Erik Botta believes he's done right by his country.
Days after 9/11, as a young Army reservist, he volunteered to go to war. He was soon in Afghanistan.
The next year, he was sent out again, this time to Iraq, part of a Special Operations team.
In the next two years, he was sent to Iraq again. And again.
He thought he was done. But now, the Army wants Sgt. Botta one more time.
The 26-year-old Port St. Lucie man has been ordered to report to
Fort Jackson, S.C., on July 15 for his fifth deployment. And that has
compelled Botta, a first-generation American who counts himself a quiet
patriot, to do something he never thought he'd do: sue the Army.
''I'm proud of my service,'' he said. "I never wanted it to end like this.''
Nearly seven years into his eight-year commitment to the reserves,
the personal costs are higher for Botta. He could lose his home. His
job at Sikorsky, working on the Black Hawk military helicopter, could
be on the line. He's halfway to his electrical engineering degree,
planning a career in defense work, but his professors say he'll suffer
a significant setback if he is deployed. He doesn't mention the danger
another deployment would bring, but his wife and parents do.
"I'm proud of being in the Army," he said. "They taught me
responsibility. They taught me maturity. And they gave me a good
toolbox of technical skills to work with. I think I'd be more valuable
to my country at this point by being here, getting my degree and
working at Sikorsky."
In a lawsuit he expects to file this week in federal court in
Florida, Botta says he will ask for an exemption or delay so that he
can complete his engineering studies. He will also ask the court to
prevent the Army from requiring him to report for duty until the legal
questions are settled.
His attorney, Mark Waple a West Point graduate and former
military judge advocate who practices in Fayetteville, N.C. says
Botta's case shows that the Army is inconsistent in its decisions when
selecting reservists for involuntary mobilization, over and over.
"This is an arbitrary decision by the Army Human Resources Command with no rational basis," Waple said.
WIFE'S CONCERNS
Botta's wife, Jennifer, who married him between Iraq stints, said
she can't face the idea of his returning to combat. Losing their house,
painful as that would be, is the least of her worries.
"He's been over there four times. There's only so many times you can
go over without something happening " Her voice trailed off.
During his deployments, she said, she would watch television news
reports about bombings and then count the hours until he called. "My
cellphone was in my hand 24 hours a day," she said. "I never let it
go."
For Erik Botta, who keeps his hair military-short, the last few
months have played out as a struggle between his battle-hardened
loyalty to the Army and an abiding sense of what's right.
"We were in a wartime situation," he said. "I did what they asked me
to do. I went over and did it. And then when I was leaving, they told
me I could leave. They told me to get on with my life, and I did. Now
it seems they've changed their mind."
But he doesn't regret his service at all. "I'm proud to be in the
Army, and I'm proud cheesy as it might sound I'm proud to be an
American."
If President Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney were ever to be
impeached, their foes could cite this Independence Day as a milestone the day that the nation's first "impeachment headquarters" opened its
doors in a storefront near the Beverly Center.
"This is an impeachment 4th of July," Byron De Lear, a Green Party
activist, said Wednesday. He called removing Bush and Cheney "a
patriotic duty to restore the integrity of the United States."
Those assembled cited various Bush actions or policies, including "lies that led the U.S. into war."
They also said that Bush--Cheney policies precipitated torture, illegal
spying on American citizens, and the curtailment of privacy and civil
rights in the name of fighting terrorism.
The latest irritant was the president's decision to commute the prison
sentence of former Cheney aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, whom a jury
convicted of obstructing justice.
"Isn't it ironic that Paris Hilton will spend more days in jail than Libby?" said De Lear.
The day's star power was provided by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los
Angeles), who had vigorously defended then-President Bill Clinton when
he faced impeachment in 1998.
"This is one of the most important efforts this country has ever seen,"
said Waters, speaking to about 300 gathered for a noon rally at nearby
La Cienega Park.
In an interview, she added: "We can make changes through organizing. If the numbers are in the streets, Congress will listen."
Any impeachment motion ultimately voted on by the House of
Representatives would have to pass through the House Judiciary
Committee, to which Waters belongs.
