DEPARTMENTS
ANTI-WAR
DEATH PENALTY
ELECTIONS
ENVIRONMENT
GLBT ISSUES
HEMP
INTERNATIONAL
NATIONAL
REVIEWS
|
Departments National Issues Semper why? Join the Marines, spit up blood. Talk about a military that's strained to the breaking point. They're enforcing stop-loss orders, calling up the reserves, extending the enlistment age (in a recent spoof of a recruitment ad on "The Daily Show," doddering oldsters were lured to sign up with the phrase, "Remember, when you have a gun in your hands, they have to listen to your stories"). This is the paradox of waging an unpopular, morally ambiguous war. What happened to 19-year-old Lance Cpl. Matt Solowynsky at the beginning of this year shows another aspect of the strain. The process of dehumanizing the enemy - the sine qua non of every war in human history, and crushingly obvious when a war grinds on without a clear strategic objective - sooner or later backs up on itself. Part of the toxic waste of war embeds itself in the emotions and the soul of the combatants. That Guantanamo energy, that gusto to terrorize helpless detainees, to humiliate unarmed civilians, isn't so easily contained, and begins corrupting the whole system. When a designated enemy isn't available, anyone - a new recruit, say - will do. "He didn't do anything but be a gung-ho Marine," said Tod Ensign of Citizen Soldier (citizen-soldier.org), the organization that eventually came to Solowynsky's aid. Indeed, he was the highest ranked recruit in his class when he graduated from Marine Corps Basic Training last September. How odd that, a few months later, he was AWOL, fleeing Camp Pendleton, Calif., as though he were a POW. The psychiatrist he saw a short while later called his flight "by far, his most responsible option." And, according to his lawyer, Louis Font, Solowynsky was well within his rights, under the Universal Code of Military Justice, to do what he did. If he has a court-martial trail - he surrendered to the Marines at Quantico, Va., on Aug. 22 - his defense will be his right to leave an abusive situation. All the new guys were subject to harassment, but Solowynsky says he was singled out because of his high rank, which the other men in the company, who were just back from Iraq, didn't think he deserved. Still, until the day he left the base, he was determined to make it in the Corps no matter how much they dished out. C'mon, this is the Marines. Dishing out is what they do. "I was hit, choked and slapped," he told his psychiatrist, according to a subsequent report. "I was grabbed and thrown against the wall. I was hit open-handed across the back of the head by almost everybody in my company. A buddy and I were attacked by senior Marines. They threatened to f--- me up. From when I woke up to when I went to bed I had to live with it. I didn't resist. . . . "Everything I did was wrong. In particular, I was harassed by (a sergeant), who told me I don't deserve my rank. He did a lot of the hitting, sometimes when drunk. I didn't resist. "In addition, I felt isolated and trapped because I couldn't talk to anybody about my situation. I couldn't go to my superior because it was my superior who was beating me. I couldn't speak to his superior because it is unacceptable to skip over someone in the chain of command in order to make a complaint. I had even asked to go to Iraq with another unit. I would have chosen to stand guard in the sun all day for seven months just to get away." Still, Solowynsky was prepared to handle all this. He was prepared to handle the 24-hour guard posts, the weekend confinements to barracks. What he was not prepared to handle, however, was the "IV training class" he had one Monday morning, which followed 24-hour guard duty. "I was taking notes - looking down at my notes - and a senior Marine thought I was asleep. He slapped me on the back of my head," Solowynsky told me. The next thing he knew, someone was demonstrating needle insertion on him. "The first time I got a blood clot in my right arm. (The sergeant) then said that I had to have it done to me again. This guy did it to me in my left arm with a needle he had dropped to the ground three times. It was abusive, and I lost a lot of blood." When class ended, "We had to go on a run and I started coughing. I coughed up some blood." And that, it turns out, was all he could take. The point of putting up with the abuse suddenly vanished. He knew if he stayed he'd have to fight back, a no-win situation for sure. He was trapped in a nightmare and took the only option he had left. "I grabbed my backpack and civilian clothes and got in my car and drove home," he said. It was the end of Solowynsky's brief military career. I know, this is just one desertion story out of thousands. There are others with more political clarity - Army 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, the highest-ranking officer (so far) to refuse deployment to Iraq, recently had his "Article 32," or pre-court-martial, hearing - but the unfolding saga of Matt Solowynsky, the gung-ho Marine, shines a terrible light on things. Sometimes we wrest the idealism from our young and turn them into the enemy, as though we don't have enough enemies. --- Robert Koehler, an award-winning, Chicago-based journalist, is an editor at Tribune Media Services and nationally syndicated writer. You can respond to this column at bkoehler@tribune.com or visit his Web site at commonwonders.com. © 2006 Tribune Media Services, Inc. |
