09/15/07

I would like to thank Veteran's For Peace for giving me the opportunity to share with you today.

I am an Air Force Mom. My son, Staff Sgt. Benjamin W. Stein, a bio-inorganic Chemist and Flight Line Mechanic is on orders for deployment in Iraq. On the one hand I appear here today as a terrified mother, in fear for my son's life during this upcoming deployment. On the other, I speak as a life long pacifist and activist. I am often bewildered by my status as a pacifist and a military mother.  I take pride in my son's choice to protect the Constitution of the United States. He has inherited my commitment to this country and exercises that commitment in his own way. He is also proud of my choice to protect our constitution by being here today. In our family these are not contradictory paths but instead reflect the true spirit of democracy.

During Ben's youth, I was a single mother and poor.  Like many poor families we did not have the money for extra curricular activities like boy scouts and sports. As many good children in inner cities find there are few choices when there is no money. Jr ROTC offered Ben opportunities for sports, travel and most importantly a place where Ben could express his commitment to action within his community. Jr. ROTC was, and still is, the only option for many poor youth who want to stay busy, assist the community, develop leadership skills, and stay out of gangs.  Ben excelled there. ROTC was an honorable experience for Ben, it led, naturally to his commitment to military service.

What Jr. ROTC did not prepare Ben, and so many others for, is the reality of the Iraq conflict. This is not simply that stateside service doesn’t prepare young men for the realities of war, this is about our young and old soldiers alike being placed in a wartime situation so ill-conceived by our leaders that it is destined to fail. Democracy is not created at the point of a gun. The sad fact is that our soldiers are on the ground learning everyday that no matter how much good they do, it isn’t enough to overcome the failure of leadership at the top.
This is a statement by Matt Howard, Iraq Veteran and member of Iraq Veterans Against the War:
The surge will not correct the faults in the occupation of Iraq. We are there with no defined mission, no end goal, and no indication of how long this will take. This war has been a series of lies and illusions, meant to lure the American people into supporting the overall policy of international aggression that has been the hallmark of this administration. The surge is not working, and indeed it cannot work. War will never accomplish peace. It is time for the American people to call on their leaders to hold this administration accountable, and allow the Iraqi people to govern themselves without American influence. Stop the surge, end the occupation and bring our brothers and sisters home now.

     It is my belief that the high rate of PTSD suffered by returning veterans has much to do with the disillusionment encountered when our honorable servicemen and women are faced with this reality day after interminable day.  The contradiction between honor and democratic values as understood by members of the armed forces and the travesty that they are being asked to participate in is too much to bear for many of them. 
Our family members in military service have sworn an oath … and I quote,
to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice"

How can our troops be expected to honor and defend our constitution when our leaders do not.
The Air Force core values are taken seriously by my son.  Integrity first, Service before self and Excellence in all we do. For the Air Force Core Values program to be effective, those values must be linked to the oath taken when entering military service, says Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff, Special Assistant to the Air Force Secretary and Chief of Staff for Values and Vision.
He states:
Integrity means we've taken an oath that says we will obey the orders of our superiors. We have as much responsibility not to obey an illegal or immoral order as we have to obey one that is legal or moral. We have the responsibility to speak up if we think the judgment or orders are not wise. If they are legal and moral then it is a matter of integrity and service before self to follow them." 

When Secretary Wynne of the Air Force sent a letter to all USAF Airmen, he included most of the text of a letter by the Rabbi that I have just quoted from, sadly he took the teeth out of the Rabbi’s remarks. by neglecting to include the line about a service members responsibility not to obey an illegal or immoral order. This is not particularly surprising as the top brass have typically been in lockstep with the administration regarding the war, and if they are not in agreement with the way this war is being prosecuted they have either resigned or been forced into early retirement. To me, this is a sad reflection on the weakening of the relationship between the Armed Services Core Values and the basic tenets of our democracy.

This War Does Not Make you Safer.
Nearly 4,000 Americans have been killed in Iraq. Five times that number have suffered horrible wounds, seen and unseen. The rate of 30% returning Vietnam vets with PTSD is expected to be surpassed by as much as 20% with our returning Iraq Vets.  Loved ones have been lost, dreams denied. Children will grow up without fathers and mothers. 110 Iraqis were killed each day during the month of  July. The World Health Organization estimates 600,000 Iraqi civilians have lost their lives, countless more have been wounded.  The Afghan terrorist group Al-Qaeda is benefiting by of our occupation of Iraq, increasing its recruiting of Islamists to the jihadi cause.

• Christian Broadcasting Network reported growth of al-Qaeda in Morocco and other Islamic counties of Africa.

• Reuters Reports-- Sunnis radicalized by brutal U.S. tactics and disillusioned mainstream insurgents are swelling the ranks of Al Qaeda
• A NATO report states--  U.S. intelligence community said Osama bin Laden's militant network, which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, had gained strength and become entrenched in northwestern Pakistan.
• The Christian Science Monitor states-- the turmoil in Iraq has replaced conflict in Afghanistan as the chief recruiter of international jihadis.
• Evan Kohlmann, an American terrorism consultant is quoted by Reuters "--America and its allies are now facing a multi-front war: In Iraq,; in Europe, and we’re seeing an increase in admirers of Al Qaeda on the Internet, among Muslims worldwide.

THIS WAR DOES NOT MAKE YOU SAFER.
During the General Patreus Hearings,  Senator Joseph Leiberman told General Patreaus that Military families will be thrilled that 30,000 troops will be redeploying [stateside] in July.  Senator Leiberman, this Military Family will not be thrilled until all the US Forces are home from Iraq and getting the services they need and deserve.

I am a military mother, proud of my sons desire to serve his country. I am not proud of this country’s current leadership.  My son returns to Iraq in less then 30 days. I cannot express the fear and indignation and sadness that I feel as my child leaves, yet again, to put his life on the line for this illegal, unconstitutional occupation.
Military Families are not falling for the President’s spin campaign.
It’s time for the people at the top to remember the Air Force Core Values that my son lives by, Integrity first, Service before self, and Excellence in all we do.