Please be in solidarity with those protesting deployment of wounded soldiers to Iraq.

[readmoreoften]

The protest will be happening today in Texas.

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(shared on various blogs and facebook)

Activists converge today at Fort Hood opposing 3rd ACR deployment

Col. Allen expected to deploy wounded Soldiers, says local peace community

Local activists will rally at the East Gate of Fort Hood today at 5 p.m. in opposition to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment’s August deployment to Afghanistan.

Demonstrators will gather at 4 p.m at the Under the Hood Cafe, located at 17 S. College St. in Killeen, before marching to the rally location at Rancier and Fort Hood St. The marchers are calling particular attention to the 3rd ACR’s reputation of deploying Soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain injury, among other physical disabilities.

Attending the rally will be Veterans of the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, military family members, active-duty servicemembers and other local activists. Bobby Whittenberg, former Marine, Purple Heart recipient and an organizer of the rally said marchers are standing in solidarity with the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, and troops being deployed against their wills.

“We need to send a strong message that these wars and occupations are wrong, and that officers sending Soldiers in need of medical care into combat is wrong, too,” said Whittenberg. “Unfortunately in the military, this is standard operating procedure.”

This latest demonstration comes less than a month after a prior demonstration at the East Gate of Fort Hood opposing the wars. As the latest outrage unfolds in response to the 91,000 documents leaked by Wikileaks detailing numerous human rights violations in Afghanistan, activity in the local peace community is surging, with similar demonstrations planned for the near future.

“Things are getting even more unsettled as Obama drives us deeper into this occupation,” said Cynthia Thomas, manager at the Under the Hood Cafe. “People around here know we will pay the real price for these policies. The fact that they’re sending people back that have already paid is atrocious. We march for our families; the people we love.”

[ixion]

1. considering I don't think ANY US military should ever have been deployed there

I'm all for not sending any more troops in that direction.

However, all this talk about 'combat' is rubbish. It's a hostile occupation, nothing more.

[hobbit709]

2. Exactly on both counts.

Bring them all home NOW!

[democrank]

3. K & R

[readmoreoften]

4. It's also wrong to send people into hostile occupation with traumatic brain injury.

A good number of the troops at Ft. Hood are caught in an economic draft. Moreover, once they sign up, they're now called back for 8 years without an ability to escape. What looks like a college education to a kid of 18, often looks like a violent occupation to a 26 year old. But once you're in, your personal decision making days are over. A lot of enlisted men and women hate this war as much as we do. They know it's bullshit--hell, they have first-hand personal experience. But their choices are leave and lose everything (GI Bill, honorable discharge, paycheck, housing) and face jail time or deploy to wherever they're sent. If they're being sent against their will--especially while having PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and military sexual assault trauma--this is also a victimization.