Organizers could not definitively name another "pro-impeach" representative on that committee.
In the House at large, they tally 14 like-minded lawmakers, most of
whom have signed on to articles of impeachment against Cheney that were
introduced by Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio), who is running for president.
When asked who might lead the cause in the Senate, Waters paused, then said she would have to defer that question for now.
In the end, removing Bush or Cheney from office would require a two-thirds vote by the Senate.
In the mid-term elections, many more Democrats and some Republicans spoke out against the war, including some who had originally voted to
permit the Bush administration to invade Iraq.
But concluding the war and impeaching Bush don't look like
compatible policies to most members of Congress, said progressive
Democratic columnist Harold Meyerson, executive editor of the American
Prospect, in a telephone interview.
"Impeachment is a distraction since it's not going to happen," said Meyerson.
"At the root of this is the notion that Bush lied us into war and
that's been out there 4 1/2 years. Impeachment would stop everything
else in Congress and the Democrats think they actually need to
accomplish stuff instead of fighting unwinnable battles, especially
with poll numbers falling for Congress. The main thing is to defeat
Republicans electorally."
Republican analyst Arnold Steinberg said an impeachment drive would
help his side: "This gambit will excite the leftist base but
marginalize reasonable Democrats and alienate independent voters — and
motivate Republicans. I can only say, 'Grow up and get a life.' Or,
better yet, 'Go for it.' You'll end up sinking Democratic Party
prospects for 2008."
Critics seeking to define the headquarters opening as a conclave of the
political fringe could point out the largely middle-aged, deeply
left-wing audience or the accordion player in floppy shoes who opened
the rally with a version of "America" that substituted "siblinghood"
for "brotherhood."
But the audience also included fresh recruits Trevor Torquato, 19, and Lauren Kuzma, 17, of Murrieta.
"I'm actually new to politics," said Torquato. "I'm here to be educated. I'm going to register with the Green Party today."
"I'm just hoping all of this will get Bush out of office," said Lauren,
"so we can get our troops out of Iraq. They don't really talk about
that in school. They talk about past history, not what's going on now."
The impeachment center was sponsored by Progressive Democrats of Los
Angeles, Westside Greens, Santa Monica Democratic Club and the Los
Angeles Greens.
Activists plan to meet every Saturday from 2 to 6 p.m. at the 3rd
Street storefront, where they'll stuff envelopes, do phone banking,
spread the word about http://www.bcimpeach.com
and make plans to circulate petitions and lobby elected officials. They
report that 79 municipalities and townships nationwide have passed
impeachment resolutions.
Former Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, who spoke at the event, insisted
that principles ought to trump narrow political imperatives.
"Leadership requires that people step out," she said. "It is not
hopeless. Stand up. Do something for your rights."
The
Republican rebellion against the war in Iraq widened over the weekend
as more of the party’s senators voiced dissent from President George W.
Bush’s strategy.
Republican unity on Iraq has shattered in recent
weeks, amid mounting pessimism about the ability of US forces to bring
stability to the country.
Weakening
Republican support for the war has left Mr Bush increasingly isolated
as congressional Democrats prepare for a fresh barrage of votes aimed
at forcing a US withdrawal.
Three more Republican senators have
called for a change of course recently, adding to a steady trickle of
defections since Richard Lugar became the most senior to break from Mr
Bush over the war last month.
“It should be clear to the
president that there needs to be a new strategy,” Lamar Alexander of
Tennessee told the Los Angeles Times on Saturday.
Senator Judd
Gregg of New Hampshire told the same newspaper that efforts to quell
the violence in Iraq by increasing US troop numbers “don’t seem to be
making a lot of progress” and called for “a clear blueprint” to end the
war.
The comments came two days after Pete Domenici of New Mexico, said he could no longer support current strategy.
The
three senators are among six Republicans who have voiced support for
bipartisan legislation that aims to prepare the ground for US troops to
start leaving Iraq by March next year. The measure is among the more
moderate of several proposals for troop withdrawal and limits on war
spending set for debate in Congress over the next few weeks, as
Democrats launch a fresh push to end the war.
