Iraq War Veteran James Circello: All Out on March 21

The United States did not send soldiers to the Middle East to pass out food, propane or medical supplies. And U.S. soldiers were not sent to Iraq to build schools or hospitals. The United States sent soldiers to the Middle East to brutally occupy and suppress entire nations of Arabs and Muslims.  The United States sent soldiers to the Middle East to humiliate the entire region, after forcing it to suffer for decades.

I was one of those soldiers. A member of an organization that has one mission—and that mission is to seize land by force and if it must—to kill anyone that resists its will. I deserted the U.S. Army in April 2007 unable to continue participating in these occupations.  And here I am today—helping to organize a national demonstration in Washington, D.C.

This is why I am marching. Not just for the millions who have died and the millions who have been driven from their lands in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine, but for every victim of U.S. imperialism across the globe. To include the nearly 2.5 million U.S. families that are losing their homes every day while the U.S. government spends $12 billion each month on its criminal wars.

We can’t lay the responsibility to end these occupations on the new president of the United States. It is appropriate to recognize this historic event—an African American sitting at the highest seat of power in the country. But we have to understand that Democrats and Republicans seek the same goals. Their tactics and strategies may be different, but in the long term both parties are fighting for the same goal. 

President Obama has already launched air strikes into Pakistan—a country that the United States has not even declared war with. He has signed orders for 17,000 soldiers and marines to be shipped off to Afghanistan to increase the violence on the Afghan people. There is no sign that he will end the war in Iraq. Billions are being spent while the people in America lose their jobs and homes, and prices for education skyrocket. This is not change. This is not even the illusion of change. This is the same terrorism that the United States has practiced for hundreds of years. This is why it’s vital we continue our struggle against these occupations.

I encourage everyone to do as much as you can and join me in Washington D.C., on March 21 to say loudly and clearly: From Iraq to Afghanistan to Palestine, occupation is a crime.

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