------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Oct. 10, 2002 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
EDITORIAL: THE MOVEMENT & THE TROOPS Shall U.S. troops go willingly to war? The Bush administration continues to push toward war despite the strong opposition worldwide and within the U.S. population. Both the anti-war movement here and the soldiers and sailors, pilots and Marines in the regular services and the reserves have to confront this question. The Iraqi government has said that its army will fight fiercely street by street, building by building, and will inflict heavy casualties on the U.S. troops, whom they see as invaders and occupiers. U.S. forces also have to assume that other, less obvious dangers are before them. They only have to ask the veterans of the 1991 war on Iraq. These veterans faced years of disabilities from their experience, with hundreds of thousands suffering from what has been called "Gulf War Syndrome." Many of these vets are already campaigning against this new war. Along with the personal danger comes the knowledge that they will be killing large numbers of people, many of them civilians, including children, who wind up in the line of fire. Most or all of their victims will be working-class people like themselves. The rank and file of the U.S. military are mostly young members of the working class, even in today's so-called professional armed forces. A disproportionate number of the troops are from communities of color, attracted to the "services" because they provide at least some salary and training and seem like a better choice than the streets or prisons imposed by a racist society. While the Iraqi victims may see the U.S. troops as their enemies, the anti-war movement in the U.S. has no choice but to look at them as potential allies. Indeed, it should give priority to developing solidarity between the movement and those troops who question, who want to learn, and of course those who want to resist the war in any way. Anti-war activists near military bases in the United States, as well as in Japan, Korea, Germany, Italy and other places, will have the opportunity to reach out to U.S. troops with the truth about the situation in the Middle East. U.S. troops, though in the armed forces, still maintain their constitutional rights. They can be handed leaflets. They can express their opinions on the war and against the war. They can see that the Bush administration is committing the most serious war crime--a crime against peace--by insisting on making war when everyone else wants to keep the peace. And they can refuse to take part in this war crime. During the U.S. war against Vietnam, the bond that developed between the civilian anti-war movement--which was joined by many veterans--and the troops went a long way toward ending the war and its crimes against the Vietnamese people. In this way the movement helped save more U.S. working-class youths from death and injury. It took years, however, to get the Pentagon out of Southeast Asia. Before it was over, 55,000 troops had come home in body bags. Now there is an opportunity to create this same bond before the war starts, and maybe prevent it from starting in the first place. - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Support the voice of resistance http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
