Aug 14 2008
I most certainly am not an Edward Tick, author of War and the Soul: Healing Our Nation’s Veterans from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and a few other books, as well as the article in Yes Magazine linked above. He is also the director and senior psychotherapist of Soldier’s Heart: Veteran’s Safe Return Initiatives.
So I’ll give a few of the cuts from the article and add some other related information I’ve recently received.
Nov 21 2007
Yes the Great Orange Satan.
The Sutras of Abu Ghraib: An Interview With Conscientious Objector Aidan Delgado by intrepidliberal
I known he’s a big favorite around here, thought you might like to know.
Oct 29 2007
OK – so here we go.
I don’t have a lot prepared to say up top here. I just want to welcome Aidan Delgado and give a brief intro. He will be posting here as TheObjector.
Aidan Delgado joined the Army Reserve in 2001 and was sent to Iraq in March 2003. He was assigned to the 320th Military Police Company where he worked as a mechanic and also as a radio operator. He spent 1 year in Iraq – 6 months at Tallil Airbase outside Nasiriyah and 6 months at Abu Ghraib. As a Buddhist he soon found that being in the Army and witnessing the inhumanity of war and its effects on his fellow soldiers, and of course the Iraqis, violated all his beliefs and principles. He decided he could not be a willing participant any longer so he turned in his weapon and filed for Conscientious Objector status. His book tells about everything he saw and felt and how difficult it was to go on living and working with most of the soldiers in his unit once he made the decision to become an Objector. It is a really amazing story of courage and compassion. Highly recommended.
You can read more about the book here: Review
Click the book cover to purchase from the publisher, Beacon Press.
Here is Aidan’s website with a lot more information and links.
Without further ado, I’ll open the floor, I mean blog, to questions. Post your comments at any time and Aidan can work his way down the page to reply.
Oct 28 2007
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Aidan Delgado, author of The Sutras of Abu Ghraib: Notes from a Conscientious Objector in Iraq, will be online at DocuDharma today, Sunday, October 28th at 9 PM Eastern to talk about the book and his experiences in Iraq.
The son of a diplomat, he spent his childhood and teen years overseas. He lived in Thailand, Senegal, and Egypt. He signed a contract to enlist in U.S. Army Reserves on 9\/11.
Enlisted as a mechanic in a military police company, when his unit was assigned to Abu Ghraib his Arabic language skills became especially valuable. He converted to Buddhism just before his training. The book (reviewed by On The Bus) is the account of his experiences as a soldier and his struggle to achieve conscientious objector status.
Oct 27 2007
 | The Sutras of Abu Ghraib: Notes from a Conscientious Objector in Iraq Special Note: Aidan Delgado will be online here at Docudharma to talk about the book and his experiences in Iraq. Please join in the conversation – Sunday, October 28th at 9 PM Eastern / 6 PM Pacific |
A few weeks ago Aidan Delgado sent us an email asking if we would help promote his new book about the Iraq War and how he came to be a Conscientious Objector. We were more than happy to do so. A few days later I received a copy of the book from the publisher, Beacon Press. The story is well written and captivating – highly recommended. Here are a few more thoughts I will share with you…
It takes courage to become a soldier and go to war. It takes more courage to stand up for your principles and do the right thing. This book is more than just a war story. As Delgado puts it:
This book is not about who I am and what happened to me, even though you will read about who I am and what happened to me. It is a story about a struggle that we all face, a story about deciding what you believe is right and upholding that belief to the bitter end, come what may.
 Artist: Dadara |