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Peace Action Empowers GI’s with Their Rights

It was a hot day in late May when 30 Peace Action activists jumped in their cars and converged at Fort Dix, NJ. It was a diverse mix; high school students and Vietnam veterans and everything in-between. This was just one of the many outings for the women and men of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) who facilitated the outreach trip.

Peace Action was represented by members of our national staff and members of our chapter in Upper Hudson New Jersey. This was no ordinary peace mission. GI outreach, especially on a base, is both emotionally and legally sensitive; but, for the people gathered that day it is an essential aspect of our strategy to end the occupation.

Each of our 4 groups carried only the necessities: GI rights factsheet dotted with references to military regulations which empower soldiers who want to speak out; a copy of the IVAW newsletter; and, an invitation to a BBQ. There were no signs or t-shirts with catchy slogans; there was no media to cover our actions. We spread out near base to entryways, restaurants, and stores looking for active duty soldiers. The mission was not to impress upon them our beliefs and vision for the world; our mission was to empower them to speak out about their own.

This type of GI outreach was a pivotal aspect of the successful opposition to the Vietnam War. By giving soldiers the tools to resist we empower a perspective sorely missing from the U.S. conversation about this war – the perspective of the soldiers who oppose it.

One such soldier is Matthis Chiroux who was honorably discharged from the Army in 2007 after five years of service, but he received orders in February 2008 to return to active duty for deployment to Iraq.

On Sunday, June 15th, the day he was due to report for active duty, Matthis stood with his father and supporters in DC and reaffirmed that he is refusing his orders on the grounds that the Iraq war is illegal and unconstitutional.
Activists from all over the East Coast are joining this peace mission and the plan is to have a weekly presence. If you would like to be involved in this campaign please contact Peace Action.