From Sniper To War Resister: My Journey
Two months ago, I took a stand that changed my life forever. As a Soldier, a JVB Protective Service Agent, and a Sniper with the Army who had been in Iraq for a year (running over 250 combat missions), I refused to continue to be a part of the occupation. I regret nothing. This is my story. Currently, as I write this I am sitting in Kuwait, on “stand-by” to return to the States sometime hopefully this week. After getting out of the brig last week, I’m now scheduled to be discharged from the Army within the month. I’m looking forward to joining forces with anti-Iraq-War movements, such as Courage to Resist and Iraq Veterans Against the War.
What led me to this place in my life?
Joining up, the first time
I joined the U.S. Marine Corps in the spring of 1999, the month of my 18th birthday.
I grew up in the custody of the state of Kentucky with little contact with my biological parents since I was 13. I had no family support system and ended up on the streets, doing what street kids do.
By 16, I had eased into hard drugs. I had not been to school since the first part of 9th grade, and I was short on about everything but street smarts, an untapped sense of ambition, and a tough guy attitude.
When I walked into the recruiting station I learned that in order to join the Corps, I would need either a high school diploma or a GED with a waiver-unless I also had certain college credits. When I told them that I was 16 and had only completed 8th grade, they quickly dismissed me, not expecting to see me again.
They were wrong.
Not only did I earn my GED, I also did a semester at the local college. A year and a half later the month I turned 18, March 1999, I walked back into the same recruiting station, spoke to the same recruiter, showed him my GED and my college transcripts and felt my first real sense of pride.
Thirteen weeks after arriving at Parris Island, I was changed forever. I graduated as the leader of a platoon squad with a meritorious promotion, and was now well on my way to a shining career as a Marine.
Then came September 11, 2001.
Re-enlisting for my country
Like many after September 11th I wanted to serve, again. I felt I owed something more to my country after my years of training. I trusted my president and my leadership to tell me the truth. I also trusted my own integrity. I knew that I would never willingly do anything that I knew to be immoral or wrong.
I re-enlisted in 2004-this time in the Army National Guard.
At the time I believed that those serving in the ‘global war on terror’ were doing so because they believed in what they were doing-not because they were under compulsion by a contract or retained by stop-loss. After having seen the situation on the ground, I now believe I was wrong. In 2006, I shipped out to Iraq.
In Iraq I was as a JVB Agent-the JVB (Joint Visitors Bureau) served as the protective service for “three star generals and above” and their “civilian equivalents”. This included the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, their equivalents in a number of our “allied nations”, and others. I trained for my job as part of this “special unit” prior to deployment, and I spent the majority of my tour in the company of the most powerful people connected to the “global war on terror”.
Even as a JVB agent, my primary job was still infantry. On days when we didn’t have any JVB missions, we would be called on for “search and cordon” operations and other infantry assignments. So, although I worked at the JVB, I was still on the roster of a sniper platoon tasked with various missions “outside the wire”-either as “sniper overwatch” or house raids.
I reasoned that my actions during these missions were justified in the name of “self-defense.” However, I came to realize my perception was wrong. I was in a country that I had no right to be in, violating the lives of people, and doing so without regard to the same standards of dignity and respect that we as Americans hold our own homes and our own lives to.
Destroying lives
I have taken and/or destroyed the lives of people who were defending their families from being the “collateral damage” of the day. Iraqi boys are joining groups like “Al Qaeda” for the same reason street kids in the U.S. join the “Cribs” and the “Bloods”. It’s about self protection, a sense of dignity, and making a stand.
The young man whose father and cousin we “accidentally” killed, and whose mother and siblings cry every time the tank rolls through the neighborhood, doesn’t care who Osama Bin Laden is. The “militants” we attacked were usually no different than an armed neighborhood watch group who didn’t trust their government. We didn’t trust the government either, and we put them in power!
Our own sacrifices, as tragic as they are (and they are tragic), are dwarfed in comparison to the carnage that has been brought on the Iraqi people.
“Success” in Iraq is not a matter of the number of coalition deaths “declining”. Success would be an end of the catastrophe we have inflicted on a entire society, and restoration of dignity and sovereignty.
Iraqis continue to die at a rate 10 to 20 times that of the coalition forces. In Baghdad alone, five years and $950 billion later, the population suffers power and water outages that last for weeks at a time. Meanwhile, we often impose martial law so that no one can leave. The day I saw myself in the hateful eyes of a young Iraqi boy who stared at me was the day I realized I could no longer justify my role in the occupation.
