The Truth Is Spreading Like Wildfire, says the LT; This is for you Mr. Emerson

I have been speaking out against the Occupations of the Middle East now for quite some time, and to some
what I have to say is a punch in the stomach. As if when I tell the stories of Muslims suffering, dying and forced to leave their homes, I am directly laying blame on the Private First Class that listens to a nominally ranked Officer in the U.S. military.
No, it isn't the Private's fault.
Hell, it isn't even your fault, LT.

The blame rests on the chest of the Bush administration. Most of them have long since resigned, but they cannot escape
the fact that they are all war criminals and will one day be charged and found guilty of their monstrous acts.

The wars on the people of Afghanistan and Iraq are the real SHAM.
The men and women of America have slowly come to terms with this fact and now the same number that originally supported
this Illegal war, now oppose it.
Do I mean illegal by opinion? No I mean illegal by US law and International law.
I reference the Kellogg-Briand Pact.
The United Nations Charter, article 2 paragraph 4.

However, this letter is not even about my disgust in the Bush administration and these wars of aggression.
No, it's about me, because you have tried to make this all about me. (Though this entire time, I have openly declared this isn't about me, it is about the men, women and children suffering in the Middle East)

It's about me setting the record straight, because the Lies are spreading like wildfire, Roy or Ray, whatever your first name is. I'll get it right eventually.

I will go straight down the list of what some people have accused me of or fault me for and respond to them. Later I will leave my email address and we can do this directly with one another, if more questions are raised.

"James Circello is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War (which thankfully seems doomed to irrelevancy mostly by a distinct lack of credibility)."

This, to me, seems like the old political trick of say something, pretend it's a fact, and people will believe it. Well IVAW has a "distinct lack of credibility", because these soldiers, decorated might I add, are now bringing up the truth of what happens? Oh the group is growing, my friends, due to it distinct amount of credibility.

The first comment, to Mr. Roy Emerson (see I got it right finally), is you didn't serve with me in the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry so how do you know anything about what happened in my first tour in Iraq?
I leave that for you to respond to.

Mr Emerson also claims my charges has no basis or fact. Well you my friend, weren't there. I was. But if you were in Battle Company, then I am mistaken and I will apologize for the things I said, because I must have been seeing things. Or dreaming? Yes. Dreaming.

"At no time did during the deployment or immediately following the deployment, did Mr. Circello bring these concerns to anyone’s attention." says Mr Emerson.

Well that is true, and that is due to the fact that I was a scared puppy. I didn't realize a statute of limitations existed for this. Again, accept my apology.

The fact of the matter is that I didn't know how to deal with what I had gone through. Much like many of the soldiers that come home after a traumatic event. I wasn't scarred by the events, but I surely did have my eyes open. And all of my actions after returning show that I wasn't going back.

Hell, if we want to bring names into this equation there are several people still in Legion company and Battle company that knew in November 2007 that I was going to go AWOL. Ask around. You could figure this out easily enough, you know who I hung out with right?

"Despite having left to travel to another post following his deployment, he eventually found his way back (he REQUESTED the return) to the 173rd and finally to Legion Company.'

This is interesting enough for me to write a response.
After Iraq, most of us from the 173rd were sent to Fort Polk. We all came down on orders at the same time.
So for some time in Louisiana, working wasn't so bad. Being in the Army was still being in the Army - with all it's excitement and joy, but being around individuals I was close to made life a bit easier.

I was transfered to a few different platoons due to deployments and redeployments and making the numbers right in the battalion, and found my way under an asshole of a Sergeant (of the E5 type), while I was an E5 as well. We didn't get along at all due to many reasons and I tried desperately to get away from him in anyway that I could. One way was to literally re-enlist, which seems so silly and I immediately knew it when I did it.

The bottom line is the Army did not give me any skills that I believed I could offer the civilian world. I believe differently now, thankfully. So I re-enlisted
1.) to get away from this particular asshole
2.) I felt like I had no "plan", and wasn't completely sure what I could do after leaving the military
3.) I attempted to reclassify my MOS to a non-combat MOS, however being the rank of Sergeant made that difficult.

