Agustin Aguayo speaking at the Brecht Forum (Photo: Thomas Good / Next Left Notes)

New York, NY – August 17, 2007. Iraq War Veteran and War Resister Agustin Aguayo spoke at NYC’s Brecht Forum, Wednesday, August 15. The event was organized by the Campus Antiwar Network (CAN) and endorsed by a number of organizations many of which tabled. Recently released from prison, Aguayo is taking his case to the Supreme Court – looking to have his two felony convictions (missing movement and desertion) overturned. The current speaking tour is designed to raise awareness and to raise funds for litigation.

For Aguayo it’s been a long road from enlistment to release from prision – and he remains Army “property” as the Army continues to refuse to recognize his status as a conscientous objector.

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In 2004, after applying for discharge as a conscientious objector (CO), Agustin Aguayo was sent to Iraq, as a medic with his unit in the 1st Infantry Division. As a CO, Aguayo never loaded his weapon while in Iraq. After his tour ended, Aguayo was informed that his application for discharge had been rejected, and that he would be redeployed to Iraq. Aguayo went AWOL. Convicted of desertion, Agustin was sentenced to 8 months in prison, serving 7. Since that time he has been speaking out about the reality of war – and doing counter-recruitment with at risk students.

At the Brecht, Helga Aguayo introduced her husband. She spoke about her experiences as a military mother and wife and answered “the number one question – why did you enlist?” Helga explained that while she had been happy in her job, Agustin had not – working the graveyard shift at Home Depot, he had been frustrated and wanted to be productive. Agustin and Helga, Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants, respectively, wanted to “prove we’re Americans” and serve the country that had given them so much. In addition, the family needed money for college. And so a family decision was arrived at: the Aguayos – Helga, Agustin and their two daughters – would join the military. It wasn’t long, however, before letters home from Agustin indicated that he found the idea of taking another life unbearable. Consequently, he did not load his weapon while in Iraq and refused a second deployment. After the Army refused to recognize his beliefs as a CO, demanding he return to Iraq – in shackles if necessary – Aguayo went AWOL to Mexico to indicate how serious he was about not redeploying. Rather than be declared a deserter he returned to the US within 30 days and turned himself in. Nonetheless he was charged with desertion. Helga remarked that this sets a dangerous precedent for War Resisters – one the Aguayos plan to fight, all the way to the Supreme Court.

After a short video about his family’s struggle – produced by Sally Marr and Peter Dudar – Agustin spoke. Greeted with sustained applause, he stated that he joined the military in part to “take care of his family.” But the reality of war caused him to reconsider. Serving in Iraq as a medic, Agustin felt that he could take care of “my brothers and the Iraqi people” while not having to carry a weapon. He was told he would carry a weapon despite his medic status. In fact, a senior officer told him he should fire at Iraqis and “shoot to finish the job” – to cut down on the amount of work he would have to do as a medic. As the officer was a medical professional, Aguayo was stunned. Despite being in a helping profession and technically a non-combatant, Agustin told the audience he discovered that “there are no non-combatants in today’s Army”. On arrival in Iraq he was told “if it moves you fire at it”. Taking part in searches of private homes, Aguayo observed firsthand the “rampant abuse of power” the US military exercises over Iraqi civilians. “We are perpetuating a cycle of violence,” he told the crowd at the Brecht.

Aguayo told a number of stories from his war experiences and summed up with a condemnation of the hypocrisy of “military medicine”. US military medics are taught to “conserve fighting strength” by doing a perverse form of triage – tending to those who might be able to fight again first. This stands in direct opposition to the civilian approach of tending to those in greatest need first. Throughout his remarks, Aguayo repeatedly thanked members of the audience, the majority of whom were peace activists, for being a “part of the Movement”.

After a discussion period, the event concluded with Agustin hugging Justino Rodriguez, the moderator, and rejoining his children, seated in the audience. Donations to Agustin Aguayo’s legal defense fund can be made at www.aguayodefense.org.

An mp3 audio clip, containing Aguayo’s speech in its entirety can be accessed – along with video clips and photopraphs – by clicking here:
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