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The [[Les Invalides|Hôpital des Invalides in Paris is a hospital and retirement home for French war veterans]]. A veteran (from Latin ''vetus'', meaning "old") is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..." . This page refers to military veterans, i.e., a person who has served or is serving in the armed forces, and has direct exposure to acts of military conflict, commonly known as war veterans (although not all military conflicts, or areas in which armed combat takes place, are necessarily referred to as "wars").

Public attitude towards veterans

Military veterans often receive special treatment in their respective countries due to the sacrifices they made during wars. Different countries handle this differently, some openly support veterans through government programs and others ignoring them. Veterans are also subject to illnesses directly related to their military service such as PTSD. War veterans are generally treated with great respect and honor for their contribution to the world and country by their own nationals. Conversely there are often negative feelings towards the veterans of alien nations held long after the war is over, for example towards the German Nazi soldiers, but they are no less veterans of war than those of the winning side. There are exceptions. Veterans of unpopular conflicts, such as the Vietnam War, have been discriminated against. Others, such as veterans of conflicts like the Korean War, are often forgotten (even though the casualty rate in Korea was higher than that experienced in the Vietnam War) when compared with those who fought in the World Wars. In some countries with strong anti-military traditions (e.g., Germany after 1945) veterans are neither honored in any special way by the general public, nor have their dedicated Veterans Day, although events are sometimes orchestrated by Neo-Nazism and other minority right-wing groups

Many countries have longstanding traditions, ceremonies, and holidays to honor their veterans. In the UK "Remembrance Day" is held on November the 11th and is focused mostly on the veterans who died in service to the monarch and country. A red or white poppy is worn on the lapel (for remembrance or for peace, respectively) in the weeks up to the date, and wreaths and flowers laid at memorials to the dead.

In Russia, a tradition was established after the Second World War, where newly married couples would on their wedding day visit a military cemetery. In France, for instance, those wounded in war are given the first claim on any seat on public transit. Most countries have a holiday such as Veterans Day to honor their veterans, along with the war dead.

Veterans' experiences around the world

The Congo

Some veterans from the Belgian commitment of the Congolese to WWII live in communities throughout the Congo. Though they received compensation from the government during the rule of the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, after his overthrow they no longer receive pensions.

United States

The most common usage is for former armed services personnel. A veteran is one who has served in the armed forces, especially one who has served in combat. It is especially applied to those who served for an entire career, usually of 20 years or more, but may be applied for someone who has only served one tour of duty. A common misconception is that only those who have served in combat or those who have retired from active duty can be called military veterans.

Veterans' benefits in the United States

President Abraham Lincoln, in his second inaugural address, in 1865 towards the end of the US Civil War, famously called for good treatment of veterans: "to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan". The American Civil War produced veterans' organizations, such as the Grand Army of the Republic. The treatment of veterans changed after the First World War. In the years following, discontented veterans became a source of instability. They could quickly organize, had links to the army, and often had arms themselves. Veterans played a central role in the post-World War I instability of Germany, while in the United States, the Bonus Army of unemployed veterans was one of the most important protest movements of the Great Depression, marching on Washington, DC, to get a claimed bonus that Congress had promised them.

Each state of the United States sets specific criteria for state-specific veterans' benefits. For federal medical benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals, prior to 7 September 1980 the veteran must have served at least 180 days of active duty, after the above-mentioned date, the veteran must have served at least 24 months. However, if the veteran was medically discharged and receives a VA service-connected disability stipend, the time limits are not applicable.

American veteran experience after World War II

After the Second World War, in part due to the experience of the First World War, most of the participating states set up elaborate veterans' administrations. Within the United States, it was veterans groups, like the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars organization, that pushed for and got the G.I. Bill enacted. These gave veterans access to free or subsidized education and health care. The newly educated GIs created a significant economic impact, and with the aid of VA loans were able to buy housing and establish themselves as part of a growing American middle class. The explosion of the suburbs created sufficient housing for veterans and their families.

Female veterans in the U.S.

Women have served in the United States military for over two hundred years, often having had to disguise themselves as men. Female veterans have often been discriminated against by their male counterparts and, as such, women who have served in the armed forces have sometimes been known as "the invisible veterans". Women were not fully recognized as veterans until after WWII, and prior to this they were not eligible for VA benefits. The VA estimates that by the year 2010 women will make up 40% of the veteran population. A tri-state (Washington, Idaho, Oregon) women veterans conference in Pendleton, Oregon, in April 2008, attracted 362 women veterans, according to the ''East Oregonian'' newspaper.