Around the same time, numerous people in the 509th were being picked up to be recruiters. I thought, "hey! good chance here!". Even though now I look back and I am thankful I never finished my recruiting packet, I did start to fill one out. I was looking for anyway out of being around this particular NCO.

He left and went down the road to 4th ID and life was a little easier. My time was nearing to leave Fort Polk, and not wanting to go to the 82nd (for many reasons, do I need to list them?) my best friend and I made backdoor deals with the Infantry Branch managers and came down on orders for Italy. We loved Italy. The life there. The memories we had. We decided to try it again.

What a mistake.

I arrived to find a changed post and changed brigade. It was what it was. This was my first big lesson - don't live your life in the past.
See, in my naivety, I believed the war would end sooner than the 173rd would deploy right after coming home. I was wrong on that part too.

"Mr. Circello’s second tour in Italy was wrought with many problems. Mr. Circello, after having shown up to work while intoxicated, lost his promotion to Staff SGT."

A gross misrepresentation.
Many problems is an overstatement. There was literally a week of problems, which was capped with me leaving.
Let's go through them.

First, I didn't lose a promotion. This has somehow become a sort of urban legend or mantra. A reasoning why I must have been pissed and left the unit. It's an outright lie.

I was NEVER on the memorandum for the E6 promotion board.
I was on the memorandum for the NCO of the month board. Which this to me, seems interesting.. why would I be going to the NCO of the month board to represent Legion Company if I was such a terrible NCO and paratrooper?
I guess that speaks poorly on the class of people in the unit? Or it speaks highly of me?

I was a squad leader for two years, while still a Sergeant. A Sergeant doing the work of a Staff Sergeant in garrison and in the field.
This too can either speak poorly on the unit or highly upon myself. You be the judge, Mr Emerson.

The showing up to work intoxicated statement is also a lie.

Here is the story, I have told it before, I will tell it again.

I was angered by the fact that I wasn't going to the SSG promotion board (as you say I was going, someone has the wrong facts!) and instead going to a NCO of the Month board, after having done the job of a SSG for two years with great NCOER's to show for it.
I was a Sergeant and had already completed Phases One and Two of BNCOC while most SSG haven't even complete the first phase.
I was ready for promotion.
My platoon sergeant claimed I had to go to the Month board first before I was sent to the Promotion board. This didn't sit right with me, and in an act of defiance, I CHOSE to not show up for the PT test. There was no alcohol involved. My excuse, was a lie, yes I lied.
I said that I overslept, which you and the others might assume meant I was drinking.
No alcohol was found on my breath. Nothing of the sort. I pretended that I just goofed.
Why did I do that?
Because it was bullshit that I wasn't going to the Promotion board. He knew I was ready, but was holding things above my head. So I screwed him, because I knew he would get a good talking to by the more Senior NCO's.
And only after 1SG found out my date of rank was May 2005 did he say tell my platoon sergeant "why didn't I know that?" He also told me "you are going right when we get to Afghanistan"
But this is what a 1SG tells incompetent an NCO who has a tour "wrought with many problems", I suppose.

"Furthermore, upon being picked-up for a DUI, instead of staying and facing the problem, he chose to go AWOL the day IMMEDIATELY following his charge, and thus abandoning his fellow soldiers immediately preceding their deployment to Afghanistan."

Okay, here is where it gets tricky, but you are hitting the facts pretty close, but just a bit off.

I did get a DUI.

But recently, before the Feds put their hands in State's rights and funding again, it was legal to drive in all of these states, with a BAC of 0.10: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming

Does this excuse me? No.

Did I make a mistake to drive? Yes.

Is it anyone's fault but my own that I did it? No.

Have I ever pointed the finger of blame at my friends for not "policing me up"? No.

So the facts are, it happened on the Friday night that I decided I was finally going to go through with it and leave.
I was distraught. I was nervous. I told many friends I was doing it. They obviously didn't tell you. And they all were alright with me doing it.
The DUI had nothing to do with me leaving. As we both know, a DUI is not a career ending mistake.
We can discuss that and debate it more if you would like. But for now, I will end it with that.

