Refusing Iraq Army lieutenant chooses prison over deploying to illegal war

Journalist Sarah Olson spoke with Watada in late May about his reasons for joining the military, and why he wants out.



Sarah Olson: When you joined the Army in 2003, what were your goals?

Ehren Watada: 2003 was a couple of years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I had the idea that my country needed me and that I needed to serve my country. I still strongly believe that. I strongly believe in service and duty. That’s one of the reasons I joined: because of patriotism.

I took an oath to the U.S. Constitution, and to the values and the principles it represents. It makes us strongly unique. We don’t allow tyranny; we believe in accountability and checks and balances, and a government that’s by and for the people. The military must safeguard those freedoms and those principles and the democracy that makes us unique. A lot of people, like myself, join the military because they love their country, and they love what it stands for.


SO: You joined the Army during the run-up to the Iraq war, but you had misgivings about the war. How did that happen?

Watada: Like everybody in America and around the world, I heard what they were saying on television about the stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, and the ties to al-Qaeda and 9/11. I also saw the millions of people around the world protesting, and listened to the people resigning from the government in protest. I realized that the war probably wasn’t justified until we found proof of these accusations the president and his deputies were making against Iraq.

But I also believed we should give the president the benefit of the doubt. At that time, I never believed, I could never conceive of our leader betraying the trust we had in him.


SO: What was your experience in the military?

Watada: My first duty assignment was in Korea. It’s hard learning to be an officer, and it was hard being stationed overseas. It is a different kind of situation that you’re put in. You’re not just being told what to do and execute. As an officer, you are constantly leading by example. You have to do the right thing even when you don’t necessarily want to. When you go into the field, it’s not like a civilian job where you go home at the end of the day, take a shower, relax, and eat a nice meal.


SO: So you got the order to go to Iraq after you returned from Korea. What were your thoughts at the time?

Watada: Back in Korea, we trained for a separate mission, but we all knew what was going on in Iraq. Our commanders were telling us to be ready for war and to start training for it.

When I came back, I still had doubts about the war and why we were in it. When they told me I was going to deploy, I said OK: I’m going to start training for it, and I’m going to start training the guys under me. And I’m going to do that to the best of my ability.

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