African American veterans in the U.S.

African Americans have participated in every war fought by or within the United States. Black veterans from World War I experienced racial persecution on returning to the U.S. from overseas, particularly in Southern cities. Black veterans from World War II continued to be denied equality at home despite President Harry S. Truman's desegregation of the military after World War II. Black veterans went on to play a central role in the Civil Rights movement. The National Association for Black Veterans is an organization that provides advocacy and support for African American and other minority veterans.

Health effects of military service and treatment for veterans

The effect of active military service can be profound and lasting, and some veterans have found it difficult to adjust to normal life again. An article in the London Metro on 28 January 2010 was titled "Veterans prone to suicide" and cited a report by the Mental Health Foundation which said that not enough was being done to care for the Afghanistan war veterans, and many "plunged into alcohol problems, crime and suicide" upon their return. Support services were found to be patchy from area to area. Figures from 2009 showed that twice as many veterans were in prison than there were British troops currently in Afghanistan. Homelessness, street-sleeping and relationship breakdown are also commonly reported. Research done by he UK homelessness charity CRISIS (1994) and the Ex-Services Action Group (1997) both found that a quarter of homeless people had previously served in the armed forces. The Times newspaper reported on 25 September 2009 that in England and Wales the number of "military veterans in jail has more than doubled in six years". Another Times article of the same date quoted the veterans mental health charity Combat Stress reporting a 53% increase in referrals from doctors

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder treatment among veterans

New treatment programs are emerging to assist veterans suffering from post-combat mental health problems such as depression and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), is becoming an important method for the treatment of mental health issues among veterans, and is currently considered the standard of care for depression and PTSD by the United States Department of Defense. CBT is a psychotherapeutic approach that aims to change the patterns of thinking or behavior that responsible for patient’s negative emotions and in doing so change the way they feel. It has been proven to be an effective treatment for PTSD among war veterans. Recently, online programs that pair CBT with therapist interaction have also proven effective in treating mental health problems among veterans. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is also an effective and non invasive, drug free treatment for PTSD, although it has not been tested against specific military traumatic exposure for efficacy.Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) also has applications in this field.

Help for veterans

Necessity has resulted in a number of sources of help being made available for veterans. Many of these are independent, charitable organisations, and in some countries the aftercare and rehabilitation services provided by Governments have been inadequate. This may be because they do not wish to give attention to the negative effects of military service and the difficulties of readjustment to civilian life for it may have an adverse impact upon recruitment for their armed forces. Nevertheless, help is available and veterans should feel able to make contact and ask for assistance or advice without feeling that this is a weakness. Military service can be a profoundly unnatural experience and it is likely that some help may be needed in debriefing and rehabilitation into the community, whether it be medical, psychological, practical or financial.

Social organisations for veterans

Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association (New Zealand's largest veterans' organization)

The Royal British Legion (The United Kingdom's veterans society, formed in 1921)

See also

Demobilization

Filipino Veterans Fairness Act

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

Iraq War Veterans Organization

List of veterans' organizations

National Association for Black Veterans

Returned and Services League of Australia

Royal Canadian Legion (Canada's organization supporting veterans worldwide)

United States Department of Veterans Affairs

Veterans Affairs Canada

Veterans Agency, an executive agency of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence

Veterans Day, an American holiday celebrating veterans

Veterans of Foreign Wars, A U.S. Veterans Organization.

Veterans' Bill of Rights

Veteran's pension

Vietnam veteran

''When I Came Home'' Documentary about the experiences of American Veterans upon returning home.

Zimbabwe War Veterans

External links

At.Ease.dva.gov.au

Marine Corps Veteran Resources

Grand Valley State University Veteran's History Project digital collection

Help organizations

A list of organisations offering help or advice follows.

