San Diego, TX–(HISPANIC PR WIRE)–May 10, 2005

The following statement was issued today by Navy Petty Officer Third Class Pablo Paredes prior to his court martial trial in San Diego on Wednesday:

Yesterday I formally entered a plea of “not guilty” to charges of unauthorized absence and missing movement stemming from my refusal to board the Iraq-bound ship USS Bonhomme Richard on December 6, 2004. I will be tried in a special court martial on 05/11/2005.

New York Sailor Who Refused to Ship Out for Persian Gulf Sentenced to Hard Labor
By Seth Hettena
Associated Press Writer

May 12, 2005, 6:11 PM EDT

SAN DIEGO — A New York sailor was sentenced to three months of hard labor Thursday for refusing to ship out for the Persian Gulf in a protest against the war in Iraq.

Pablo Paredes was also demoted from petty officer third class to seaman recruit, the lowest rank in the Navy.

by Frida Berrigan
The Progressive

JEREMY HINZMAN JOINED THE MILITARY in early 2001. Like many others, he was attracted to the military by “the prospect of being able to ….go to college without incurring debt and be a part of something bigger than myself,” he says.

He completed basic training, and in July 2001 moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with his wife, Nga Nguyen. He was a “White Devil”: a member of the 82nd Airborne’s 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

But during basic training, he began to have doubts.

By Mike Ferner

He trolled for teenagers in North Carolina high schools, barked orders at recruits in boot camp, and pulled charred civilian corpses out of cars in Iraq. Now Jimmy Massey is making good on his promise to tell the whole world what he learned as a Marine.

For the first 10 years, Massey loved being in the USMC. With a quick mind and an easy manner, he and his superiors knew he’d make a great recruiter. And by the luck of the draw, he was assigned to the area around Asheville, N.C., not far from where he grew up.

“It was an advantage being a recruiter in this area. I understand the mentality of mountain people. When we’d talk about topics like the economy and industry around here, I knew what people were talking about. And too, people here usually don’t open up to strangers.”

From the San Diego Union-Tribune
ASSOCIATED PRESS
December 6, 2004

SAN DIEGO – A Navy petty officer opposed to the war in Iraq refused to board his ship Monday as sailors and Marines deployed for the Persian Gulf.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Pablo Paredes, 23, said he has opposed the war since its inception. Until recently, the weapons-control technician said he did not feel he had a direct role in the war. Two weeks ago, however, he said he was involuntarily transferred to the amphibious transport USS Bonhomme Richard, which ferries Marines to Iraq.

“I don’t want to be a part of a ship that’s taking 3,000 Marines over there, knowing a hundred or more of them won’t come back,” he said. “I can’t sleep at night knowing that’s what I do for a living.”