I envy the soldier who is able to see the injustice of this war from afar, and has the courage and conviction to take the stand against it. There will be those who criticize soldiers for being willing to weigh moral convictions against political ambition. What matters is making the stand. Whether you chose not to join the military in the first place, or you realized after joining that it fell short of the requisite levels of integrity, the moment you realize the truth is the moment to take a stand. My moment came with only three weeks of combat missions remaining during my one year in Iraq. Moral conviction has no timing.
Taking a stand
I informed my chain of command of my beliefs. I could tell from that first conversation that things were not going to go well. I told them that I believed our presence in Iraq was unlawful. I explained that I no longer believed in a policy of war and that I would file as a conscientious objector. Simply put, I could no longer in good conscience participate in a combat role against the Iraqi people.
Seconds after the words left my mouth, my life changed. Inside I had more peace than I had felt in over a year. I knew immediately that I had done the right thing. However, I was aggressively disarmed, confined, and shut off from contacting anyone, including family or an attorney.
I was illegally confined to a cot in an operations room, placed under 24 hour guard, and escorted to the bathroom before I was formally charged with refusal to follow an order two weeks later. I remained confined until I pled guilty (with little choice) less than a week after that. I was immediately sent to Camp Arifjan in Kuwait to serve 30 days in a military prison. I was just released from the brig the other day and I’m now in the process of being “kicked out” with an “Other Than Honorable” discharge. I regret nothing.
After I told my command my beliefs, and once they realized they couldn’t intimidate me and that I was serious, they decided that it was going to become an “information war”.
I had many anti-war friends from MySpace and other online networks that got wind that I was being mistreated and it circulated around the world, literally overnight. Before I knew it, I was dragged into the First Sergeant’s office and they began yelling and screaming about how their names were “all over the internet”. They didn’t try to deny what was being said about them-that I was being treated unfairly and that they refused to acknowledge my claim as a conscientious objector-they were simply mad about the exposure.
Military strikes back
The next day I was told that I had been “flagged” as an OPSEC (operational security) “concern”. No reason given. They were hostile and consumed with the task of making “an example” out of me, and they were looking for ways to ruin my reputation and credibility.
They spent days typing up pages of fabricated “counseling statements” to retroactively discredit my military record. The fact that there were no prior record of statements made these accusations obviously fake, and they knew it. They “needed more”.
They demanded repeatedly all of my Internet user names and pass words-MySpace, personal email, everything. All under the threat that “more charges” would be brought against me if I refused.
They wanted to read my emails, all my blogs, everything, in an attempt to find something. Anything they could use to make it look like I had been giving out classified information. They wanted to charge me and ruin my credibility as much as possible, and they desperately needed to be able to justify my illegal confinement.
Two weeks later, when they finally realized that they were not going to be able to charge me with “divulging intel”, they finally charged me with a series of “not following orders”. Not only did these include my refusal to continue combat missions, but ridiculous stuff like “not standing at parade rest” and “being late for work”. You get the picture.
My command eventually offered to “chapter me out” if I would immediately plead guilty to everything and accept a summary court martial. My options were clear. I could play ball, spend 30 days in a brig, and get my life back. Or I could let them put me back on a fully confined restriction for the next two months, while they took every opportunity to make an example of me-to show everyone in the battalion, “this is what happens if you oppose the war.”
I’ll let them think they won, for now.
Freedom
The truth will come out, and there is nothing they can do to hide it. The occupation is a disaster. I’m convinced that every day it continues that it makes America, and the Iraqis less safe.
Objecting to the war and standing up to the military was without question, one of the best decisions I have ever made. I made a stand that was the right one, and I have my freedom back as a bonus. Maybe ten years from now those of us resisting from within the military today will be seen as some of the first few to speak the truth and to follow up with action. Even now I have many to remind me that I’m not alone in my thinking, even a majority of Americans who know that all the pieces of this conflict simply don’t add up.
Seek the truth. Make the stand.
Courage to Resist - http://www.couragetoresist.org
Iraq Veterans Against the War - http://www.ivaw.org
A Hero.
This is how the war will be stopped, when other young men and women of the USA invasion/occupation forces follow Eli’s courageous example.
The Universal Soldier who decides not to be.
Hear!
A Hero,
peace
Eli, thanks for your courage and service. As a Viet Vet serving over two years in the Mekong Delta I admire and respect your stand. God Speed, brother.