At Ease (AU) AT-ease.dva.gov.au

Combat Stress (UK) Combatstress.org.uk

Help-for-Veterans.com

British Legion Advice Line (UK)

Combat Veterans Community (US)

Ministry of Defence Veterans Help Pages (UK)

Scottish Veterans

Veterans UK (UK)

Veterans Aid (UK)

Veterans in Prison Association (UK)

Vets in Prison (UK)

Veterans Help Network (USA)

National Veterans Foundation (USA)

Swords to Plowshares (USA)

References

Category:Military personnel

az:Veteran bg:Ветеран cs:Veterán (voják) da:Veteran de:Veteran es:Veterano fa:جانباز hr:Veteran io:Veterano id:Veteran it:Veterano jv:Vèteran kn:ಪರಿಣತ nl:Veteraan ja:退役軍人 no:Veteran pl:Weteran pt:Veterano ru:Ветеран simple:Veteran sl:Veteran sh:Veteran fi:Veteraani sv:Krigsveteran tr:Gazi (askeriye) uk:Ветеран zh:退伍軍人

Birth name	Oliver Laurence North
Birth date	October 07, 1943
Birth place	San Antonio, Texas
Placeofburial label	Place of burial
Nickname	Ollie
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Serviceyears	1968–1990
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Commands	Marine Corps Northern Training Area, Okinawa
Unit	1st Battalion 3rd Marines3rd Battalion 8th Marines2nd Marine Division
Battles	Vietnam War
Awards	Silver StarBronze Star Purple Heart(2)* Presidential Service Badge
Laterwork	correspondent with the Fox News ChannelUnited States Senate candidate }}

Oliver Laurence North (born October 7, 1943) is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, political commentator, host of ''War Stories with Oliver North'' on Fox News Channel, a military historian, and a ''New York Times'' best-selling author.

North was at the center of national attention during the Iran-Contra affair, a political scandal of the late 1980s. North was a National Security Council staff member involved in the clandestine sale of weapons to Iran, which served to encourage the release of U.S. hostages from Lebanon. North formulated the second part of the plan: diverting proceeds from the arms sales to support the Contra rebel groups in Nicaragua (funding to the Contras had been prohibited under the Boland Amendment amidst widespread public opposition in the U.S. and controversies surrounding human rights abuses by the Contras). North was charged with several felonies and convicted of three, but the convictions were later vacated, and the underlying charges dismissed due to the limited immunity agreement granted for his pre-trial public Congressional testimony about the affair.

Early life

North was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Ann Theresa (née Clancy) and Oliver Clay North, an army Major. He grew up in Philmont, New York, and graduated from Ockawamick High School in 1961. He attended State University of New York at Brockport in Brockport, New York, for two years.

While at Brockport, North spent a summer at the United States Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class and Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, and gained an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in 1963. He received his commission as Second Lieutenant in 1968 (he missed a year due to injuries from an auto accident). One of North's classmates at the Academy was former Secretary of the Navy and current U.S. Senator Jim Webb. Although a heavy underdog North beat Webb in a championship boxing match at Annapolis.

US Marine Corps career

North served as a platoon leader in Vietnam where, during combat service, he was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and two Purple Heart medals. He then became an instructor at The Basic School in Quantico. In 1970, North returned to South Vietnam to testify at the trial of Corporal Randy Herrod, a Marine formerly under his command who had been charged with a mass killing of Vietnamese civilians. North was promoted to Captain in 1971 and served as commanding officer of the Marine Corps Northern Training Area in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.

After Okinawa, North was assigned for four years to Marine Headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. He was promoted to Major, and then served two years as operations officer of 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, commanded by then Lt. Col. John Southy Grinalds, 2nd Marine Division in Camp Lejeune at Jacksonville, North Carolina. It was through Lt. Col. Grinalds that North developed a deep personal commitment to the Christian faith. He attended the Command and Staff Course at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and graduated in 1981.

North began his assignment to the National Security Council (NSC) in Washington, D.C., where he served as the deputy director for political-military affairs from 1981 until his reassignment in 1986. In 1983, North received his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, which would be his last.

During his tenure at the NSC, North managed a number of missions. This included leading the hunt for those responsible for the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing that killed 241 U.S. Marines, an effort that saw North arranging a midair interception of an EgyptAir jet carrying those responsible for the Achille Lauro hijacking. Also at the NSC, he helped plan the U.S. invasion of Grenada and the 1986 Bombing of Libya.

North told Poindexter that Noriega could assist with sabotage against the Sandinistas and supposedly suggested that Noriega be paid one million dollars in cash, from "Project Democracy" funds raised from the sale of U.S. arms to Iran—for the Panamanian leader's help in destroying Nicaraguan economic installations.

