Operation Recovery in support of Bradley Manning

June 4th 2011, Operation Recovery team members will travel from Fort Hood, Texas to Leavenworth, Kansas and join a rally in support of Bradley Manning.  A public pressure campaign forced authorities to transfer Bradley to the Leavenworth facility where he is being held in much better conditions.  But the fight for justice in his case is certainly not over.  Read this statement from IVAW's Kansas City chapter leader, Will Stewart-Starks about why veterans have a special duty to support Bradley Manning:

This Saturday many will gather in Leavenworth, Kansas to call for the release of PFC Bradley Manning.  In the past few months a broad based coalition of peace and civil liberties activist have come together in cooperation to demand that his indefinite detention by the whim of the military will finally cease.  It is important for IVAW and its members to understand the implications and precedent his case has had in regards to turning back further GI rights across the board.

I, as well as many who have served, did so under the assumption that our service members were responsible in defending the beliefs and sacred rights of free people.  That it was our responsibility to ensure that this was afforded to all.  We have failed in that mission in the unlawful detainment of one of our very own brothers, Bradley.  He has been subjected to cruel and and unusual punishments and been prematurely sentenced on the record by members of the chain of command, that has lead all the way to the top with statements from President Obama.

The weight of these allegations is certainly too much for one, even as brave as Bradley, to bear alone.  This is why we in the veteran community must stand up, shoulder to shoulder and demand his freedom, and in doing so call for our own.  We must ensure that not another one of our brothers or sisters receives such retaliatory abuse and each and everyone of us is respected first, as equal under the law with the same inherent rights as any other person. 

We must also stand up as a GI and veteran community opposed to the notion that we are nothing more than property of the military, but rather the embodiment of a principled system that preserves human dignity and justice.  In fighting this battle we fight for ourselves and set the stage for our community to claim what was once expected to be stripped away by wearing the uniform. Instead we say that our heroes require these protections too.  Heroes like PFC Bradley Manning and those who courageously do what is best in exposing those who undermine these beliefs that keep us free through their sacrifice and unwavering example.

By Will Stewart-Starks IVAW Kansas