An Open Letter To Present and Future U.S. Troops

[Yoshie Furuhashi <furuhashi.1@xxxxxxx>]

Drawing the Line:
An Open Letter To Present and Future U.S. Troops

by S. Brian Willson, a Vietnam Veteran
December 2002

The United States government has admitted that in 2002 it has placed
military forces at one time or another in at least 180 of the world's
210 nations, and articulated its intentions to place ground, air, and
marine forces in virtually every land, air and sea space in the
world. Thus, it is incumbent upon men and women in the armed forces,
or those interested in joining same, to be well trained in
international and U.S. Constitutional law, and versed in the history
and customs of local people around the world whom you will be
encountering.

From my personal experience as an air force ground officer in
Vietnam's Mekong Delta in 1969, and from talking to numerous veterans
from various wars over the years, there is a consensus that we were
not sufficiently briefed on the laws of war or the cultural
circumstances into which we were placed. Because we were located in
and around civilian communities, we were subjected to numerous
situations in which we personally aided or participated in prohibited
war crimes (murder or ill-treatment of civilians and prisoners of
war, plunder of public or private property, etc.), crimes against
peace (planning, preparation, initiation or waging a war of
aggression or conspiracy to do the same), and crimes against humanity
(murder or general abuse of civilians carried out in execution of
crimes against peace or war crimes). The above three categories
comprise the essence of the Nuremberg Principles. One of the
regretful aspects to living in a relatively isolated culture that
takes pride in its "manifest destiny" is that our citizenry often
simply cannot readily understand the thoughts, history, and mores of
people living in other lands. You will discover this to be a
disadvantage when exposed to other populations.

Furthermore, we were promised that any wounds or illnesses suffered
during our military service would be fully treated and cured if
possible. Many U.S. veterans have left the military suffering from a
myriad of serious wounds and debilitating illnesses: thousands of
Atomic veterans; an unknown number subjected to chemical and
biological warfare testing with others subjected to CIA mind control
experiments; two or three million Vietnam veterans exposed to
chemical warfare Agents Orange, Blue and White; and several hundred
thousand Gulf War I veterans suffering from what is called Gulf War
syndrome. Although many of these veterans have received adequate
medical care, a surprising number to this day have in fact not been
acknowledged or properly cared for.

For example, to date nearly 10,000 Gulf War I veterans have already
died. Over 250,000 of the 696,000 U.S. troops in Iraq during Gulf War
I, or 36 percent, have sought medical treatment for disabilities
related to their experiences. The VA finally granted 160,000 claims
for "Gulf War Syndrome" as of May 2002, but has refused many other
complaints denying their connection to military service. Many
ex-soldiers attribute their illnesses to untested vaccinations
ostensibly given them by the military for prevention of potential
sickness, and from exposure to the 320 tons of depleted (half)
uranium (D-U or U-238) utilized in Iraq which emits primarily alpha
radiation that possesses a half-life of 4.5 billion years, while
producing a toxic heavy metal dust in the form of uranium oxide that
is wind- and water-carried in the air and soil. A British Parliament
report using alleged U.S. data suggests that the U.S. is prepared to
use 1,500 tons of D-U in Iraq in Gulf War II. Medical reports from
southern Iraq since Gulf War I suggest that the staggering rise in
cancers, leukemia among children, and birth defects, among other
illnesses, is caused by exposure to D-U. This does not bode well for
any persons exposed to D-U. Because of its indiscriminate, continuing
lethal effects on non-combatants (as well as ex-combatants), i.e., a
weapon of mass destruction, the U.N Human Rights Commission and a
number of scientists and lawyers have identified it as a prohibited
weapon in defiance of international law.

A blow was dealt to veterans on November 19, 2002, when a federal
appeals court ruled that the government does not owe free lifetime
medical care to a number of World War II and Korean War veterans
despite promises made by recruiters. And earlier in 2002 U. S.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Anthony J. Principi, ordered VA
medical facilities to discontinue active marketing of health-care
enrollment to the veterans population due to lack of adequate
Congressional appropriations. That the government expects plenty of
casualties in the impending war in Iraq and perhaps elsewhere is
highlighted by the fact that it recently placed a massive order for
all available refrigerated containers for shipping bodies of dead
soldiers home from the Middle East.