In November 1986, as the sale of weapons was made public, North was dismissed by President Ronald Reagan, and, in July 1987, he was summoned to testify before televised hearings of a joint Congressional committee that was formed to investigate Iran-Contra. The image of North taking the oath became iconic, and similar photographs made the cover of Time and Newsweek, and helped to define him in the eyes of the public. During the hearings, North admitted that he had lied to Congress, for which, among other things, he was later charged. He defended his actions by stating that he believed in the goal of aiding the Contras, whom he saw as freedom fighters, and said that he viewed the Iran-Contra scheme as a "neat idea". North admitted shredding government documents related to his Contra and Iranian activities, at William Casey's suggestion, when the Iran Contra scandal became public. He testified that Robert McFarlane had asked him to alter official records to delete references to direct assistance to the contras and that he had helped.

North was tried in 1988 in relation to his activities while at the National Security Council. He was indicted on sixteen felony counts, and, on May 4, 1989, he was initially convicted of three: accepting an illegal gratuity; aiding and abetting in the obstruction of a congressional inquiry; and ordering the destruction of documents via his secretary, Fawn Hall. He was sentenced, by U.S. District Judge Gerhard A. Gesell on July 5, 1989, to a three-year suspended prison term, two years' probation, $150,000 in fines, and 1,200 hours community service.

However, on July 20, 1990, with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), North's convictions were vacated, after the appeals court found that witnesses in his trial might have been impermissibly affected by his immunized congressional testimony.

Because North had been granted limited immunity for his Congressional testimony, the law prohibited the independent counsel (or any prosecutor) from using that testimony as part of a criminal case against him. To prepare for the expected defense challenge that North's testimony had been used, the prosecution team had—before North's congressional testimony had been given—listed and isolated all of its evidence. Further, the individual members of the prosecution team had isolated themselves from news reports and discussion of North's testimony. While the defense could show no specific instance in which North's congressional testimony was used in his trial, the Court of Appeals ruled that the trial judge had made an insufficient examination of the issue. Consequently, North's convictions were reversed. The Supreme Court declined to review the case. After further hearings on the immunity issue, Judge Gesell dismissed all charges against North on September 16, 1991, on the motion of the independent counsel.

Allegations were made, most notably by the Kerry Subcomitee, that North and other senior officials created a privatized contra network that attracted drug traffickers looking for cover for their operations, then turned a blind eye to repeated reports of drug smuggling related to the contras, and actively worked with known drug smugglers such as Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega to assist the contras. Most Contra associates found guilty of trafficking by the Kerry Committee were involved in the supply chain (ostensibly for "humanitarian goods," though the supply chain was later found to have serviced the transport of arms), which had been set up by North. Organizations and individuals involved in the supply chain under investigation for trafficking included the company SETCO (operated by large-scale trafficker Juan Matta-Ballesteros), the fruit company Frigorificos de Puntarenas, rancher John Hull, and several Cuban Exiles; North and other US government officials were criticized by the Kerry Report for their practice of "ticket punching" for these parties, whereby people under active investigation for drug trafficking were given cover and pay by joining in the Contra supply chain. In addition to the Kerry Committee's investigation, the Costa Rican government of Nobel-Prize winner Óscar Arias conducted an investigation of Contra-related drug trafficking, and as a result of this investigation, North and several other US Government officials were permanently banned from entering Costa Rica. North has consistently denied any involvement with drug trafficking, stating on Fox's ''Hannity and Colmes'', "...nobody in the government of the United States, going all the way back to the earliest days of this under Jimmy Carter, ever had anything to do with running drugs to support the Nicaraguan resistance."

Later life and career

Politics

In 1994, North unsuccessfully ran for the Senate as the Republican candidate in Virginia. Republican Senator John Warner of Virginia endorsed Marshall Coleman, a Republican who ran as an independent, instead of North. On the eve of the election, former first lady Nancy Reagan told a reporter that North had lied to her husband when discussing Iran-Contra with the former president, effectively stopping his campaign. North lost by a 46% to 43% margin to incumbent Democrat Charles Robb, a son-in-law of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Coleman received 11%. North's candidacy was documented in the 1996 film ''A Perfect Candidate''.

thumb|left|Oliver North pictured with Clinton Township, Franklin County, Ohio Assistant Fire Chief John Harris and Lieutenant Douglas Brown at a public speaking event.In his failed bid to unseat Robb, North raised $20.3 million in a single year through nationwide direct mail solicitations, telemarketing, fundraising events, and contributions from major donors. About $16 million of that amount was from direct mail alone. This was the biggest accumulation of direct mail funds for a statewide campaign to that date, and it made North the top direct mail political fundraiser in the country in 1994.

