Todd Arena

Editor's Note: Todd Arena, a philosophy junior, and Jonathan Hustad, a December 2002 media arts graduate, were called up for duty in Operation Enduring Freedom last fall. They are now stationed at United States Army Base at Ft. Sill, Okla., as members of the U.S. Army Reserve.

We do not believe that supporting the war is analogous to supporting soldiers. It is possible to support soldiers without supporting the war, to have faith in an administration while criticizing its policies and, most assuredly, to support the government while questioning the current administration.

Jonathan Hustad

We were U.S. citizens prior to our enlistment oath; since then we have become something greater and lesser, citizen-soldiers. We have given up a portion of rights and freedoms in an oath to serve an institution whose sole official purpose is the protection of all rights and freedoms given to any citizen. Whatever an individual soldier's personal motivation behind taking their oath, the justification for their decision is the well founded rationale of public service. The citizen-soldier is a volunteer, and it is a position that serves by being a surrogate of the public will. Despite our oath to the commander in chief, despite the authority of Congress, the will of the public is sovereign over all aspects of military activity. The oath of obedience we have taken to our administration binds us as it binds all public representatives to general democratic accountability.

It is the public who must decide whether any military commitment is worth the risk of our lives, our sacrifice of civilian life and our personal goals and dreams. As U.S. soldiers, we recognize that our decision to fulfill our duty is a necessary sacrifice for the cause of federal republican government. We also recognize that what we really fight, and possibly die for, is a goal not in the hands of the human giving his life, but in the vote of the people determining their fate, and it is the responsibility of this body politic to be as well informed as possible before making such a grave decision.

The Army should be a vehicle of public interest, an institution in direct service to the people of the United States. But today, whose will is being done in the current use of the U.S. military infrastructure? Are the people as a whole living up to the responsibilities of sovereignty when a large number do not seem to understand basic facts about the "war"?

Despite U.S. economic benefit, regional and international diplomatic prominence, and application of aggressive military posture (which many believe to be underlying motivations for the present administration's war against Iraq), Saddam is truly an abusive, totalitarian dictator who needs removal. The real problem is that many citizens either do not care or are poorly informed about the former consequences and move directly to the latter auxiliary conclusion. These consequences may ultimately damage the long-term interests of the United States by antagonizing the world community. Is this policy justified simply because one of its short-term outcomes may be immediately beneficial?

We must realize that if we simply let the present administration direct the public mindset further and further from debate and towards complacent acceptance, then we risk losing sight of the fact that the precedents our nation makes now are overturning a century of international progress. As the welfare of all humanity becomes more and more intertwined, our current leaders seem to embrace a political and economic activism that is giving rise to a paradigm of dominance over the other peoples of the world. We must ask whether this contributes to the development of worldwide equality, justice and legitimacy ÷ watchwords long touted by our society.

We, as soldiers, are willing to sacrifice our comfort, freedom and even lives so that you, the people, may have all of these things. All we ask in return is that you reclaim your sovereignty rather than abdicate it, that you exercise your own powers of thought and decision instead of passively accepting decisions made in your name. Responsibility for our common welfare is not limited to the professional politicians. They may represent us, but they also rely on us. Speak out and voice your concerns. Use any legal means available to let your voice be heard and you will be given due consideration by your government officials. Vote your conscience; there is no greater American tradition. Do this before it has irrevocably changed your lives, because we will feel the consequences of today's decisions all too acutely tomorrow.

Todd Arena and Jonathan Hustad are members of the U.S. Army Reserve and can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.