One true hero! This is such an obvious repeat of the impact the Vietnam war had on our soldiers. Our actions around the world, not just in Iraq have cost the US all credibility with civilized nations. When we Send shrub and his bald buddy, THE DEVIL to the Hague for prosecution we will begin the process of apologizing to the world for allowing the absolute worst in our society to define US. I am for prosecuting anyone in America who still supports these jerks as complicit in their crimes. The real mission today is to enlighten the masses, the lemmings who have let their fears define their intelligence, that ELI speaks for MANY of the soldiers who are being forced to kill in the name of EXXON-MOBIL. All I can say to Army National Guard Spc. Eleonai “Eli” Israel is that you are today’s NUMBER ONE US MILITARY HERO in my book.
Wow! Eli, your example is the kind that resonates with people.
Thank you for sharing your story. Though your story is not exactly every soldier’s story, reading your clear account of your motivations at different stages of your life could really help people be able to identify with soldiers, and know better how to support them and oppose the war at the same time.
And, of course, thank you for the desire to protect our country in the first place.
I could just type thank you for… through the afternoon, so I’ll just say thank you for so many things.
Eli should be listened to by all Americans. He speaks from first hand experience. He is a full circle veteran who sincerely wants to help his country. He wants to help it by being more honest and compassionate. He’s a true patriot.
Hoa binh
Good luck dude. You did the right thing
Excerpt from an e-mail I sent to Sen. Edward Kennedy on October 29, 2002:
“This conflict is worse than folly. I believe that at the very least: the situation in the Middle East will be much worse and not better; world opinion will solidify against Americans and American policies; terrorist organizations and activities will be strengthened, not weakened; we will be bankrupted into the unforeseeable future. At the worst, this act of aggression will plunge humanity into global conflict the likes of which previous human experience will not have prepared us. Lest these concerns seem selfish and self-centered, I do not wish to see American sons and daughters slaughter innocent civilians from the safety of our high-tech weaponry, and all for the true purpose of expanding the corporate oligarchy.”
Eli: It was for you and others like you that I wrote those words, before this started. Amazing that you still have a functioning moral compass. I have never been able to understand how people can bring life into this world and then abandon that life.
Peace brother, and best wishes.
very impressive, especially when you had such a short time to go.
You have earned much good karma friend.
Brother Eli, I salute you for your courage to do the right thing by refusing to take part in crimes against humanity in Iraq. By taking a stand against participating in an illegal act of military aggression as defined in the Nuremberg Tribunals and the Geneva Convention, you sir, are a real hero!
May more and more of our military men and women see the light and refuse to continue the carnage and the misery and suffering we inflict on the Iraqi people, initiated by the Bush Republican Crime Family and the Democrats who collaborate with them.
The two organizations you mentioned are an inspiration and should be supported by civillian as well as military people with a moral conscience.
Every second you spent in confinement, was a second too long, as you commited NO CRIME, but now, my brother, you have firsthand experience of a tyrannical government and military out of control.
As far as an ” Other Than Honorable” discharge, you already have an “Honorable Discharge” in the Cosmos, by doing an “HONORABLE” thing.
I agree with the first six posters on Common Dreams, and I’m positive you will read many more comments thanking you for the “COURAGE TO RESIST”.
Peace and Harmony, Eli.
Spc. Eleonai “Eli” Israel:
I salute you and hope that yours will be the first leak that will crash that dam ercted between military and people.
Always remembre: bushes proposes but people dispose.
Amen
Having been in the service, I don’t doubt that the higher up would try and ruin him, but do I detect some problems here.
“Like many after September 11th I wanted to serve, again.”
“I re-enlisted in 2004-this time in the Army National Guard.”
What happend to the missing time?
““Cribs” and the “Bloods”.”
Its “Crips” bro!
Just a thought
namvet67-
I thought you would beat me to your statement. Listen to the people working in the field, not the desk jockies.
I hope Eli lives without guilt for his past which cannot be changed. Because of his past, his voice is much more important as it is a first hand account of life in Iraq. His story will be suppressed by MSM and the military for a good reason, there are a lot more like him still serving but they don’t have the guts to think for themselves.(YET)
“I re-enlisted in 2004-this time in the Army National Guard. At the time I believed that those serving in the ‘global war on terror’ were doing so because they believed in what they were doing-not because they were under compulsion by a contract or retained by stop-loss. After having seen the situation on the ground, I now believe I was wrong. In 2006, I shipped out to Iraq.”
