[WCUSP] [wilpf_disarm] Article and Action re Traumatized Veteran Soldier

Wed Aug 30 11:34:14 CDT 2006

There is recent activity for Suzanne, including the 12 Aug press conference at the Veterans for Peace convention, at which I spoke, and which can be viewed on the VFP website, www.veteransforpeace.org. Click on the Suzanne Swift logo.
CJ, could you help get WILPF signed on as organizational co-sponsor of the effort for Suzanne-for her and the one asking "real men" to work to stop these abuses?
Peace, Ellen B

Cynthia Minster <cjminster at gmail.com> wrote: Action Alert re Spc. Suzanne Swift, survivor of constant sexual harrassment and fear of rape in the US military.
 Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
 Please Distribute Widely

 Sarah Rich, mother of traumatized Iraq War veteran Suzzane Rich, was featured on today's Democracy Now! broadcast. You can hear / watch her at:
 http://www.democracynow.org/streampage.pl

---------- Forwarded message ----------
 Editor's Note: Sara Rich is the mother of an AWOL US soldier. Facing re-deployment to Iraq, Sara's daughter Suzanne Swift searched her soul and decided that she could not go back to Iraq and continue to go out on what she calls "useless missions." Nor could she continue to cope with the constant sexual harassment and fear of rape by her own officers and fellow soldiers that she had to endure. On Sunday night, the city police of Eugene, Oregon, raided Sara Rich's home and took Suzanne away. She was taken to Fort Lewis, Washington. Her family is now asking for letters in support of Suzanne's request for a medical or honorable discharge. Her family insists that Suzanne deserves the medical benefits due to any war veteran. Addresses are at the end of Sara Rich's letter. -KW
                                http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/061406A.shtml

 Fear for My Daughter
     By Sara Rich
     t r u t h o u t | Letter

 Wednesday 14 June 2006

 It started out with being scared for her life when she signed up for the
 military. She assured me that she was promised she would not go to Iraq. I
 was not as trusting.

 She was sent to Iraq right out of her basic training. While she was
 packing, we cried, as she assured me she would be okay. One of her sergeants
 assured me, "Don't worry, ma'am, we'll take good care of your daughter." I
 desperately hoped that I could trust him to watch over her. I later found
 out he was one the first predators to try to have sex with her and make her
 "his private."

 She spent a long year in Iraq. I feared for her safety every waking
 minute. She frequently called me crying, telling me very little of the
 horror she was witnessing - only telling me it was hard. She told me that
 almost all of the other soldiers were sexually harassing her and that many
 of her sergeants and lieutenants were really pressuring her and making her
 life miserable for rejecting them. Calls from her often ended with "Oh,
 there goes gun fire - gotta go mom, love you."

 When she returned from Iraq, she was much more quiet and anxious than
 when she left. I offered to get her help, but she refused. She told me that
 if she opened that can of worms she would not be able to function as a human
 being. I asked her if she wanted to deal with the horrible sexual harassment
 charges against so many of her fellow soldiers. She said, no mom, it would
 only make my life even more of a living hell. Then she finally blew the
 whistle on one of her superiors for sexually harassing her, and she was
 treated like a pariah, while he was moved to a different unit and promoted.
 She put her head down and worked as a Military Police officer on Ft. Lewis.
 She was always shocked by the number of domestic violence calls she went out
 on. The fear of a mother of a peace officer was there, but at least I could
 call her and knew she was safe. We knew that she was going to be re-deployed
 to Iraq sometime after the mandatory 18 months' stabilization time is over.
 So, we were looking at November of 2006 for a second re-deployment. Our
 hearts were heavy at the thought.

 She came home for a visit and couldn't face me to tell me she was going
 back to Iraq much sooner than expected. My fear was skyrocketing. I asked,
 how can they do that, you will have only had 11 months of stabilization
 time? She told me that she refused to sign the paper waiving her rights to
 18 months. She was told that her life would be hell in a shit hole if she
 refused to sign. They screamed in her face and intimidated her to the point
 that she would shake when she told the story. Our family prepared. She was
 packed, ready to re-deploy, keys in hand. She said, "I can't do this, Mom, I
 can't go back there." We shifted into action to protect our daughter.

 We networked with everyone imaginable. We knew that we would rather see
 her in jail than spending another minute in Iraq. We hired an attorney with
 experience in these kinds of military matters. And Suzanne went into hiding.

 Now here we are, facing what we knew was a real possibility. Suzanne is
 in jail and waiting to be taken up to Ft. Lewis, and I am really scared. The
 military treated her horribly when she was a soldier, I can only imagine
 what they will do to her as a prisoner. She is a brave young woman and my
 hero. But there is only just so much stress an Iraq war veteran can handle.

 My fear for my daughter is real. My hope for and belief in my daughter
 and what she is doing is strong and unshakable. I truly believe she saved
 her own life with her courage. It is to be hoped that by telling her story
 and standing strong she can encourage others in the military to stand up,
 speak out, and refuse to participate in this illegal and immoral war.

 Thanks to you all. I knew this was going to happen eventually, so I had
 my ducks in a serious row. Today I had a press conference, a vigil, at the
 jail where Suzanne is, and I spoke to 10 different radio shows, some
 nationally syndicated, three TV stations, 3 newspapers and had a million
 calls.

 I only got to talk to Suzanne for one short minute in which we were both
 were crying so hard we could not talk.

 They are transporting Suzanne tomorrow in the early morning to Ft. Lewis
 and returning her to her unit. We are planning to be at the jail at 7:45 -
 9:00 a.m. to see if we can catch a a glimpse of her as she leaves the jail
 to show her that we are here for her.

 Letters of Support Needed

 Please write to Lt. Colonel Switzer, Ft. Lewis, Washington, to ask that
 Spc. Suzanne Swift receive a medical discharge or an honorable discharge
 from the Army due to her Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. After writing the
 letter, please fax a copy to:

 Senator Gordon Smith
     Federal Building
     211 East 7th Avenue, Room 202
     Eugene, OR 97401
     Phone: 541.465.6750
     Fax: 541.465.6808

 Senator Ron Wyden
     151 West 7th Avenue
     Suite 435
     Eugene, OR 97401
     (541) 431-0229

 Congressman Peter DeFazio
     151 West 7th, Suite 400
     Eugene, OR 97401
     Phone: (541) 465-6732

 Senator Patty Murray
     950 Pacific Avenue, Ste. 650
     Tacoma, Washington 98402
     Phone: (253) 572-3636
     Fax: (253) 572-9892

 If there is no fax number, you can email them. Let me know if you send a
 letter and if you get a response.

 If you want to donate to Suzanne's legal or medical fund, please contact
 me at formydaughtersuzanne at yahoo.com.

 Thanks so much from Suzanne and her family. We appreciate your love and
 passion. This is so important for us to do - not only to end the war, but to
 defend women who are in the military.

 Peace,

 Sara Rich, M.S.W.

## article forwarded via the Feminist Peace Network, http://www.feministpeacenetwork.org ##
---------------------
C.J. Minster, Program Chair 
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
Make Peace a Reality - Join WILPF!
http://wilpf.blogspot.com

Social Upheaval
~current affairs blog~
 http://www.socialupheaval.com

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~cultural affairs blog~
http://www.angelheadedhipster.com 

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