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| Image courtesy of the war resisters support campaign |
War Resisters Brandi and Josh Keys speak with Tyler McCreary about life and death in the US army, the war in Iraq, and the War Resisters Support Campaign
Can history repeat itself? In 1969, when Canada opened its border to deserters and draft dodgers from the US war on Vietnam, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau declared that “those who make the conscientious judgment that they must not participate in this war… have my complete sympathy, and indeed our political approach has been to give them access to Canada. Canada should be a refuge from militarism.”
It’s difficult to imagine the accommodationist Paul Martin making such a declaration today, but substantial pressure is building for precisely that. More and more US soldiers are going AWOL, and many have fled north seeking refuge from the same militarism that sent their parents’ generation off to Vietnam. And with the looming spectre of another military draft, a brave few resisters and deserters are seeking a provision for themselves and those who follow to live in peace.
Tyler McCreary: What does it mean to be a war resister?
Brandi Key: We are resisting participation in the Iraq war. My husband went and served for eight months, and based on what he saw, he decided he could no longer participate in the war.
Josh Key: Actually, I guess you’d consider me an American deserter, because I deserted. I went to war, and then I left.
Tyler: So why did you originally join the US military?
Josh: I was working as a welder in 2002. We had two kids at the time; I was making about $7.25 an hour, and it wasn’t paying the bills. So I did what the billboards and commercials say: go join something bigger than yourself and make a good life.
Tyler: So did you join with the intent of going to Iraq?
Josh: No. They told me that because I was the head of a family, I’d be assigned to a regiment that would never be sent overseas.
