room was interrupted.
“I’m here because I’m sick of this shit,” said Sergeant Adam Kokesh, a veteran of the Iraq War with a U.S. Marine Corps tattoo on his left forearm. “I’m fuckin’ sick of it.”
Speaking to a crowd of about 30 people, Kokesh, who is now the co-chair of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), recalled his arrival in Iraq in early 2004, where, as a Marine, he was assigned to work in civil affairs.
Kokesh initially volunteered for service thinking that he would be part of an effort to rebuild the nation. However, he soon found that the U.S. mission was more geared toward law enforcement than toward humanitarian endeavors.
“I fell for the idea that we were cleaning up our mess,” he said.
These days, Kokesh is convinced that the military is carrying out a failed policy and that policing the country is futile. Since returning from Iraq, he has been a vocal critic of the war.
Kokesh gave a firsthand account of the state of the military and its involvement in Iraq. He explained that the military has lowered its standards in recruiting and allows even convicted felons to enlist.
“They’re not that picky anymore about gang tattoos at the recruitment offices,” he said, noting that there are record numbers of gang members and rapists in the ranks. “In Baghdad, the Crips—as in the Crips and the Baghdad—had an initiation ceremony.”
The ceremony was made known only because someone died from internal bleeding as a result of the initiation, he said, noting that such events are rarely, if ever, reported.
Kokesh also called attention to the weaknesses in the resistance movement. People within the antiwar movement do not talk to those outside the movement enough, he argued, and others are passionate but don’t know how to take action. He also urged people to become actively involved in the movement by participating in and spreading the word about the upcoming events in Washington, D.C.
Kristine Richards, a fourteen-year-old member of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) whose brother served in Iraq, also spoke. She related her own protesting experiences, specifically an incident in which she was arrested along with three other minors for not moving when an officer commanded her to.
“Resistance is fun,” Richards remarked.
Her antiwar action is fueled partly by her personal proximity to the war—her brother’s multiple tours in Iraq ravaged the family, she said.
Laurie Arbeiter, a member of Artists Against the War, argued that 9/11 has been used by the government to justify violent retaliatory action. Americans have learned to fear and have let the Bush administration mislead them, she said. Arbeiter also claimed that although they vocally oppose it, neither Senator Barack Obama nor Senator Hillary Clinton have said that the involvement in Iraq is fundamentally wrong.
Overall, Arbeiter stressed the importance of a stronger anti-war movement.
“It’s very important, now, that we form a vibrant, visible resistance,” she said.
From March 13 to March 16, IVAW will sponsor Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan in Washington D.C. On these days leading to March 19, the fifth anniversary of American occupation in Iraq, Veterans who served in those occupations will testify, giving accounts of the reality of the war and presenting video and photographic evidence. This event is modeled after 1971 event regarding the Vietnam War and will make public much evidence to support arguments against the war.
The Our Spring Break organization, a student-driven initiative to bring young people to Washington D.C. over spring break to protest the war, will also be active throughout the month, partaking in various events including the Day of United Nonviolent Civil Resistance on March 19. A group of Wesleyan students, along with students and concerned citizens from across the country, will be in attendance.
“Close to 50 [students] expressed interest,” said Ashley Casale ’10, who is helping to organize the trip. “Hopefully more will come.”
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