The DUI was caused from my decision to go AWOL, and not how you like to make it look - as the DUI was the cause for me to go AWOL.

Also someone tried to claim I was an asshole to my soldiers, which really isn't the case. I would like to hear it directly from them.
And if they think that I was, I would openly apologize to them.
Did I push them? Yes.
Were they problems at times? Yes. For sure.

But did I tell them all the time how proud I was of them? Yes.
That was the hardest part about leaving. And I am not ashamed to say that.
They were like my children in a way, but I knew someone else would step in my boots, so it didn't matter.
But I did care for them, and if making them do push-ups is being an asshole to them, then hell - every NCO in the military that I've known is an asshole.

"These are facts-facts that somehow were not discovered by this specific media outlet. It is not my contention that he cannot be “against the war, but rather in speaking on this subject, Mr. Circello chose to omit all the facts."

These things you bring up, I have told openly to the journalists. I wanted the DUI to be included. I am pretty sure the re-enlistment after Iraq WAS included. And the reasons for it were there too.

So, your attack on the liberal media is an attack you should make at someone else's expense. All the things I am saying to you, I have told them. Because I knew people like you would spring up and try to spread misinformation. Which is what is actually happening.

"When the punishment came down, he should have considered himself “lucky” to have been discharged with only an “other than honorable” discharge.” Had the command been so inclined, this soldier could have been in a world of trouble"

The Command wasn't so inclined because they knew I wouldn't back down and that I wasn't afraid to go to jail. This was a face saving mission from the start to just discharge me, don't play games. It would have made me an even larger public figure and more of a spectacle to send me to jail, because the Command knew I would not be quiet.
Tell me that I'm wrong.

"The anger that many of us here at Legion feel has nothing to do with his stand on the war (either one,) but at the fact that he did not tell the whole story, rather he told the facts that fit his 'story.'"

It is easy enough to say I have "two" stances on the war. You have never talked to me face to face about anything in your life. We have talked about Jump Logs and I think it is the only conversation we've ever had, now you claim to know my stance or stances? Give me a break Mr Emerson. Are you omnipresent too?

"It also cannot be ignored that one of the photographs showed Mr. Circello standing at Arlington Cemetery-a place where his former Company commander is buried having given his life in service to his country-in my humble opinion it does nothing but disrespect the memory of those buried there."

You say this, as if I went to Arlington and spit on the graves. No, you righteous man. I went there on my own and happened to be followed by a photographer for weeks, she took those photos. I went there out of respect. I stood in silence, with my hand over my heart as Taps was played and the Tomb Guards honored the Unknown Soldiers. I think it is incredibly foolish of you to assume.

Again, you have no idea who I am, but choose to imagine you do. What is worse is that you choose to write about me to others as if you do have an idea about who I am. You don't

"I of course notice how quickly the media jumps on anything 'negative' regarding these wars. It is hard to accept that no matter how many 'good' things are accomplished, they still chose to print the unsubstantiated 'story' of one soldier."

Tell me what good can come from wars of aggression?
Again, I have never pointed the finger at a soldier. This blame falls on the Bush administration.

"It is exhausting for all of us to attempt to make the general public understand what we are doing, and to change the image many have of us being blood-thirty murderers. Articles such as this one do nothing but reinforce this image. This is NOT who we are."

Where did I claim you were blood-thirsty murderers? I claimed specific events. That - yes - was murder. Even though, I did point out we were shot at. It was taken too far. And many innocent people were killed. It's the truth. I didn't talk about a certain Squad Leader that found some individuals with weapons in their vehicle, and decided to shoot him in his back while he was running.
I didn't talk about a certain Platoon Sergeant that threw an elderly lady down, while flex-cuffed, upon over a dozen 105 mm rockets, out of disgust because she had to have known the items were there and was lying.

