Some active duty troops plan to attend Saturday protest rally against Iraq war

By: LARRY MARGASAK - Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- A small number of active military troops will take part in Saturday's rally in Washington against the Iraq war, co-founders of an active-duty protest group say.

One of the founders of Appeal for Redress, Navy Petty Officer Jonathan Hutto, said he planned to speak at the protest on the National Mall. Hutto is a sailor aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, currently at Norfolk, Va.

United For Peace and Justice, an anti-war coalition of 1,400 organizations, said the protest could draw tens of thousands of demonstrators in all.


Hutto and Liam Madden, a Marine sergeant who received his discharge Jan. 20, founded Appeal for Redress, an organization of 1,200 active-duty personnel and veterans who favor a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.

Hutto said 60 percent of the members have been in Iraq operations. He said he was on the Roosevelt off Iraq from September 2005 through March 2006. Madden said he was in Anbar Province from September 2004 to February 2005.

Hutto estimated more than a dozen individuals on active duty would attend Saturday.

Cynthia O. Smith, a Defense Department spokeswoman, said members of the Armed Forces can speak out, subject to several restrictions.

They must "not do so in uniform, and must make clear that they do not speak on behalf of their military unit, service or the Department of Defense, unless they are authorized to do so," she said.

Madden, whose specialty was setting up communications systems, and Hutto, in the carrier's public information office, said they have not been threatened or harassed by their commanders.

Madden said he had justified his time in Iraq by saying "'I'm here for the guys next to me and they deserve my best effort.' It's not about the political agenda, it's about the guy next to you."

"No one wants to die for a lie," Madden said in an interview. "You don't volunteer to throw your life away. "You don't say I'm serving for nothing."

Madden, 22, from Bellows Falls, Vt., said many of his buddies who have been to Iraq wondered why they were there, even as they fought fiercely to protect each other.

"The occupation hasn't benefited the Iraqi people at all. It doesn't benefit the American people and certainly doesn't benefit American service members," he said.

Hutto, 29, originally from Atlanta, said active-duty personnel he speaks with "see a separation between the global war on terrorism and the war in Iraq. They don't see the connection."

"When we're sitting having chow, and CNN is saying so many more were killed, the look on people's faces is, 'How much longer?"'

Hutto said more than 200 officers have signed on to his organization.

"This is a very huge step for an active duty member to step out this way," he said.

Hutto said members of the military have to "make a distinction between following orders and having misgivings about those orders. I show up every day. I'm a hard worker. I was just promoted."

"I'm not an insubordinate sailor, but I am a sailor who is challenging tradition, challenging the culture."

On the Net:

Appeal for Redress: http://www.appealforredress.org/

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Comments On This Story

Note: Comments reflect the views of readers and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff.

Randy wrote on January 27, 2007 8:16 AM:"Last I heard, freedom of speech was one of those rights that individuals sign away when enlisting in the military."

Skip wrote on January 27, 2007 11:00 AM:"This story is just so Wrong!"

ATTENTION, UNDOCUMENTED MALES wrote on January 27, 2007 11:01 AM:"If you are a man ages 18 through 25 and living in the U.S., then you must register with Selective Service. It’s the law. You can register at any U.S. Post Office and do not need a social security number. Be sure to register before your 26th birthday. After that, it’s too late! Selective Service does not collect any information which would indicate whether or not you are undocumented. You want to protect yourself for future U.S. citizenship and other government benefits and programs by registering with Selective Service. Do it today! http://www.sss.gov/ "

The real story! wrote on January 27, 2007 1:03 PM:"This active duty sailoris a traitor in my eyes. And so are the rest of the cowards who stand beside him! The Marine is a disgrace!"

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