Army Imprisons Soldier for Singing Against Stop-Loss Policy

By Dahr Jamail, Truthout 1/8/10

http://www.truthout.org/article/army-imprisons-soldier-singing-against-s...

Army Specialist and Iraq war veteran Marc Hall was incarcerated by the US Army on December 11, 2009, in Liberty County Jail, Georgia, for recording a song that expresses his anger over the Army's stop-loss policy.

Stop-loss is a policy that allows the Army to keep soldiers active beyond the end of their signed contracts. According to the Pentagon, more than 120,000 soldiers have been affected by stop-loss since 2001, and currently 13,000 soldiers are serving under stop-loss orders.  read more »

By Marjorie Cohn
December 21, 2009
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marjorie-cohn/obamas-af-pak-war-should_b_3...

President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize nine days after he announced he would send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. His escalation of that war is not what the Nobel committee envisioned when it sought to encourage him to make peace, not war.  read more »

Just outside the largest Army base on the West Coast, a coffeehouse aims to provide active-duty soldiers and fellow veterans with help surviving the effects of war -- and maybe ending it.

By Kim Murphy

November 16, 2009

Reporting from Lakewood, Wash.

For an Army weary from war, they offer tea and sympathy -- along with double tall lattes, caramel macchiatos and leads on civilian jobs. At Coffee Strong, outside the gates of the sprawling Ft. Lewis Army base, the brew is served up by veterans and comes with a shot of solidarity.  read more »

Army has mom, Alexis Hutchinson, arrested and 11-month old son put into county foster care system. Alexis has now been ordered to deploy to Afghanistan on Sunday, November 15, where she will be court martialed.

Action Alert: Contact Congresswoman Barbara Lee to urge her to "Request that the Army not deploy Alexis Hutchinson to Afghanistan so that she can care for her son." From the 9th District (Oakland-Berkeley, CA) phone: 510-763-0370 (fax: 510-763-6538). Nationwide: 202- 225-2661 (fax: 202-225-9817).
Donate to Alexis' legal and family support fund (couragetoresist.org/alexis)
Alexis' attorney now available for media interviews.
By friends of Alexis and Courage to Resist. November 12, 2009  read more »

Getting Under the Hood at Ft. Hood

Code Pink
November 11, 2009
wwww.CodePinkAlert.org

Dear Friend,

This Veterans Day, our hearts ache for the soldiers and
their families affected by the recent shootings at Ft.
Hood. Our hearts also ache for the soldiers and their
families who continue to be affected by war in Iraq and
Afghanistan on a daily basis. Now more than ever,
CODEPINK is committed to helping to heal the hearts of
those touched by war, and doing whatever we can to
bring our troops home.

Email Obama today to say No Surge--no more wounded
soldiers, no more lost lives, no more throwing money  read more »

The 11th Hour: The Date Behind Veterans Day
Published by: Claudine Zap

While most know that Veterans Day honors those who have served in the military, the meaning behind its exact date (November 11) may not be so familiar. Here's the backstory:

Back in 1918, in the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, a stop to hostilities was declared, ending World War I. An armistice to cease the fighting on the Western Front was signed by the Allied powers and Germany.  read more »

Few Can Avoid Deployment, Experts Say
By TAMAR LEWIN
Published: November 10, 2009

No matter how much a member of the armed services dreads being sent to a war zone, there is no easy option for an early discharge —
especially when deployment is near.

“It’s very hard,” said Eugene R. Fidell, who teaches military law at
Yale Law School and is president of the National Institute of Military Justice. “Particularly in the case of people who have received substantial and valuable training, like health providers or aviators, the military is very loath to allow people out prematurely.”

Reports that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of  read more »

Joint Statement from Under the Hood Café and the Fort Hood Chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War

Authored Nov. 6, 2009 at 11:08am

Our community is distraught by the tragic shooting at Fort Hood yesterday. We extend our condolences to the families and friends of the victims.

As upset as we are about this incident, this shooting does not come as a shock. Eight years of senseless wars have taken a huge toll on our troops and their families. It’s time to admit that the wars in southwest Asia are in no one’s best interests. Bring the troops home now!  read more »

Fort Lewis, Washington, October 9, 2009 – Veterans’ groups are reacting with alarm to reports that two Army soldiers imprisoned in the Fort Lewis Regional Correctional Facility (RCF) have been subjected to human rights abuses. Travis Bishop (recognized by Amnesty International as a “Prisoner of Conscience”) resisted deployment to Afghanistan, and Leo Church left his unit to prevent his family from going homeless. Their civilian defense attorney James M. Branum reports that they have been strip-searched while being possibly filmed. Bishop and Church have also been watched by female guards during strip searches, while using the restroom and in the showers.  read more »

by Dahr Jamail
September 28th, 2009 | T r u t h o u t
http://dahrjamailiraq.com/army-prisoners-isolated-denied-right-to-legal-...

The military's treatment of Army prisoners is "part of a broader pattern the military has of just throwing people in jail and not letting them talk to their attorneys, not let visitors come, and this is outrageous. In the civilian world even murderers get visits from their friends," according to civil defense attorney James Branum.  read more »