Yes, these acts and many more just like it - are the good thing we do. The things that are reported in the news. I disagree with you completely. Nothing is reported in the news of the negative things that soldiers do. And it is kept that way by people like you trying to intimidate those that want to step forward and tell the truth. You do not intimidate me, Mr. Emerson. You are quite a large man, but you do not intimidate me.

"Anyone that has taken the time to read any of my previous posts has some idea of who we are. We are men, attempting to help a country find her way to freedom; furthermore, we are soldiers as well as diplomats, each day finding new ways to ensure the continuation of the work started here."

Yes, diplomats. That have somehow managed to take a country (Iraq) that welcomed soldiers with parades and let it become a living hell. You think the things that I witnessed are the only negative things soldiers have done wrong in the country?
I was in a small sector and saw these things.

I also didn't mention the Squad Leaders taking some of their men on patrols. And leaving them to guard outside while they went in a house and had "consentual" sex with a young, beautiful Iraqi woman. This happened many times. And the Platoon Sergeant at the time knew about it as well.

Or the destruction of personal property on raids, just because.

The mishandling of detainees.

This is all diplomatic. And now you see the after effects.

Does James Circello believe every soldier is bad? No.
Does James Circello say every soldier is a blood-thirsty murderer? No.

But does James Circello and Roy Emerson know there are certain questionable individuals in every unit? Yes.

I am going to end it with that.
And I am on the record opposing both wars. I am not the kind of anti-war activist that claims "Afghanistan is the good war".

Hell, your objection is that the journalist and media get the stories all wrong.
It's MY OBJECTION too!

I spoke for hours about my reasons for going AWOL, and they rarely and noticed in the article.
So, I will say it here, I refuse to be a part of a brutal campaign against the people of the Middle East.
I refuse to be a part of any organization that allows this campaign to continue or permits it to continue.
I refuse to be a part of the arm of the Government that fights these wars.
While men and women are dying at home and being displaced, in the Gulf Coast for example, and millions are turned into refugees in the Middle East and hundreds of thousands dying, it is impossible to sit there and believe what you are doing is noble.

This is a War of Aggression any way you try to spin it Mr. Emerson. I hope this has cleared things up for you.

I will close by saying, I was a soldier, and I know what that means.
I know what sacrifices one must make.
It is not worth it.

The brain washed mentality that a Soldier protects your freedom of speech, and in fact holds the entire Constitution on his or her back, defending it: This is just silly.

Where were those soldiers when African Americans were bought and sold into slavery?
Where were those soldiers when the Native Americans that inhabited these lands were murdered and their lands stolen?
Where were those soldiers during the Women's Suffrage movement?
Where were those soldiers during the Civil Rights movement?
We know where they were at Kent State.

Were they taking the other time off?
The soldier has been glorified by a group of people that exploit them and have made so much profit from exploiting them, of course they will elevate their class status to something of a demigod.

Soldiers are common people, and make mistakes too. Do not forget that you are human. Do not forget that you do not have all the answers.

Take care,
James Circello; Iraq Veterans Against the War
(I was a U.S. Soldier, that was the silliest thing I've ever done.)

"He was right for leaving." (A Legion company NCO quoted after returning home to Italy wounded)
"im not mad man I am hating life you on the other hand actually had the balls to roll out" (from an email by an Anonymous SSG in the 173rd)

P.S. I left out an important talking point. Where things smooth with my wife? No.
We had our fair share of problems. One of which was we were never in love and had nothing in common. We never even spoke to one another. Is this anything you should even try to pretend you know?
You claim I cheated on her. Hell, you're a silly old man.
I told her I wanted a divorce way before any of the rest of the garbage you bring up to attempt to trump my morality.
You have done nothing but show me how immature you are.
I will be at the gate the day you redeploy with a bullhorn and thousands of Italians to welcome you home.
The gate will surely be locked and you will be forced to remain in the Caserma.

But never believe that you intimidate me, even if you can and will do physical harm to me.
I welcome it from an Officer and a Gentleman.

P.S. Again, my email is james.circello [at] yahoo [dot] com. For anyone who has more comments of concerns, you can reach me there.
Thank you.