Further testimon that it’s the lie of a ‘global war on terror’ that is the problem, not the “poor planning/wrong war” thesis.
How in the world did a generation come to trust that presidents tell the truth, especially about starting wars? How did the facts about the war against Vietnam come to be so buried out of sight of Americans to young to remember it?
Thank you, Eli. Thank you for your honesty and your integrity. Those qualities seem to be in short supply starting with our country’s commander-in-chief and downward through the persons in your chain-of-command who are ready and willing to defame your character at any cost.
I am sure that your story will not make it into the MSM. You are not someone like Pat Tillman who could be used to “sell” military service because he had put aside a career in pro football to enlist. Smearing his hero’s reputation once he began voicing his opposition to the administration’s policies vis-a-vis Iraq and Afghanistan would not have worked. So three bullets to the forehead had to suffice in his case, and a cover-up attempted.
Thank you for your courage to speak truth to power. Your story is one of redemption and, I pray, hope for other enlisted persons who may be struggling with the mismatch between the “reasons” they had/were given for service and the realities they encounter today on the ground in Iraq.
You are so right on young man. I am a retired CSM, US Army (1958-1983) 2 years in VN as an Inf-man. I did not do what you have done for any number of reasons some that don’t hold up very well now. None the less, you have chosen the hardest choice and I salute you for doing so. In the world as we know it today, your discharge has very little influence on your futurejust as those who will come out with honorables won’t see any difference. Many are already returning and finding their former jobs gone and no real jobs available to them. I’m calling for the general strike on 9/11 with other bloggers.
Bu$h the inferior has just announced the surge is working from Maine. He has of course a much better view on the occupation than the soldiers that are in it.
It takes a lot of courage to fight against the odds that this evil regime has put in place. Their evil nature caused them to attack this soldier rather than quietly let him go with objector status and a general discharge.
Stupid is as stupid does.
Thanks you Eli for taking a courages stand to no longer participate in the illegal and immoral war in Iraq, may your courage be an inspiration to others.
Mr. Israel is indeed courageous and insightful being able to reconcile government propaganda and past actions into a new course. Would that we all had the capability and ability that he exhibits.
Timothy McVeigh wasn’t able to make the leap. How many soldiers will come home broken?
Just as point of reference when we encounter folks who went in blue-eyed and came out wise: the FY 2006 DOD recruitment and ad budget was over $1.4 BILLION.
break down by branch:
http://radicalreference.info/node/1111
Ironic, isn’t it, that “other than honorable” is the only true honorable discharge. Those who “serve” without thinking and who violate the Rule of Nurenberg and receive honorable discharges are the ones who are discharged without honor.
THANK YOU, ELI.
I think the timeline makes sense, if you consider that in spring 1999 he enlisted, was probably coming up for re-enlist in summer 2003. He took a year off and enlisted in the ANG. Then, he was activated in 2006.
I feel very little good will come out of this war. We wont be safer. An erroneous term since our main problem is our FOREIGN POLICY! That nobody especially Bush seems to understand,not that he cares anyway. The only good that can come out of this war is that a whole generation of young people will learn to hate war! I hope! We have had a love affair in this country with violence! Not just military either. Violence had been sold in so many forms as the answer. Right after 9/11 it was whose ass could we kick! Never any thought given to why this happened. Still many Americans think it’s because thay hate our freedoms! It’s our foreign policy they hate!! Being played out daily in Iraq and soon to come to a theater near you Iran! I was giving a haircut to an old man the other day around 80 years old. I’m a barber, and his answer to Iraq was to bomb the hell out of them!!!! He felt we were being too easy on them. What a blind fool!! And yet he was from that generation that believed what their president said and always stood behind the red,white,and blue. Our country has changed so much since Bush took office! If nothing else good comes out of this as I reiterated earlier a distrust of our government and a deeper hatred of war then we have had before would be beneficial. I feel Bush will get his because Time wounds all Heels!!
Eli has displayed great bravery and courage with his stand. I wish him well and hope that his voice and his example gets as wide a coverage as possible. May many more follow his example.
This is fantastic. I will link to this URL at every blog I can.
Thank you, Eli. You are a true American hero.
“Success would be an end of the catastrophe we have inflicted on a entire society, and restoration of dignity and sovereignty.”
I am waiting for one, single American politician–even those claiming to be “anti-war”–to make a similar statement.
I just want to say thank you for doing what you knew was the right thing to do.
I just printed this up for a co-worker who has a son over in Iraq.
