Road From AR Ramadi; The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia
New York, N.Y. The New Press, 2007. First Printing [stated]. Hardcover. [8], 312 pages. Inscribed by the author on the half title page. Inscription reads: To Charlotte, With many thanks for your support and for your solidarity with Nicaragua. Sincerely, Camilo Mejia, Portland, OR, June 23, 2007. Includes twelve chapters, The Trial, Editor's Note, Acknowledgments, and Afterword by Chris Hedges. This book became the remarkable story of one of the first publicly known conscientious objectors of the Iraq war--a soldier brave enough to face jail rather than continue to fight for what he believed was an unjust cause. Camilo Ernesto Mejía (born August 28, 1975) is a Nicaraguan who left the United States Army during the Iraq War on conscientious objector grounds, was convicted of desertion and went on to become an antiwar activist. Mejía spent six months in Iraq (his first and only combat tour). Mejia returned to the United States on a 2 week furlough in order to address an issue with his Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status; 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. 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. Mejía served his sentence at the Fort Sill military prison. While in custody, he was recognized by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience and Refuse and Resist gave him its Courageous Resister Award. More