The White House has
appealed for Republicans to withhold judgment until September, when Gen
David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, is scheduled to deliver a
progress report to Congress.
But Chuck Hagel, the moderate
Republican senator from Nebraska and a longstanding critic of the war,
on Sunday warned that the party’s patience was wearing thin.
“If
we do not see this administration take some initiatives to make some
changes, significant strategic policy changes over the next 90 days,
then of course it will be forced on [Mr Bush],” he told NBC’s Meet the Press.
The
most urgent calls for a policy change are coming from Republicans
facing tough re-election battles in 2008, highlighting concern
throughout the party about the impact of the war on next year’s
congressional and presidential polls.
Charles Schumer, Democratic
senator for New York, said Republicans were “getting hammered” by their
constituents over the war, and predicted the trickle of defections
would soon turn into a torrent. “I think the dam is about to burst,” he
told CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday. “By September there will be real change forced upon the president by a bipartisan Senate.”
Mr
Bush last week re-newed his warning against a hasty exit from Iraq,
arguing that a withdrawal “based on politics, not on the advice and
recommendations of our military commanders, would not be in our
national interest”.
US and coalition casualties in Iraq have
increased to an average of about 3.5 a day since Mr Bush took his
decision to increase troop numbers in January - the highest sustained
rate since the end of the initial invasion in 2003. More than 3,600 US
troops have died since the war began.
BAGHDAD, Iraq
(CNN) -- American troops were on the hunt in a volatile region south of
Baghdad for three members of a U.S.-led military patrol, who went
missing after an insurgent attack Saturday that killed five others.
The U.S. military said attackers struck the team of seven U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi army interpreter.
U.S.
forces are using all assets in their search for the missing troops, who
are listed as duty status whereabouts unknown, the military said.
Checkpoints
have been established throughout the region and aircraft including
helicopters, drones and jets have been deployed in the search.
The
predawn attack occurred 12 miles west of Mahmoudiya, a city south of
the capital in a region that has been nicknamed the Triangle of Death. (Map)
A
nearby unit heard explosions, and 15 minutes later, a drone aircraft
spotted two burning vehicles, according to a U.S. military statement.
"Coalition
Forces are currently using every means at our disposal to find the
missing Soldiers, and we will continue these efforts until all are
accounted for," said a statement from military spokesman Maj. Gen.
William B. Caldwell.
The search is reminiscent of the hunt last June for two soldiers who were seized at a checkpoint in Yusufiya.
The two also were listed as duty status whereabouts unknown until their bodies were found three days later.
Also
Saturday, two Iraqi civilians were killed and five others were wounded
when a parked car bomb detonated east of Baghdad in Mada'en, the
Interior Ministry said.
Friday evening a roadside bomb explosion
near a Shiite mosque in northeastern Baghdad killed one civilian and
wounded five others, the official said.
Separately, the U.S.
military said coalition forces arrested three insurgents and destroyed
a car bomb Saturday morning during a raid in Baghdad's sprawling Sadr
City.
The troops were targeting an bomb network and found bomb-making materials.
"The
individuals have suspected ties to a secret cell network in the area
known for facilitating the transport of weapons and EFPs from Iran to
Iraq, as well as bringing militants from Iraq to Iran for terrorist
training," the military said.
The military also announced on
Saturday that "several insurgents" attempting to plant roadside bombs
in a southern Baghdad neighborhood were interrupted by U.S. soldiers
and Iraqi security forces earlier in the week.
General asks for more troops
Friday,
the U.S. military commander in charge of northern Iraqi operations on
Friday said more troops are needed to stem rising insurgent violence in
Diyala province.
"I do not have enough soldiers right now in
Diyala province to get that security situation moving," said Army Maj.
Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, commander of the 25th Infantry Division.
Mixon's
comments came as a political battle was being waged in Washington over
whether funding for U.S. forces fighting in Iraq should be tied to a
deadline for their withdrawal.
In Washington on Thursday, the
U.S. House passed a bill that would tie war funding beyond July to a
progress report. The bill faced an uncertain future in the Senate,
however, and President Bush vowed to veto it. (Full story)
Mixon
did not specify whether more U.S. or Iraqi forces were needed. He made
his comments during a news briefing from Iraq via teleconference at the
Pentagon.
