On April 10, sixteen peace, veterans, faith and social justice organizations from Oregon sent a letter to Governor John Kitzhaber urging him to keep the Oregon National Guard from its planned deployment of 950 Oregonians to Afghanistan later in 2014. The letter follows up a similar letter sent in January 2013 and the 2009 effort to keep the Guard in Oregon through the legislative process.
The groups listed on the letter, which include organizations from Portland, Corvallis, Albany, Eugene, and two statewide organizations, are:
Peace and Justice Works (Portland), Women’s International Peace and Freedom (WILPF) branch-Corvallis, Albany Peace Seekers, Veterans for Peace Linus Pauling Chapter 132 (Corvallis), Veterans for Peace Chapter 72 Portland, Community Alliance of Lane County, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, Rural Organizing Project, War Resisters League-Portland, St. Luke Lutheran Veterans Bridge Fund / St. Luke Lutheran Peace & Justice Group (Portland), Alternatives to War-Corvallis Daily Vigil, Active for Peace & Justice at First United Methodist (Corvallis), Corvallis Raging Grannies, 18th Ave Peace House (Portland), and Individuals For Justice (Portland).
The letter was also signed by the father of an Iraq war veteran and a specialist from Amnesty International.
For more information contact Peace and Justice Works at 503-236-3065.
Peace and Justice Works
PO Box 42456
Portland, OR 972425
03-236-3065
To: Governor John Kitzhaber
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, Oregon 97301-4047
(by e-mail and postal mail)
Governor Kitzhaber
April 10, 2014
We are writing to follow up on the letter we sent to you 15 months ago asking you to keep the Oregon National Guard from deploying to Afghanistan. It is our understanding that about 950 Oregonians are still preparing to head into the occupied nation sometime this summer(1), despite the fact that the President has said he’s willing to withdraw all American troops(2). We therefore repeat our now-urgent request that you, as Commander in Chief of the Guard, keep our men and women home to aid in search and rescue, firefighting, and other important functions that are not possibly in violation of international law.
The 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force which we cited in our2013 letter has been called “The Most Dangerous Sentence In U.S. History” for the unlimited powers it has given the federal executive branch to launch military strikes around the globe(3). We have waited patiently through the 2013 and 2014 legislative sessions to hear your thoughts on this matter. We know that these 1000 Oregonians leaving will impact our state economy. (4) We have seen more Oregonians die in the line of duty in the ongoing military action in Afghanistan.
We urge you, Governor Kitzhaber, to keep Oregon’s Guard in Oregon.
Thank you,
Dan Handelman
for Peace and Justice Works
Leah Bolger
for Women’s International Peace and Freedom (WILPF) branch, Corvallis, OR
Nancy Greenman
for Albany Peace Seekers
Bart Bolger
for Veterans for Peace Linus Pauling Chapter 132 (Corvallis)
Clayton Knight
for Veterans for Peace Chapter 72 Portland
Michael Carrigan
for Community Alliance of Lane County
Kelly Campbell
for Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
Cara Shufelt
for Rural Organizing Project
John Grueschow
for War Resisters League-Portland
Geraldine Foote
for St. Luke Lutheran Veterans Bridge Fund and
St. Luke Lutheran Peace & Justice Group (Portland)
Bill Glassmire
for Alternatives to War-Corvallis Daily Vigil since Oct 2001
LoErna Simpson
for Active for Peace & Justice at First United Methodist (Corvallis)
Valerie White
for Corvallis Raging Grannies
Michael Taylor, father of Iraq combat Veteran, Military Families Speak Out*
John and Pat Schwiebert, Bruce and Ann Huntwork for 18th Ave Peace House, Portland
Malcolm Chaddock
for Individuals For Justice (Portland)
Max White, Country Specialist, Indonesia and East Timor, Amnesty International USA*
(1) Oregon Guard soldiers continue to prepare for Afghanistan deployment this year, Oregonlive, February 15, 2014.
(2) Obama makes it official: U.S. planning for full Afghan withdrawal, Yahoo News, February 25, 2014.
(3) 60 Words And A War Without End: The Untold Story Of The Most Dangerous Sentence In U.S. History, Gregory D. Johnsen Michael Hastings Fellow, January 14, 2014.
(4) Estimated impact of a 1000 person deployment in 1994 was $10.5 million, “Returning Home from Iraq and Afghanistan: Assessment of Readjustment Needs of Veterans, Service Members and Their Families, The National Acadamies Press, 2013, at pp. 331-332.
*organizations listed for identification purposes only
The full text of the new letter is below and on line at