|
Recent National Issues Articles The ethics of Palestinian resistance And the Empire Mourned . . . Dissecting the Big Lie A 'vast carelessness' - the president's and ours Gerald Ford’s historic mistake New year's utopianism needed fast Obama scores as exotic who says nothing Ignorant armies The GOP, butterflies' wings and the withering of empire: could your climax be the decider? If you don't try, you'll never know Announcement of candidacy for President of the United States Call me Ebenezer, but Christmas as we know it needs to go..... Intolerable questions: the search for the heart of New Orleans, part II Dear Mr. O’Reilly, THIS is culture: the search for the heart of New Orleans, part III Hillary Clinton and my Visa bill The Tin Man Challenge: Overcoming technology without Heart Bread, bread, everywhere, yet not a morsel to eat O come let us adore them: treasuring our American values of greed, self-interest, and enlightened oppression Blood fatigue Blind obedience to the canons of capitalism: of sick societies, American Dalits, and a nation of Lady Macbeths The peace majority U.S. v. Bush Milton lost: can we regain paradise? Progressive caucus rising: this election was no victory for centrists Rumsfield replacement (Robert Gates) was director of voting company Is there meth in Ted Haggard's heaven? The politics of hope Corrode your conformity: Big Brother doesn't practice fraternal love Grassroots matching grants: my five minutes as a donor The trek down to N’Orleans: home to hotel in a couple of bounds: the search for the heart of New Orleans, part I Peace Activists Arrested on Grounds of U.S. Capitol Foley's meltdown - the seductions of clicking Naked and afraid Piercing the simulacrum: Of faux democracy, petty tyrants, and painful realities The genius of John Nichols The arrogant, the misguided, and the cowards Mommy, what's waterboarding? Nuclear winter, global warming, or impeachment Here's why it's personal Reclaiming Omelas The brilliantly profitable timing of the Alaska oil pipeline shutdown My city, our president and exploiting 9/11 Palast charged with journalism in the first degree 9-11 compromise - the mini-series The fugitive girl act The year the levees broke Semper why? The smell of fear Cynthia McKinney's election night remarks Bush versus the Constitution The Lamont victory -- next steps for citizens Bush heir cut: Awards tax break to son of an Astor Where were you when they took your rights away? Chicago City Council passes living wage bill Conservatives and conscience They don't call it the "White" House for nothing Kansas Attorney General is Bush’s kind of guy Containing the military industrial complex Kinks among us: contemplations on pride and democracy Republican Congressman says Bush should be removed from office It's time Democrats aggressively play the terrorism card Cindy Sheehan to move Camp to National Mall Joe Lieberman's loyalties So much for "We'll Get bin Laden Dead or Alive" The Supreme Court issues a stinging blow to Bush. Score one for the little guy. Has this country gone completely insane? A line in the sand: why the Busby/Bilbray election and their voting machine "sleepovers" matter (or should) to the entire nation Bush at the tipping point: a lawless and incompetent leadership Shushing the big money The startling contrast betweeen Dems and Repugs this fall The strange case of San Diego's: lazy independents, self-destructive Minutemen, and closet Libertarian, voters Support the troops Gathering to demand the truth about 9/11 Building green websites Nine state Democratic parties back impeachment: Whose table is it, Nancy? Photo essay: Poverty and homelessness in San Francisco Safe passage on the Earth Why John Kerry is going to have it tougher the second time around Eleven excellent reasons not to join the military Another Swiss cheese Gore denial that leaves the door wide open for 2008. Who's he kidding? Bush pal says gay marriage is nothing more than a political issue for the Prez American capitalism and the moral poverty of nations Twenty-fifth anniversary of first reported case of AIDS a time to recommit to the fight Uproar downwind Last Call FTC and credit reporting reform -- or the next wave of multi-district national class actions Lay convicted, Bush walks (and Ahnold gets Lay'd) Used the phone lately? Worried? Enron's good fight So, how WOULD a Patriot Act? Shadow America When Ahnold Got Lay'd…and California got Screwed Blocking justice Fighting back in the language war and winning elections Immigration: Myths and Reality Let's raise gas taxes and lower income taxes Bush beats out Nixon: Least liked President ever The spies who shag us: The Times and USA Today have Missed the Bigger Story -- Again Divine strake Divine strake RNC attack on John Conyers demands action from Democrats Act now, pray later Impeach Cheney first Crossing the border The Bush administration and Wall Street – Two peas in a pod The "New Totalitarianism" now defines a desperate neo-con end game Rove's status as "Official A" spells indictment The FEMA gap Have a Koch and a smile: free markets and property rights Trump humanity and the environment! We are the deciders Out of the shadows -- the Seattle immigration march The beloved Cynthia