Agustin Aguayo

Infobox Military Person
name= Agustin Aguayo
born=
died=
placeofbirth=
placceofdeath=
nickname= Augie
branch= United States Army
serviceyears= 2003–2007
discharge= Bad Conduct
rank= Specialist (reduced to Private First Class after court-martial)
commands= FORSCOM, V Corps
unit= 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division [http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=43066&archive=true Article in Military Newspaper] ]
battles= Iraq War
awards= National Defense Service Ribbon Iraq Campaign Medal
laterwork= Conscientious Objector Advocate

Agustin Aguayo is a veteran of the Iraq War and was convicted of desertion by a court martial March 6, 2007. He is an Amnesty International declared "Prisoner of Conscience". [http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/041/2007/en]

Background

Aguayo enlisted in the United States Army in 2003, the same year the second (and ongoing) Gulf War began. Aguayo was trained by the Army as a combat infantryman. After his advanced individual training he was stationed in Germany, and was soon deployed to the Middle East.

ervice in Iraq

Aguayo completed his first tour while refusing to load his weapon. He was ordered to pull guard duties and convoy details, and never backed down from the principle of non-violence that he felt guided by. [cite web |title = Courage to Resist: Agustin Aguayo |Publisher= Courage to Resist |url=http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/blogcategory/24/36/ |accessdate = 2007-10-29]

Imprisonment

Aguayo was notified his unit would be returned to Iraq and instead missed his unit's movement to that theater of operations. When military police came to his family home in September, 2006, he climbed out of the bathroom window, going AWOL in Germany for 24 days. [cite web |title=US. Medic in Germany Found Guilty of Desertion |url=http://www.refusingtokill.net/Agustin%20Aguayo/USmedicingermanyguiltyofdesertion.htm |Publisher= The Independent |Author= Tony Paterson |accessdate = 2007-10-29] He was later apprehended and imprisoned for seven months while awaiting court-martial on charges of Missed Movement and Desertion. His conviction occurred March 6, 2007. He was released from prison in April 2007 and given a bad conduct discharge. He told reporters after his release from prison that he wanted to "do wonderful things for myself and my country". , [cite web |title = War Resistor Speaks Out After His Release From Military Prison |publisher = Democracy!Now |url = http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/17/1351203 |accessdate = 2006-10-29]

Awards

Aguayo received a German Peace Prize on December 21, 2007. [cite web |title = Solidarity Campaign for GI Resisters in German Prison |Publisher= Courage to Resist |url=http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/564/1/ |accessdate = 2008-02-01]

ee also

*Stephen Funk
*list of Iraq War Resisters
*Conscientious Objector
*Nuremberg Principles (Principle IV)

References

External links

* [http://www.counterpunch.org/russom03032007.html Counterpunch Interview with Helga Aguayo]
* [http://www.amnestyusa.org/Acciones_Urgentes/Estados_Unidos_Libertad_para_Agustin_Aguayo_Prisionero_de_Conciencia/page.do?id=1021079&n1=1065&n2=1070&n3=1269 Amnistia Internacional EE. UU. Estados Unidos: Libertad para Agustin Aguayo, Prisionero de Consciencia]
* [http://www.hotpotatomash.com/2008/05/a-day-at-the-be.html#more VIDEO: Agustin Aguayo speaks at a peace rally at Arlington West] May 25, 2008