Robin Long: Help other resisters today

Although there are several groups working to help our War Resisters, two organizations that stand out for the incredible and dedicated work they do to help the individual resisters and their families survive during their ordeals and provide them with legal help for their courts-martial, hearings, etc. One is Courage To Resist in Oakland, CA and the other is War Resisters Support Campaign in Toronto, Ontario.

Help these organizations do their work for our War Resisters. Donate what you can - when you can. Our Resisters are standing up to the most powerful military in the world. Stand with them. -Russell

Here is a letter of support from War Resister, Robin Long:

Robin Long, Iraq War resister. July 22, 2009

As someone who has benefited from the wonderful work that Courage to Resist is doing, I ask that you please consider helping them to help other resisters today.

For the last four years I’ve been resisting the Iraq War. First in Canada, and for the last year in a military brig. The time that I served would have been harder if I hadn’t received so many letters of support while in the brig. It made my time go by faster. I would have felt so disconnected if people hadn’t stood in solidarity with me, and raised money for me to phone my family.

Courage to Resist has been there at every step of my journey. They were there when I got deported from Canada by finding me a lawyer and raising the money to pay for my defense. The sentence I received at my August 2008 court martial would have been much longer if it wasn’t for my attorney James Branum. And they were there while I was in the brig organizing letter writing parties for me and other resisters.

When I was finally released from the brig last week, Courage to Resist was there to welcome me “home” and help me get back on my feet.

If organizations like Courage to Resist weren’t there, I would have felt very isolated, and without a civilian lawyer, completely at the mercy of the Army. Also, time in the brig would have gone by a lot slower, and I might have come out of this with a broken spirit.

Courage to Resist needs your help to do all of these things today, because there are many more resisters who still need help. They need people to volunteer and they need to raise funds to pay for the defense of others going through court martials. As someone who has benefited from the wonderful work that Courage to Resist is doing, I ask that you please consider helping them to help other resisters today.

Peace, Love, Light,
Robin Long

US Army Spc Robin Long traveled to Canada in 2005 to resist deployment to Iraq. In July 2008 Canadian authorities deported him—the first such deportation since the Vietnam War. Following a brief trial at Fort Carson, Colorado, he has been imprisoned for the last year. Robin was released last week from Naval Consolidated Brig at Miramar, just north of San Diego. His freedom has been celebrated at a number of events over the last few days.

Robin will be attending a massage therapy school beginning in the fall.