In hindsight, many veterans wish they had been offered a more
informed perspective on the military and war than that provided by
military recruiters prior to making such an important decision as to
whether to "serve" in the military or not. Over the years veterans
have discovered that many recruiters never experienced the harsh
realities of war and combat. If this remains the case, many veterans
believe they are not sufficiently experienced to offer an authentic
perspective.

All members of the U.S. armed forces must abide by the provisions of
U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10 (1956), The Law of Land Warfare,
especially note paragraphs 498-511. Your training should include
study of this manual. The crux of these provisions is that military
personnel are bound to obey only lawful orders as the manual sets
forth, abiding by what the government considers international rules
on the law of war. The provisions have incorporated the Hague
Convention (1907), relating to treatment of captured combatants and
conduct in captured cities/villages and undefended locations, the
Geneva Conventions (1929, 1949), relating to protection of civilians,
treatment of prisoners and the sick and wounded, and the Nuremberg
Principles (1946, 1950), mentioned above.

In Vietnam, practically every order in the field directed to ground
or air forces in the area of my tour of duty involved destroying
civilian targets or murdering and maiming civilian personnel. Though
most of us were not brought to account for these crimes because of
the general impunity we "enjoyed" from our superiors who were also
extraordinarily liable, it has not escaped our consciences or
psyches. Perhaps a million or more Vietnam veterans suffer from
symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that continue to
plague us to this day, more than 30 years after our traumatic
experiences. Furthermore, committing this kind of prohibited behavior
greatly contributes to a growing worldwide rage directed against the
United States that likely will explode in the future. In the broader
context, it would be extremely helpful to explore the motivations
behind the 9/11 tragedy, especially in relation to people's feelings
about how they experience the effects of past U.S. policies.

Superior orders are no excuse for violating the laws of war, though
they may be considered in mitigation of punishment. Each soldier must
know what is or is not a war crime, a crime against peace, or a crime
against humanity. Killing of civilians is explicitly prohibited, and
you will likely face civilians, some of whom may be armed, as they
struggle to defend themselves and their homes as innocent parties in
international disputes. You will be obligated to disobey orders if
directed to fire any weapon toward civilians or civilian targets,
including communities and their normal infrastructure facilities. You
are also prohibited from mistreating any civilians or their property.
You must disobey any order if you believe that order violates the
laws of war. This is an extremely important responsibility, the
successful performance of which will build tremendous personal
character and assure honorable soldiering.

Sincerely,

S. Brian Willson, former Captain, USAF, Vietnam, 1969
J.D., LL.D.(Hon.)

For More Information:

* Legal representation: Citizen Soldier, 267 Fifth Ave., #901, New
York, NY 10016; www.citizen-soldier.org; (212) 679-2250
* G.I. Rights Hotline: (800) 394-9544
* Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft, P.O. Box 15195, San
Diego, CA 92175; (619) 265-1369; comd@xxxxxxxxxx
* Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors (CCCO), 1515 Cherry
St., Philadelphia, PA 19102; or CCCO, 630 20th St., Suite 302,
Oakland, CA 94612; (888) 236-2226
* Depleted Uranium: (1) National Gulf War Resource Center (NGWRC);
(800) 882-1316, Ext. 162; www.ngwrc.org; (2) Discounted Casualties:
The Human Cost of Depleted Uranium by Akira Tashiro (2001). Japan:
The Chugoku Shimbun. Available through Transnet, P.O. Box 8867,
Atlanta, GA 31106; (404) 898-0586; leeps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx; (3) Metal of
Dishonor: Depleted Uranium, ed. by Depleted Uranium Education Project
(1997). NY: IAC. Available thru IAC, 39 West 14th St., #206, New
York, NY 10011; (212) 633-6646; iacenter@xxxxxxxxxxxx; (4) Don't
Look: Don't Find by Dan Fahey (Gulf War veteran). Available from
NGWRC (see above).

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