"We have plans to put additional forces in that area.
... We have put additional forces in there over that last couple
months, an additional Stryker battalion, but I'm going to need
additional forces in Diyala province to get that situation to a more
acceptable level." (Watch Mixon lay out his need for additional troops)
About
3,500 U.S. soldiers, 10,000 Iraqi soldiers and several thousand police
officers are stationed in Diyala. More than 3,000 additional police are
needed, he said.
The level of violence has increased in Diyala,
Mixon said, because the forces are increasing their offensive
operations against the insurgents, many of whom have left Baghdad
during the recent security crackdown, and because al Qaeda in Iraq has
made Diyala a focus.
Pentagon Report Details Impact Of Deployments On Mental Health
(May
4, 2007)—The war in Iraq is taking a mental health toll on the Marines
and soldiers on the front lines, a Pentagon report released Friday
finds.
One-third of the soldiers and Marines in combat in Iraq report they have experienced anxiety, depression and acute stress.
And
soldiers deployed repeatedly or more than six months at a time were
more likely to screen positive for mental health issues, the report
said.
The
study also examined battlefield ethics and found that more than a third
of the 1,300 soldiers and 450 Marines assessed said torture show be
allowed to save the lives of fellow troops.
Soldiers
who deployed longer (greater than six months) or had deployed multiple
times were more likely to screen positive for a mental health issue.
Approximately 10 percent of soldiers reported mistreating non-combatants or damaging their property when it was not necessary.
Less than half of soldiers and Marines would report a team member for unethical behavior.
More
than one-third of all soldiers and Marines reported that torture should
be allowed to save the life of a fellow soldier or Marine.
Soldiers experienced mental health problems at a higher rate than Marines.
Deployment length was directly linked to morale problems in the Army.
Leadership is key to maintaining soldier and Marine mental health.
Both
soldiers and Marines reported at relatively high rates - 62 and 66
percent, respectively - that they knew someone seriously injured or
killed, or that a member of their team had become a casualty.
It is a gorgeous
sunny day here on the island today. I feed the kids breakfast, made my
coffee, feed the cats and cleaned the litter box and now I am sitting
down to blog.
Last night we watched something I wanted to blog
about, a movie that was almost three hours long on HBO about the 1994
genocide in Rwanda. An estimated 800,000 to 1,000,000 Rwandans were
killed in 100 days of slaughter.And this got me highly upset. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/evil/
Today in 2007 we are dealing with Darfur
a conflict which began in July 2003 and still continues today. There
are various estimates as to how many deaths have occurred. However they
all concur that the range is within the hundreds of thousands. The UN
estimates that the conflict has left as many as 450,000 dead from
violence and disease. Most (non-governmental organizations) use 200,000
to over 400,000, . And why do
we continue dumping trillions and trillions of dollars into Iraq when
we should be dumping trillions of dollars in Africa. We can no longer
sit by and let this continue. We must start help heal the world. http://www.darfurgenocide.org/
If you get a chance also watch the movie Hotel Rwanda http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Rwanda
you will be angry you will cry and you will be outraged but you can do
something. You can spread the word and write our congress to make
changes.
So today I am going to spend the day thinking about what I can do help. As the average American citizen
what can I do to help in Africa. Maybe I need to start a writing
campaign maybe I need to start a blog about it. I am not sure. But I
need to do something. It makes me sick to my stomach that this is still
happening in Africa and our government does nothing to stop it or help put an end to their suffering.
This web site is NOT enforced by the United States Army, The Department of Defense,The United States Government or any other federal, state or military governing body or agency. This author does not guarantee the accuarcy of content in web sites that are linked to and referenced on this site. Mahalo!
I have TONS of military spouse links at the bottom of my page-make sure you scroll down and check some sites out. If you are a new military spouse they will help you navigate your way through the military wife life.
