Liam Madden

Infobox Military Person


name= Liam Madden
born=
died=
placeofbirth= Boston, Massachusetts
placeofdeath=
|caption=
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Marine Corps
serviceyears= 2003–2007
rank= Communications Electronics Specialist
commands=
unit=
battles= Iraq War
awards=

Liam Madden is a former United States Marine and a veteran of the Iraq War. Shortly before leaving the military, he founded the Appeal for Redress, an antiwar petition by active-duty U.S. service-members. He is currently a leader of Iraq Veterans Against the War, serving as treasurer of the Boston chapter. [ [http://ivaw.org/user/130 Iraq Veterans Against the War ] ]

Military service

Madden served in the USMC from January 2003 to January 2007, as a Communications Electronics Specialist. During this time, he deployed to Kuwait, Thailand, Okinawa, Japan, and Korea, [ [http://ivaw.org/user/130 Iraq Veterans Against the War ] ] and spent seven months in Iraq. [ [http://worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3810&Itemid=40 World Can't Wait | Drive Out the Bush Regime - About Liam Madden ] ]

Appeal for Redress

While still in the military, Madden wrote and began circulation of the Appeal for Redress, taking advantage of a legal right for U.S. military personnel to petition their Congressional representatives. The Appeal, which had been signed by over 2000 active-duty military personnel as of January, 2008, [ [http://www.appealforredress.org/index.php An Appeal for Redress ] ] states:

As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq . Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home.

The Appeal attracted media coverage from 60 Minutes, NPR, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Nation, and the Army Times, among others. [ [http://www.appealforredress.org/php/pressroom.php Appeal for Redress from the War in Iraq ] ]

Discharge hearing

After the end of his term of service, but while still a member of the Individual Ready Reserve, Madden was investigated by the Marines for his antiwar activities. He was charged with making disloyal statements and with wearing his uniform at a political event, and he was threatened with having his discharge status revised to "Other Than Honorable", which would prevent him from receiving benefits and could harm his future employment prospects. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/30/AR2007053002627.html Antiwar to the Corps - washingtonpost.com ] ]

ee also

*Adam Kokesh, Marine who faced a similar discharge hearing

References