Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, November 2007, pages 53-54
Human Rights
Iraq Veteran Stands Guard Over National Mall
PRIVATE FIRST CLASS Evan Knappenberger stood watch from his guard tower on Sunday, Aug. 26. Although the 22-year-old soldier already had pulled some 97 nights on guard during his year-long tour in Iraq, his shift that day was like no other. This time, when Knappenberger donned his uniform and took his post, he did so to demonstrate in a 7-day, 24-hour vigil on the National Mall in Washington, DC against the U.S. military’s retention policy, the stop-loss program.
Like so many men and women before him, the 22-year-old former intelligence analyst served his nation for four years in the U.S. Army. In the course of fulfilling his duties—which consisted of 12-hour shifts, 7 days a week for up to 6 months at a time—Knappenberger grew disheartened with the administration’s military personnel policies. After receiving his honorable discharge in April 2007, the young veteran decided to become an advocate for his fellow soldiers and “address the wrongs being done to them and their families.”
One of the issues that most concerned Knappenberger was the military’s stop-loss policy, which can hold servicemen and women beyond their contracted length of service. “Many of the friends I served with have completed their Active Duty contracts,” he said. “Now, they’re being sent back to Iraq for their third or fourth tours. Tours have been extended from 12 months to up to 18 months. Some soldiers are getting called up after living years of civilian life.”
The U.S. military has justified the stop-loss practice through a clause in all service contracts which states: “In the event of war, my enlistment in the Armed Forces continues until six months after the war ends, unless my enlistment is ended sooner by the President of the United States.” The issue remains highly controversial, however, with many arguing that enlisted soldiers are taken advantage of or even outright misled.
A number of protesters who joined Knappenberger highlighted different problems caused by stop-loss. According to Sergeant Adam Kokesh, recruitment officers often fail to provide potential candidates with a fair explanation of their 48-page contract. Furthermore, according to Sergeant Geoffrey Millard of the DC chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War, the simple threat of stop-loss is enough to coerce soldiers into re-enlisting against their better judgment.
Millard himself was put in such a predicament. The sergeant claimed that in addition to being threatened with a stop-loss order if he refused to renew his active duty contract, he was offered $1,500 to sign up immediately. Given the choice between being sent to Iraq with compensation and being sent to Iraq without anything (or facing imprisonment upon rejection of a stop-loss order), Millard opted to re-enlist—a decision the two-time veteran now regrets.
Tina Richards, the mother of Iraq veteran Corporal Cloy Richards of the U.S. Marine Corps, also spoke at the rally. She became an active opponent of stop-loss after her son was selected to be reactivated and sent to Iraq for a third tour. Richards’ story is particularly brutal—for more than a year and a half, she watched her son struggle with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). His condition led the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs to certify him “80 percent disabled,” a status which nonetheless could not prevent his being summoned to duty.
Knappenberger’s vigil, which was supported by several organizations—including the Washington Peace Center, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Grassroots America, and Whatcom Peace & Justice Center—follows a successful 8-day/7-night Tower Guard stint in Bellingham, WA. His action is part of a month-long campaign of anti-war, pro-veteran protests which took place in Washington, DC and around the U.S.
—Farrah Zughni
