Man Suffering from PTSD Sentenced for Resisting War
On July 17, James Burmeister was sentenced to 6 months in prison for going AWOL.
James Burmeister is an American soldier who served in September of 2006 as a gunner in Unit 118 First Infantry Division. At that time, Burmeister took part in “small kill teams” that used “bait and kill” tactics. His team would place fake cameras on poles, label them “U.S.Property” and if anyone were to touch these cameras, they would be shot and killed. Burmeister says, “These citizens were almost always unarmed. In some cases, the Iraqi victims looked to me like they were children, perhaps teenagers.”
I knew that American troops were being ordered to kill innocent Iraqi civilians, but I’ve never heard of bait and kill tactics, and from the sounds of it and through what Burmeister has done since then, I’m not surprised. Of course we, as American citizens, aren’t supposed to be hearing what a travesty our country is and how troops are being ordered by their higher ups to commit indecent war crimes and are brainwashed to be devoid of any humanity. But that isn’t even the half of this story; this story is about James Burmeister.
Also while serving in the war, “Burmeister’s convoy was hit by roadside bombs three times. The third time, Burmeister was knocked unconscious and two pieces of shrapnel were buried in his face. After this incident, Burmeister began to have nightmares and feel faint.”
Burmeister was diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and also suffered from chronic high blood pressure, which was found when he was sent to Germany to rest after the third time his convoy had been hit.
The American government, obviously not getting the memo that one of their soldiers had been diagnosed with chronic high blood pressure and more importantly, PTSD, Burmeister was ordered to return to war in May 2007. Burmeister did not return and did not fight for a country who couldn’t give a shit about him (obviously.) He fled to Canada, where he lived with his wife, a Germany native and son.
While Burmeister was in Canada, he appeared on Canada’s CBC News in June 2007 and spoke with the Oregonian in July 2007, along with PBS’s Now to spread the word about what America is doing during this war. He spoke out about the bait and kill teams, which I think is fabulous since so many people don’t know the truth about what is really going on over there. Most people, in America anyway, believe that we have to be over there, that we’re fighting a just war for a good cause and that simply is not true. America has been throwing its weight around since the inception of Vietnam where Americans also committed horrendous war crimes, but its citizens were kept in the dark about it. The Iraq war is the second Vietnam and even Iraq knows it.
On March 4, 2008, Burmeister turned himself in to the Army and what he told Canada’s CBS News, the Oregonian and PBS’s Now were entered as evidence against him in his trial because obviously the American government is going to frown upon its own soldiers telling of the horrors they were forced to commit over there while “doing their jobs.” The reason why Burmeister turned himself in to the Army is because he was told by a friend and fellow soldier that the bait and kill tactics had been eliminated and Burmeister, having spoken out about the American tactics, figured that his “mission had been accomplished.”
While awaiting trial, Burmeister was kept in a room near a training ground, the government yet again not acknowledging that this man has PTSD due to what happened to him in war, and putting him in a room near a training ground where he was forced to hear soldiers firing from tanks day and night.
Burmeister pleaded guilty to going AWOL in order to save himself from a harsher sentence and was charged with “desertion with intent to shirk important service.” That “important service” obviously being inhumane war crimes; lovely. Burmeister will also receive a reduction in rank and in pay and he will receive a bad conduct discharge. He will not be eligible for veterans’ benefits. That means the Veterans Administration will not give him treatment for his PTSD and for his head injury.
This is fucking bullshit! Yet another example of the American government not owning up to what they are doing to so many soldiers that are willing to put their lives on the line for a war that shouldn’t be going on in the first place, yet they get out of helping Burmeister (and so many other soldiers) with his PTSD because he fled to Canada in order to literally save his life. The suicide rate among soldiers with PTSD, most going untreated because of the government’s failure to diagnose PTSD because they don’t want to have to pay for the therapy that goes into helping someone with this devastating mental condition that they are the fault of, is just continuing to rise. America doesn’t want to have to pay for these soldiers to get help, even though it’s America’s fault to begin with that they are in this situation and knowing full well that if PTSD goes untreated, a person is likely to kill themselves–The condition is that bad.
While Burmeister did receive prison time, which he is serving while his wife, son and newborn child whom Burmeister has not seen yet, are now living in Germany, I’m glad he went AWOL. I’m glad that he values his life enough to take control and know what is best for him. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to survive another deployment and upon his diagnosis of PTSD, the government should have stepped in and helped him instead of using him to go fight their disgusting, unjust war.
The true kicker to the story here is that Burmeister was simply made an example of. The Eugene Weekly has pointed out that of the 4,698 soldiers who have been charged with desertion in 2007, only 108 have been convicted. 108 out of almost 5,000? But we know why this happened–Burmeister spoke up. He spoke to the media in order to get his story heard and they didn’t like it; they don’t want people to know how horrible of a government America is run under. But we already know. We know a lot more than they want us to and it is because of soldiers like Burmeister who have the courage to speak up about what they know is wrong and I hope they don’t stop–I hope every soldier who has seen or has been forced to do something that they know is wrong under the “line of duty” comes back and speaks up so everyone can see what vicious lies this country is telling its citizens and how scare tactics are being used to talk us into going along with whatever plan the administration has for this country and for themselves; but never its citizens. America does not care about its citizens, they simply need them to fight a war on oil and money and I know I’m not the only one who sees it.
There are so many cases of American soldiers who know that this war is wrong and refuse to fight so I encourage you to read all of their stories at Courage to Resist. You can also read more in depth about James Burmeister on that website, here.
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