Naval petty officer describes his efforts against the war in Iraq

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. — Charges that the United States military is inherently racist and sexist and that the war in Iraq has little benefit for the average American citizen sparked spirited discussion when an anti-war U.S. Navy petty officer spoke at Westminster College.

About 50 attended the talk tonight given by Jonathan Hutto, an Atlanta native, who traced the path to his activism. He said he was inspired as a youth by stories of neighbors who had taken part in the civil rights movement.

He graduated from Howard University, then worked for the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington, D.C., and then for Amnesty International as he became enamored of social justice movements.

In 2004, he joined the Navy, which he said he viewed as a “safety net” to pay off college debt and acquire more education.

But he said he became disenchanted when he encountered a chain of command he felt was complicit with racist attitudes in the lower ranks.

He said that after another seaman dangled a noose before him as a prank, the instigator was lowered in rank and restricted to the ship for 30 days but not court-martialed as Hutto and several other seamen requested.

About this time, he read “Soldiers in Revolt: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War” by David Cortright. He and about a dozen other active-duty seaman met with Cortright and asked his advice on how they could legally express their disagreement with the Iraq war.

They found that military personnel are allowed, under the Military Whistleblowers’ Protection Act, to approach a member of Congress on any issue.

For the complete story, see Saturday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.