Stop the Loss

I want to introduce an article written by Richard Whittaker called Stop the Loss: Austin Veterans Turn Away from Iraq and War. He tells the story of a soldier named Casey Porter who no longer believes in fighting the war. He realized, while in training, that he made a mistake. Although he wants to turn away, Porter explains that it is his duty to finish the contract. Instead, he begins to make video tapes of the awful and cruel realities of the war. He claims that there is no sense in being there (Iraq), “…you're patrolling these roads that you don't care about, and the people on that road really don't want you there.” He wants to impact the public with the truth about the war that the media isn’t showing. He wants to give future soldiers a chance at a different perspective, allowing them to make a more definite decision. “I need to expose people to what they’re not seeing.” In addition, Porter talks about the process of making the films, the people’s (in the film) reaction, and the fear he faces in making them.

Whittaker also writes about two other soldiers, Benjamin Hart Viges and Ronn Cantu, and their experiences as a veteran. He also addresses the many tactics, aka tricks, the government uses to reel people into enlisting, as well as forcing them to stay. Why won’t other soldiers speak up? This is best described by Ronn Cantu, a veteran living in Austin:

"If you get anything less than an honorable discharge or get jail time, that can really ruin your future," he said. "The military attracts recruits by selling hope. They tell them: 'We can make your life better. You need a steady job, and we can give you a steady job, with security.' Nobody enlists to make their life worse. Nobody holds their hand up to take that oath thinking they're going to go to jail something they don't believe in." That's something that radical anti-war activists don't understand, he said. "The people that tell you to go AWOL aren't offering you a job at the same time."

For the obvious reasons, I believe this article is very important because it speaks about the many things an average American does not want to hear. We all want to believe that this battle our heroic soldiers are fighting is for the best, for the good, that it is something we cannot do without. Political officials involved as well as citizens need to undertake three questions: Is this truly a fight for freedom, or could this be a fight for power? Are the lives and the damage we are leaving on the world truly worth it? And, is manipulation and deceit something to be proud of? The manipulation involved in enlisting a soldier needs to be known. The horrific acts being done in Iraq and many other nations need to be known. The waste of life, money, and effort needs to stop. More people need to speak up.