Anti-war Vets On Trial On Veterans Day

Amy Goodman of Democracy Now reports:

Fifteen antiwar veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and their supporters pled not guilty on Monday to charges of disorderly conduct. The Hempstead 15, as they’re now known, were arrested last month at an Iraq Veterans Against the War demonstration outside the final presidential debate at Hofstra University here in New York.

When protestors attempted to cross police lines to enter Hofstra University in order to question the candidates on the issue of war, In response, the police charged the crowd. Fifteen vets were arrested. At least one of the fifteen was sent to the hospital with injuries.

Yesterday. Veteran's Day of all dates, the protestors' trial began. Nick Morgan -the veteran who had been sent to the hospital with a broken cheekbone- said this to a crowd of supporters outside the Nassaue County Courthouse after the arraignment:

"You know, I hope that a lot of you, especially from this area, are as appalled as I am at actions of the Nassau County Police Department and the gross violations to the Constitution that all of us veterans swore to protect and uphold against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And, you know, it’s kind of sad when a veteran, who was discharged honorably after serving a tour in Iraq in Baghdad, you know, can’t come here and peaceably assemble, redress our grievances."

The veterans have been charged with "disorderly conduct." One of the "disorderly" vets -Matthis Chiroux- had this to say to Amy Goodman:

Right. Well, I mean, certainly my heart is heavy today, anyway, you know, as it is Veterans Day, for the sacrifices of veterans throughout the history of this country. I think the total number of people who’ve died in uniform since the beginning is around 1.3 million, and that’s a staggering number. It’s beyond something that I can even imagine.

That to me is the essence of this story. Yesterday, across the Nation, patriotic slogans were spoken. Flags were flown. People took the day off from work, and for the most part spent a day which should be spent honoring our troops doing anything but. Yet, these fifteen veterans spent their Veterans Day unable to celebrate. Their only crime was disagreeing with the wars they fought in, and wishing to announce that they no longer believed in the fights they had once fought. Yet, they are now charged with "disorderly conduct." I wonder if their fallen comrades would see their conduct as "disorderly."