Camilo Ernesto Mejía (born August 28, 1975) is a

Nicaraguan Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

who left the United States Army during the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...

on conscientious objector grounds, was convicted of desertion and went on to become an anti-war activist. He is also the son of Carlos Mejia Godoy, Nicaragua songwriter.

Service and court-martial

Mejía is a graduate of the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Coral Gables is known globally as home to the ...

, where he majored in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

.A. Delarte, "Iraqi war protesters gather to honor fallen servicemen" ''

The South End ''The South End'' is the official student newspaper of Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, published in print and online. It was founded in 1967, and its publication is funded partly from university funds and partly from advertising rev ...

'' (Detroit) March 22, 2003. 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 A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve. Each country's military has different types of discharge. They are generally based on whether the persons completed their training and the ...

. Mejía served his sentence at the Fort Sill

military prison A military prison is a prison operated by a military. Military prisons are used variously to house prisoners of war, unlawful combatants, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by the military or national authorities, and members ...

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 Refuse & Resist! ("R&R!") was a human rights activist group founded in New York City in 1987 by Emile de Antonio, Dore Ashton, Dennis Brutus, John Gerassi, Abbie Hoffman, William Kunstler, C. Clark Kissinger, Conrad Lynn, Sonia Sanchez, Rev. Fer ...

. He was also the recipient of the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award which was presented by his attorney Louis Font. Camilo was recognized by the

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, City Council with a commendation for his stand.

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 Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

. In 2005, he was recognized with the 'Young Leader Award' by

Global Exchange Global Exchange was founded in 1988 and is an advocacy group, human rights organization, and a 501(c)(3) organization, based in San Francisco, California, United States. The group defines its mission as, "to promote human rights and social, econo ...

, in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. In August 2005, Camilo along with Desert Storm Veteran Dennis Kyne, stormed President Bush's vacation ranch house with Cindy Sheehan And future members of Camp Casey 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. Mejía is interviewed in "The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends (2006)", a documentary about the training and alleged dehumanization of U.S. soldiers, and how they struggle to come to terms with it when they come back home. In August 2007, Mejía was named the chair of the board of directors of Iraq Veterans Against the War.Democracy Now! , War Resister Camilo Mejia Elected to Chair Iraq Veterans Against the War, Group Encouraging War Resistance

Song about Mejía

In early 2006, alternative reggae/rock band State Radio released the album ''

Us Against the Crown ''Us Against the Crown'' is the first full-length studio album from reggae rock Reggae rock is a subgenre of reggae fusion and rock music that primarily uses the genres reggae, rock, and ska. Typical lyrics of reggae rock songs incorporat ...

'', which features the song "Camilo". When they heard of his story, State Radio wanted to bring conscientious objection to light. Lyrics in the song reflect on Camilo Mejía's situation:

Twenty days in a concrete fallout/ What life have I to take your own/ Oh my country, won't you call out/ Doorbells are ringing with boxes of bones/ And from another land's war torn corners/ To a prison cell in my own/ Punish me for not taking your orders/ But don't lock me up for not leavin' my home Camilo/ Camilo/ Leaving my home/ Camilo/ Camilo

References

Further Information

*Zeiger, David, Evangeline Griego, Aaron Zarrow, Troy Garity, and Edward Asner. ''Sir! No sir! a David Zeiger film''. New York, NY: Docurama Films, 2006.

External links