She was so upset and said that I was one of those Crazy anti-war fellows. I want to sit her down and tell her how she needs to see things from a different point of view as she is incredibly missed informed. She swears by Bush and says that he is trying to keep us safe. And I’m not supporting the troops by passing out info like this.
I guess she is part of that 24% that still approves.
Well its only right that I thank you. One less soldier shooting, means less people die. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU so very much.
~Future~
Eli you’re conscience was sparked by a childs look of hate. I am happy for your determination to fight another battle in the future and refuse to believe any of the well managed lies that pour out across the media about the ‘good fight’ in Iraq among other places. I pray that those who support the troops insist on nothing less than complete and total withdrawal as rapidly as possible and that the equivalent of The Nuremburg trials are demanded in which the instigators or this invasion are held to account. The USA and GB with their allies are signatories to the Geneva conventions. There is ample evidence that war crimes are in abundance including The Supreme Crime of Aggression according to the Charter of the UN. Let national and military leaders answer these charges before another fair International Tribunal and face the same consequences as those at Nuremburg faced if found guilty. After all these are our standards and our values are they not? It is the law that guarantees our freedoms right? Our values and freedoms depend of the law right? This would be the most effective way to prevent future war and roll back present infringements rapidly. And of course full reparations must be forthcoming and determined no matter what the cost on those nations that are found guilty of aggression. Awaken America, awaken. Good man yourself Eli and God Bless!
Eli - well done young man. I, one of many, are very proud of what you have done. You show a true sense of leadership and, if we can destroy the bastards who have taken over our government and those who enabled it, you will go on to leadership roles in this country. You came from the same humble beginning as many of the canon fodder in the military; as a young and immature young man you accepted the story from our leaders, not realizing they are damned liars. You learned the truth and then took a truly heroic stand. I do not salute those who get hit by enemy fire while drinking coffee in a tent somewhere but I most definitely salute you and those who take a dangerous stand either on the battlefield or elsewhere, knowing full well the potential consequences. You have demonstrated more courage than anyone I know.
May you live in peace and prosper!
I’m a vet.
I know the group mentality in the military.
It took tremendous integrity and courage to do what you did.
Mr. Israel sir, you have my deepest respect and gratitude for what you have done.
Your actions reflect the best values of the military.
And the very best values of humanity.
I look forward to hearing from you again.
WOW! What tremendous courage you have to stand up and speak your truth. Not surprising that the military tried to take that away from you, but you wouldn’t let them have it. And, it took even more courage for you to share it with us. If I were your parent, I’d be very proud of you.
You have a gift that is somehow vanishing from our society - a mind of your own. And, you dared to use it at a most inopportune time, when it was not convenient for the military.
“Moral conviction has no timing”. I think it does when you hit rock bottom. The only way to go now is up. I hope you soar. And remember, the people who may look negatively on your stance haven’t a clue as to what’s really going on with our many occupations. I salute you.
Please, keep speaking out. America needs to hear what you have to say. Hope to see you at the march on Washington on September 15th to promote the impeachment of Bush and Cheney.
Courage to stand against the wrongs being done is what Patriotism is all about. Thanks Eli, and best wishes to you.
I salute you. I wish I had that kind of courage.
Eli,
Thank you
Thank you for having the courage to do the right thing. It is only a true hero who can see the right thing to do and to actually do it in the face of all the terrible things our government (and the military) can do to disuade individuals from rocking the boat.
And this is coming from a veteran of Desert Shield/Storm that awoke to reality in 2002. I and many others support you.
Peace
All Americans need to thank this man. His personal vision is our hope for the future.
Eli, you may not have a biological family, but you have an international family wishing you God Speed.
thanks Eli,
another vet (64-68)
ken
Eli, Salute!
Reminds me of Michael New, the U.S. soldier who heroically refused to put a U.N. patch on his US Army uniform.
So many stupid wars have ended when decent soldiers refuse to fight (e.g. WWI, Korea, Vietnam).
Congressman Ron Paul has a great description of how the US military is being used not to defend liberty in the US, but to prop up the paper dollar. Please read and pass along to your friends: www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul303.html.
Godspeed,
Kevin
Eli and the other men and women in uniform are the only ones who can end the war. The politicians will never do it, for fear of appearing soft on terror, communism or the boogey man du jour, and being accused of causing economic recession and monetary inflation that invariably result from ending a war.
Military personnel need to ask themselves: What if their was a war and nobody showed up to fight it…there wouldn’t be a war would there?
