On August 11th at the annual Veterans for Peace convention, surrounded by fellow Iraq Vets Against the War, resisters of other wars, military families, friends, and other supporters, Sgt. Clousing spoke about his opposition to the continued occupation of Iraq. Reporters from over a dozen media outlets attended the press conference, and recorded as Sgt. Clousing spoke:
“As an interrogator I spoke to Iraqis each day. This gave me an idea of what local civilians thought of coalition forces . . . I witnessed our baseless incarceration of civilians. I saw civilians physically harassed. I saw an innocent Iraqi killed before me by US troops. I saw the abuse of power that goes without accountability.”
“I stand here before you today about to surrender myself, which was always my intention . . . I stand here before you sharing the same idea as Henry David Thoreau: as a Soldier, as an American, and as a human being, we mustn’t lend ourselves to that same evil which we condemn.”
Click here for more pictures from the press conference courtesy of afterdowningstreet.org. See below for complete video of the press conference courtesy of Sari Gelzer and Geoffrey Millard and truthout.org