Books and media

North has written several best-selling books including ''Under Fire'', ''One More Mission'', ''War Stories — Operation Iraqi Freedom'', ''Mission Compromised'', ''The Jericho Sanction'', and ''The Assassins''.

His latest book, ''American Heroes'', was released nationally in the U.S. on May 6, 2008. In this book, North addresses issues of defense against global terrorism, Jihad, and radical Islam from his perspective as a military officer and national security advisor and current Middle East war correspondent. North is also a syndicated columnist.

From 1995 to 2003, North was host of his own nationally-syndicated radio program known as the ''Oliver North Radio Show'' or ''Common Sense Radio''. He also served as co-host of ''Equal Time'' on MSNBC for a couple of years starting in 1999. North is currently the host of the television show ''War Stories with Oliver North'', and a regular commentator on ''Hannity'', both on the Fox News Channel. North appeared as himself on many television shows including the sitcom ''Wings'' in 1991, and three episodes of the TV military drama ''JAG'' in 1995, 1996 and 2002. In addition, he regularly speaks at both public and private events.

Freedom Alliance

In 1990, North founded the Freedom Alliance, a 501(c)(3) foundation "... to advance the American heritage of freedom by honoring and encouraging military service, defending the sovereignty of the United States and promoting a strong national defense." The foundation's primary activities include providing support for wounded combat soldiers and providing scholarships for the sons and the daughters of service members killed in action. Beginning in 2003, Sean Hannity has raised over $10 million for the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund through Freedom Concerts and donations from the Sean Hannity Show and its listeners. The charity has been criticized by conservative-leaning blogger Debbie Schlussel for distributing too little of its funds for charitable purposes. Hannity, North, and other charity spokespersons claim that all of the net proceeds from the Freedom Concerts are donated to the fund. In response to accusations that money collected by the charity was inappropriately spent, the non-profit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed formal complaints with the FTC and IRS against North, Hannity, and the Freedom Concerts and Freedom Alliance charities.

Other

Pictures of North in the NSA buildings with former British Intelligence Officer John P. Lawrence were flashed around the world, when the two former colleagues were asked to help the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Also, in 1991, Oliver North appeared on the first season of The Jerry Springer Show.

Although raised a Roman Catholic, he has long attended Protestant evangelical services with his family.

North is a board member in the NRA and had appeared at the NRA national convention in 2007 and 2008.

In 2008, American Dad!, an animated TV show produced by Seth McFarlane, aired an episode that had the Iran-Contra affair as the main storyline called "Stanny Slickers II: The Legend of Ollie's Gold" in which the main character, Stan Smith, looks for a crate full of gold that Ollie North had to hide before the Iran-Contra affair blew up.

References

External links

Podcasts of North's recent articles

IMDB list of Oliver North's television appearances

Freedom Alliance

Oliver North Features at Creators Syndicate

Oliver North's political donations

Oliver North's Website

Publisher's website featuring Oliver North's latest book ''American Heroes''

Transcript, Audio, Video of North's Opening Statement During the Iran Contra Hearings from AmericanRhetoric.com

Category:1943 births Category:Living people Category:American anti-communists Category:American columnists Category:American broadcast news analysts Category:American foreign policy writers Category:American military personnel of the Vietnam War Category:American military writers Category:American political pundits Category:American talk radio hosts Category:Iran–Contra affair Category:National Rifle Association members Category:People from Columbia County, New York Category:People from Loudoun County, Virginia Category:People from San Antonio, Texas Category:Reagan Administration personnel Category:Recipients of the Bronze Star Medal Category:Recipients of the Purple Heart medal Category:Recipients of the Silver Star Category:Recipients of the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry Category:United States Marine Corps officers Category:United States National Security Council staffers Category:United States Naval Academy alumni Category:Virginia Republicans Category:Reagan administration controversies Category:Fox News Channel people

de:Oliver North es:Oliver North fr:Oliver North it:Oliver North he:אוליבר נורת' nl:Oliver North ja:オリバー・ノース pl:Oliver North pt:Oliver North ru:Норт, Оливер fi:Oliver North sv:Oliver North