Want to get in touch with me- click below: Email Bree
My name is Brianna a.k.a-BREE a.k.a luvmyarmyboy... I am 33 and a "Very Proud" Army Wife. My husband is a U.S Army Soldier. He was deployed to Iraq 2003-2004 and extended during that deployment{made it home alive} and now is preparing to deploy for his second time except we get to endure a 15+ month seperation thanks to Gates and Bush for making the tours of duty now 15 months long. This blog was started in 2004 during my first extention due to the fact that there was NOTHING out there for us military wives/families as far as support or resources went. I found creating my own blog and journaling my own personal feelings and fustrations helped get me through the extension. I do not look forward sending the love of my life back to the hell hole they call Iraq, and I don't look forward to the long endless nights of worry. I want this war to come to an end and to BRING OUR TROOPS HOME! I want for all the thousands of other military wives/families to not have to endure a 15+ month deployment. I support my soldier 110% and will support him while he deploys, but I do not support this war or the lying administration that continues to keep sending our loved ones in harms way. Please at anytime feel free to "Sound Off" and let your voice be heard!
Want to Find Other Wives/Familes that want our troops HOME NOW-click the link below to find a chapter in your area:
Military Families Speak Out
It's OK to question WHY our TROOPS are still in IRAQ!
What Does it Mean To 'Support Our Troops'?
Click the button below to take you something that was very well written by Bill Barnwell.
~*!Click the Picture to Listen 2 Army Wife Talk Radio!*~:
To My Husband
Thank you for your enduring sacrifices to be in the military. I know you do and give alot of yourself. Sometimes stretched thin but you always KEEP going. The military was not your first choice, but you have made it what it is and for that I am VERY PROUD of you.... Sometimes I lay awake in bed at night in awe of you. I wonder how you keep going day to day with all you have to do. Each day is just another amazing day spent learning new things from you. I love the way you look at life, and the attitude you have on people and things. You are my one true H-E-R-O!
*~!I love you!~*
People who have visited me and I hope come back again!
Many active duty, reserve, and guard service members are concerned about the war in Iraq and support the withdrawal of U.S. troops. The Appeal for Redress provides a way in which individual service members can appeal to their Congressional Representative and US Senators to urge an end to the U.S. military occupation. The first Appeal signatures were delivered to members of Congress on January 16, to coincide with at the time of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January 2007. Appeal for Redress will continue to collect signatures until all active duty, Guard, and active reserve soldiers are out of Iraq.
The Military Wife
The Military Wives World
A lonely place to be.
At least you would think so,
When our men are overseas.
But when our men are gone,
There's a secret that we keep.
There are thousands of other women,
In a hole just as deep.
We keep each other company,
On those cold and lonesome days.
Whether a phone call or cup of coffee,
We help out in different ways.
We consider ourselves family,
On those long one year tours.
Whether we are at a different PCS,
Or at the house next door.
So for those of you who think,
We are lonely, crying fools.
Please know that we are crafty,
And have many different tools.
When the house is falling apart,
Or something starts to break,
We have a useful tool we call,
The big role of duck tape.
But when we feel alone,
And start thinking there's no hope.
Low and behold, here's a army wife,
To throw us a saving rope.
So please don't think we are sorry,
For the hardships we endure.
Because we love our Soldiers,
Of this you can be sure.
We also love our Sisters,
Who endure the hardships too.
For, without them by our side,
Lord knows what we would do.
I thank all those women,
Who have helped along the way.
I owe them all my sanity,
Which I've kept throughout these days.
So we can all be sure,
That when the word comes down,
We will have a shoulder for crying,
When he is ordered to leave town.
We will make it.
As long as there is at least
One left
to go around.
Don't undermine your worth by comparing
yourself with others.
It is because we are different that each of us is special.
Don't set your goals by what other people
deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.
Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life, for without them
life is meaningless.
Don't let your life slip through your fingers
by living in the past or for the future.
By living your life one day at a time,
you live all the days of your life.
Don't give up when you still have something to give.
Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect.
It is this fragile thread that binds us to each other.
Don't be afraid to encounter risks.
It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive love is to give love.
The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly;
and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
Don't dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams is to be without hope;
to be without hope is to be without purpose.
Don't run through life so fast that you forget
not only where you've been, but also where you're going.
Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored
each step of the way.
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