McKinney: a White ex-cop speaks out about a Georgia Congresswoman An interview with fifteen term Congressman Andy Jacobs A Message from Dennis Kucinich Democracy be damned - Republicans need another war Loser nation Censure movement catching fire Gangster government: a leaky president afoul of 'Little Rico' The real problem with Bush's leak Public energy is misdirected An interview with Norman Birnbaum What’s really scary about the “new religious right” and their politics Fitzgerald will seek new White House indictments Housing cuts for the poor, tax cuts for the rich The definition of insanity House leader not home when peace knocks Just a Thought Americans call Bush "Incompetent, Idiot, Liar" Most Democratic senators fail as presidential candidates The age of anxiety redux National Lawyers Guild calls for the impeachment of South Dokota Governor Michael Rounds for signing anti-abortion legislation Libby attorneys identify CIA officials in Plame leak True to its history, FBI is still violating civil liberties On the executive branch and war powers, continued Obstruction trial may jog Libby's memory A powerful new voting block emerges: The anti-war movement becoming a political force that cannot be ignored Beating a dead horse Did Bush make mistakes in good faith? Hungering for justice at my first congressional testimony You know it’s hard out here being pimped: Thoughts Hustlin’ and Flowin’ in my mind Chicago pro-immigrant, anti-HR4437 rally CIA leak path: Cheney, Libby, Woodward Detroit's other Super Bowl Carnival Post-Katrina Port insecurities In the spirit of Lysistrata Details emerge in latest round of plame emails ‘found’ by the White House 15 arrested at White House torture protest Bush and Gandhi NY Times bungles coverage of AP video which proves Bush lied about breached levees White House ‘discovers’ 250 emails related to Plame leak Time to disband Homeland security and renew democracy Huge march planned for eve of Katrina evictions Bush violated the law on port sale Check your conscience at the door: we're building an empire NSC, Cheney aides conspired to out CIA operative Bush, Republicans, and Judas Priest: Breaking the law, breaking the law For whom does the Secret Service's bell toll? Guns don't shoot people--Vice Presidents do Impeachment could be the Democrats' best get-out-the-vote message DINO stands for "Democrats In Name Only" Founding Fathers, baseball, apple pie, and impeachment Road to peace goes through Santa Cruz Pogo was right The Republican talk radio “big lie” Gonzales withholding Plame emails The Nader effect The most incredible thing about Cheney's shooting The polite majority Debating impeachment among Democrats Removing Attorney General Gonzales What really happened back at the ranch The Bush pattern of deception continues Cheney spearheaded effort to discredit Wilson Give peace a vote What every Jew should know about new House Majority Leader John Boehner New discoveries about the Lucasville uprising Brown calls President's '07 budget "morally reprehensible" U.S. detention camps for political subversives Bring regime change home Evolution is intelligently designed: Social Darwinism, silver spoons, and our emperor’s call to arms to sustain the rich Cindy Sheehan terrorizes Bush and his trained clapping seals at the State of Disunion speech "Fixed" intelligence from Feith's "Gestapo Office" the CIA and the Bush administration's impeachable lies about Iraq's prewar links to al Qaeda Enron: The Bush Administration's first scandal What an idiot! Being a national activist Responses to State of the Union Address The State of the Union: Blah, blah, blah (Yawn) Bush & Cheney Are The Great "Protectors?" Give Us a F***king Break Rev. Jesse Jackson mourns Coretta Scott King What we didn't hear tonight Eggs Roll, Eyes Roll Unfathomed dangers in Patriot Act reauthorization Halliburton's Sleeze Relevant Saint Alito and Roberts: Evasion Confirmed Open letter to members of the US Senate Judiciary Committee How Dick Cheney used the NSA for domestic spying pre-9/11 The war on dissent gets creepy The polite majority NASA ready for the worst, response will be prompt if Atlas 5 explodes Woolsey's way to peace Bush and Republicans vs. rule of law Dr. King: Drum Major for Justice Filibuster Bush, impeach Alito Filibuster evasion Poll: Americans support impeaching Bush for wiretapping Birth of awareness Anti-war group has documents proving NSA spied on them Pants on Fire: The Liars of the Bush Administration will take the world down in flames if we let them Fitzgerald maintains focus on Rove but attorney says 'Architect' not a target It's been a long trek since Nov. 2, 2004 -- now getting shorter Man of the Year: Patrick Fitzgerald Another unqualified Bush appointment A peace movement demanding the rule of law On Martin Luther King Day: giving ourselves to the struggle Forum with Congressmen Moran and Murtha packs hall, 500 turned away Primal smirk A new year’s message from Ramsey Clark Extraordinary circumstances indeed ImpeachPAC forms Citizens Impeachment Commission Go to the light! Can Cheney save Bush's presidency? Read National Issues Articles by Year: |
FREE PRESS EMAIL UPDATE
FOLLOW US ON
twitter
facebook
SEARCH THE FREEPRESS
1021 E. Broad St. Columbus, OH 43205 | 614.253.2571 | truth@freepress.org
All content © 1970-2012 The Columbus Free Press
Disclaimer