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Camilo Ernesto Mejía (b. Managua, Nicaragua, August 28, 1975) is a Nicaraguan American who was a former staff sergeant of the Florida National Guard, best known for being an anti-war activist.
Service and court-martial
Mejía is a former student of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, where he intended to major in psychology and Spanish on a military-funded scholarship.[2] Mejía spent six months in Iraq (his first combat tour after enlisting), then returned for a 2-week furlough to the US after which he did not return for duty. He was charged with desertion and sentenced to one year in prison for refusing to return to fight in Iraq. In March 2004 he turned himself in to the US military and filed an application for conscientious objector status.
Mejía was court-martialed, and claimed that he left his post in order to avoid duties that could be considered war crimes: more specifically, the abuse and torture of prisoners. One of his attorneys, former United States Attorney General Ramsey Clark, claimed that he was thus protected from desertion charges by international law.
On May 21, 2004, Mejía was convicted of desertion by a military jury and sentenced to one year confinement, reduction to the rank of Private E-1, and a Bad Conduct Discharge. Under Article 85 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, conviction on the charge of desertion during time of war can result in a sentence of death.
Mejía served his time at the Fort Sill military prison in Lawton, Oklahoma. During his time in custody he was recognized by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience and was awarded by Refuse and Resist with its Courageous Resister Award. He was also the recipient of the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award which was presented by his attorney Louis Font.
Camilo was also recognized by the Detroit, Michigan, City Council with a commendation for his stand. Detroit was the first city where Mejía spoke at an anti-war rally.
While confined, local and national activists organized a series of vigils outside the gates of Ft. Sill, including one attended by Kathy Kelly and other members of Voices in the Wilderness.
After prison
Camilo Mejía was released from prison on February 15, 2005. Since his release, he has spoken at many peace protests and to the press about his experiences and his opposition to the war in Iraq.
Mejía has recently written a book entitled Road from Ar Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Mejía which recounts his journey of conscience in Iraq.
"I say without any pride that I did my job as a soldier. I commanded an infantry squad in combat and we never failed to accomplish our mission. But those who called me a coward, without knowing it, are also right. I was a coward not for leaving the war, but for having been a part of it in the first place. Refusing and resisting this war was my moral duty, a moral duty that called me to take a principled action. I failed to fulfill my moral duty as a human being and instead I chose to fulfill my duty as a soldier. All because I was afraid. I was terrified, I did not want to stand up to the government and the army, I was afraid of punishment and humiliation. I went to war because at the moment I was a coward, and for that I apologize to my soldiers for not being the type of leader I should have been."
Mejía is interviewed in "The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends (2006)", a documentary about the training and dehumanization of U.S. soldiers, and how they struggle to come to terms with it when they come back home. A quote from him in the movie:
In August 2007 Mejía was named the chair of the board of directors of Iraq Veterans Against the War."To the troops, I want to say that there is a way out. We signed a contract, and we swore to protect the constitution and to fight for freedom and democracy, but that's not what we're doing in Iraq. And if it means jail, or if it means disgrace or shame, then that's what it's going to take.... [T]here is no higher freedom that can be achieved than the freedom we achieve when we follow our conscience, and that's something that we can live by and never regret."
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Florida National Guard Sergeant, 32, served 6 months in Iraq in 2003. He became the first US combat veteran to publicly refuse to redeploy to Iraq. In Iraq, Mejia witnessed detainees being tortured and abused by US troops under the direction of American civilian contract employees. He later served 9 months in prison for desertion and was released in February 2005. In August 2007 he was elected Chair of Iraq Veterans Against the War.
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On Friday, 21 May 2004, US Army National Guard staff sergeant Camilo Mejia was sentenced to one year in prison, reduction in rank to E-1, forfeiture of 2/3 pay for one year, and a bad conduct discharge, by a special court martial at Fort Steward. Camilo Mejia had been charged with desertion, although he applied for conscientious objector status.
Camilo Mejia went into hiding after returning from duty in Iraq for rest and recreation (see this), to prepare his conscientious objection application. This application has since been denied.
Ironically, just days after the sentencing of Camilo Mejia to one year for refusing to return to Iraq to kill and torture other humans, Jeremy Sivits received a similar sentence for his part in the mistreatment of Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison.
Camilo was held at Fort Sill military prison, in Oklahoma, imprisoned for his conscientious objection to participating in war. He appealed his sentence, (see story here). He was released from prison on February 15th, 2005.
I am only a regular person that got tired of being afraid to follow his own conscience. For far too long I allowed others to direct my actions even when I knew that they were wrong....To those who have called me a coward I say that they are wrong, and that without knowing it, they are also right. They are wrong when they think that I left the war for fear of being killed. I admit that fear was there, but there was also the fear of killing innocent people, the fear of putting myself in a position where to survive means to kill, there was the fear of losing my soul in the process of saving my body, the fear of losing myself to my daughter, to the people who love me, to the man I used to be, the man I wanted to be. I was afraid of waking up one morning to realize my humanity had abandoned me.(Camilo Mejia, from his statement upon receiving the "Courageous Resister Award", August 2004)
