Dear Taoiseach...

dublin | anti-war / imperialism | feature

Wednesday March 16, 2005 19:38

by redjade

Kelly Dougherty writes a letter to the Taoiseach

Kelly Dougherty
US Army National Guard,
Co-founder Iraq Veterans Against the War

Dublin
14 March 2005

Dear Taoiseach,

Photo Series:
Pitstop Ploughshares supporters March from the Four Courts to Dáil Éireann after trial collapses.
Delivering Kelly's Letter to Bertie...

''You should be proud of where you're from. There's been a lot of damage to the idealism that the US is supposed to be all about: freedom and optimism and democracy. That image is really being ruined by the Bush administration.''
- An Interview with Kelly Dougherty...

As an American citizen and a former US army sergeant, I implore you to withdraw the Republic of Ireland’s support for the US war on Iraq by no longer allowing US military planes to land or refuel in Ireland.

During my year of service in Iraq I witnessed first-hand the destruction, poverty and violence that the US occupation is causing. The lies used to justify the invasion of Iraq have long been exposed, and yet the occupation continues and the casualties mount. A recent study conducted by The Lancet has estimated that close to 100,000 Iraqi citizens have been killed since the March 20, 2003 invasion of Iraq. More than 1,550 of my fellow American men and women, and dozens of foreign soldiers and civilians, have lost their lives in this illegal, immoral war. Added to these gruesome figures are the tens of thousands of people returning from Iraq physically wounded and emotionally shattered.

More than 350,000 US troops have passed through Shannon Airport in recent years, including 158,000 just in 2004. Many of those soldiers were en route to Iraq, where they were being sent to fight, kill and die for a war based on lies. Taoiseach, I ask you to help end the US-led occupation of Iraq by no longer allowing the US military to use Shannon Airport as a stopping point on the way to Iraq.

There has been a strong friendship and connection between Ireland and the United States. My own ancestors emigrated to the US from Ireland. As an Irish-American I ask you to demonstrate the Republic of Ireland’s commitment to peace and to its policy of neutrality by ending Irish participation in this illegal war. I also request that Ireland offer safe refuge to US service members seeking asylum as a means to avoid participating in the illegal occupation of Iraq....

As a US citizen and army veteran of the Iraq war, I make these requests out of a desire to protect the lives of both my fellow Americans and the Iraqi people. The deception used first to justify the war and now to continue the occupation of Iraq is not only a disgrace to service women and men, but also an attack on the sanctity of human life as a whole. I call on you, Taoiseach, to lead the Irish people in their stand for compassion and peace.

With much respect,

Kelly Dougherty

US Army National Guard,
Co-founder Iraq Veterans Against the War ( http://www.ivaw.net )
909 Cheyenne Boulevard,
Colorado Springs, CO
80906 USA