Protesters erect watchtower just outside post

Protesters erect watchtower just outside post

kdhnews.com | May 27th 2011 By Anthony Scott
Killeen Daily Herald

Out of protest against the deployment of soldiers with mental injuries to war, Iraq Veterans Against the War teamed up with Under the Hood Outreach Center and Cafe to set up a watchtower outside Fort Hood's East Gate.

The protesters stood their ground all day Thursday, from start to finish of the post's entire duty day. As cars went by, some passengers honked and shouted.

"We built a tower and the tower's based on putting (III Corps and Fort Hood Commander Lt. Gen. Donald Campbell Jr.) accountable to all the suicides that are happening at Fort Hood and to all the soldiers not getting the proper (mental health) treatment that they need," said Kyle Wesolowski, an Iraq war veteran who recently left the Army with a conscientious objector discharge.

Wesolowski toured Iraq from 2008-09 with the 1st Cavalry Division and is now the manager at Under The Hood Cafe, an outreach center for soldiers.

"We're going to leave him accountable for all of these things now and until the future," he said. "Now we're trying to talk to (Campbell) to sit down with him. We've given him over 600 emails to be sent to him from our supporters from IVAW members alike."

Wesolowski said one of the things that needs to be done is let soldiers heal from mental health problems before deployment.

"A lot of soldiers are falling through the cracks," he said. "They're being redeployed to Iraq with many of these mental conditions."

The protest was part of Operation Recovery, an IVAW campaign to stop the deployment of traumatized troops.

Prior to the protest, the group went on post Wednesday morning to III Corps Headquarters and asked for a meeting with Campbell, said veteran and organizer Aaron Hughes.

"We were refused again," he said. "We're tired of being ignored."

Led by Wesolowski, a group of six of the veterans went to III Corps Headquarters and asked to meet with Campbell at the reception desk. The Army did not grant the request, said organizer Scott Kimball, a veteran who recounted the experience on the IVAW website.

Kimball said because they did not make contact with Campbell the group was putting him on watch.

The next day at the watch tower, Wesolowski led the crew of protesters by listing a number of complaints, including the fact that in 2009 more than 7,000 soldiers were on antidepressant or antipsychotic medication and military suicide rates increased 150 percent from 2001 to 2009.

Fort Hood also has the highest suicide rate of any Army post at 22 cases of suicide last year, nearly twice as many cases as any other post. Increased cases of military sexual trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury were also problems, he added.

"We believe they need to get the help they need," Wesolowski said. "To heal, and not be redeployed: That to me is an Army value. To respect every service member when they're in trouble."

Contact Anthony Scott at ascott@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7568. Follow him on Twitter at KDHcity.

Print Article

Original Page: http://kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=56219&sms_ss=twitter&at_xt=4ddfb2b48b107a02,1

Shared from Read It Later