Eli,
I empathize. In 1964 as a young Marine I also decided that I wanted to be a conscientious objector. I explained my views to a chaplain, and was told that unless I belonged to a religion with such views, they would not release me. I chose to stay out my three years with an honorable discharge.
However, I’ve often thought that if I had taken up the faith of many of my relatives, Quaker, I might have gotten out. I don’t know whether this will work; however, you might try converting to a peace-religion (sect) of your choice. Such conversion need not be permanent. If this offends your sensibilities, pardon me this little humor–all is fair in love and war.
Dayananda/Michael
You are more of a man than the shithawks in command…
Walk easy bro….
Lacking political leadership, Eli’s decision to withdraw is commendable. Those of us sucked into armed service, and later realizing that doing so is morally unacceptable in today’s America, should certainly not be subject to puintive measures, and it is our collective obligation to see that their convictions and rotten discharges are reversed (and a medal of heroism granted!), in parallel with the larger effort to build an international party of equality.
Not to criticise him personally, but Eli might have better stayed within the military. While quietly resisting personal participation in illegitimate activity, I think it better for the late-blooming resistor to make contact with the best (as determined by him/her) of several political parties that have been unambiguously against the war, and began promoting their perspective within the military at every opportunity. This surely takes additional courage, and I am speaking as one who has never been confronted with that choice, but we will never win as long as the armed forces mistake us for aliens. Late indications of the murder in Afghanistan of a should-have-been football star suggest the danger of such agitation, but this is an area where we really need heroic activity.
Eli,
I wish you well. To you and everyone who has posted here, there is one last hope for freedom in this country. Ron Paul is the only presidential candidate committed to getting the US out of Iraq. He is the only one who has been against the war from day one, and has never waivered. Not because the war is going badly; not just because American servicemen are giving their lives to serve the Military Industrial Comlex and NOT to protect this country. He is against the war because it is wrong. There is nothing that can be done to make it right. We need for more soldiers to do what Eli has done.
Eli, you rock! True inspiration to other soldiers out there who feel the same but are too afraid to get out. Thanks for putting a human edge to the reasons why some people join the military. Keep up the amazing work. Support the War Resisters.
Senor,
Gracias por ser un verdadero Americano bueno.
I wept when I read Eli’s story. Why is it not the feature article in the New York Times Weekend Magazine?
There are many kinds of courage, but the courage of one’s own conscience may be the most admirable of all. Too many young men go off to war to fight for causes that have nothing to do with them, fabricated justifications, immoral motives, and outcomes that do not benefit them or their loved ones. And far too many of them never realize what has been done to them.
It takes great integrity and self-awareness to come to the understanding that Eli has. I agree with the concensus - he is a true hero. Not “just” an American hero, but a hero to all of humanity.
In an era populated by ideological mercenaries, where many choose to simply go along to get along, not daring to say ‘No’ to those who butter their bread with others’ blood, resources and freedoms, and choose instead to follow, as a matter of self-interest, Eli has chosen to lead in ways that hold personal risks.
There are too few like you, Eli.
Long life, respect, and peace to you and yours for the remainder of what I hope are more joyful days ahead.
Make friends and find peace with your demons, Eli, if any still dwell inside. Forgive and love yourself as you hope to forgive and love others.
Signed,
Another street urchin who just said “No” in another time, in another way.
“Say a prayer for the common foot soldier…” (The Rolling Stones)
I applaud Eli and the stand he has made in support of his beliefs. The world needs more people like him.
It amazes me the guts some people have. First to go over there in the first place, and then to take a stand when you realized what the deal was. I used to be proud to be an American not because we were the richest country in the world with the most kick-ass military and technology but because we were supposed to stand for something, as naive as that may sound. The Eli’s of this world give me hope.
I am hesitant to add my own comment to those before me, which offer so much understanding and human love for a man whose own journey is about love and understanding. I am humbled by everything I have read here, but I also feel exalted that there are such voices. I was in Korea during the war (but not in combat) going through a slow painful education from the GIs that were in combat, some of them veterans of WWII. The vast majority of them, going home, were not unlike Eli Israel. They had come to see war and the politicians responsible for it as their enemies, in much the same way depicted in the novel Catch–22, and as characterized by Mr. Israel. My father also had gone through a similar experience in WWII. But unlike Mr. Israel’s experience, the sadness of insight was too late, and of understanding and love too little, which seems to continue to be our historical burden–but for the life-giving voices I read here.