Name	Paul March
Fullname	Paul March
Position	Player / Coach
Currentclub	Hunslet Hawks
Birth date	July 25, 1979
Birth place	Thornhill, West Yorkshire, England
Height	5 ft 9 ins (1.77 m)
Weight	13 st 7 lbs (86 Kg)
Club1	Wakefield Trinity
Club2	Wakefield Trinity
Year2start	<1999
Year2end	2001
Club3	Huddersfield Giants
Year3start	2001
Year3end	2006
Club4	Wakefield Trinity
Year4start	2006
Year4end	2007
Appearances4	11
Points4	16
Club5	York City Knights
Year5start	2008
Year5end	2009
Club6	Hunslet Hawks
Year6start	2010
Coachteam1	York City Knights
Coachyear1start	2008
Coachyear1end	2009
Coachteam2	Hunslet Hawks
Coachyear2start	2009
New	yes }}

Paul March (born 25 July 1979 in Thornhill, West Yorkshire) is a professional rugby league player and coach of Hunslet Hawks. He plays at scrum half, stand off or often at hooker. Paul is also the coach of Thornhill Trojans ARLFC. He has a twin brother called David March who also played for the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.

Paul started his career with Castleford Tigers.

Paul played much of the 2006 season at stand-off for Huddersfield Giants as captain Chris Thorman was out injured with an arm injury.

In Super League XI 2006 during the Huddersfield Giants versus Catalans Dragons match, Paul injured his cruciate ligament and was ruled out for the rest of the season. He was released from his contract at Huddersfield without playing another game, and has since signed for Wakefield Trinity Wildcats for the 2007 season.

Paul became player / coach for York City Knights in 2008, leaving Wakefield after just one season, and in July 2009 he joined Championship 1 club Hunslet Hawks as player/coach.

External links

Paul March Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.com

Statistics at slstats.org

March Is New Knights Coach

Paul March Wildcats Profile

Profile at yorkcityknights.co.uk

Super League: Round Four round-up

Super League: Round 12 round-up

Super League: Round 14 round-up

Super League: Round Eight round-up

Super League: Round 17 round-up

Giants suffer White blow

Huddersfield 50-16 Pia

Widnes 6-38 Huddersfield

Huddersfield 6-20 Bradford

Huddersfield 50-12 York

St Helens 46-6 Huddersfield

New Giants deal for March

Reilly agrees Giants deal

Huddersfield 22-26 St Helens

Sharp hits out at ref after loss

Huddersfield 26-20 Warrington

Wakefield 12-44 Huddersfield

Thorman a doubt for Challenge Cup

Harlequins 22-16 Huddersfield

Huddersfield 38-4 York

Huddersfield 44-14 Salford

Giant March ruled out for season

Wakefield move to re-sign March

Super League XII - ins and outs

March proud of defeated Knights

Knights still awaiting first win

Keighley a 'must win' for Knights

March twins banned for play-offs

March twins re-sign for Knights

Knights ready for Cup challenge

Knights promise better discipline

No new contract for coach March

Coach March is sacked by Knights

Category:1979 births Category:People from Thornhill, West Yorkshire Category:Living people Category:English rugby league players Category:English rugby league coaches Category:Castleford Tigers players Category:Wakefield Trinity Wildcats players Category:Huddersfield Giants players Category:York City Knights players Category:Hunslet Hawks players

Name	Adam Charles Kokesh
Birth date	February 01, 1982
Birth place	California
Placeofburial label	Place of burial
Allegiance
Branch
Serviceyears	1999–2007
Rank	20px Corporal 20px Sergeant (Formerly)
Unit	3rd Civil Affairs Group
Battles	Iraq War
Laterwork	Talk show host, Political Activism }}

Adam Charles Kokesh (born February 1, 1982) is an American activist and talk radio host. Kokesh was a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and is a veteran of the Iraq War. He is an outspoken opponent of the U.S. military intervention in Iraq and has received media attention related to anti-war protest activities. He is the son of Charles Kokesh, a Santa Fe venture capitalist, founder of a firm called Technology Funding and owner of the Santa Fe Horse Park.

Marine Corps service

Kokesh attended the Native American Preparatory School in San Ysidro, New Mexico. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1999. In 2004, he served in Fallujah. He was a liaison between the U.S. military and Iraqi civilians as a member of the 3rd Civil Affairs Group. He also worked a security checkpoint while in Iraq. He brought home a pistol from Iraq in 2004 in violation of military rules, which prevented his return for a second Iraq tour. Kokesh "had risen to the rank of sergeant after three-and-a-half years in the Reserves" and "was demoted to corporal and soon thereafter discharged honorably with a re-enlistment code that basically said, 'you can't re-enlist.'" Having experienced combat in Fallujah, Kokesh received the Combat Action Ribbon and the Navy Commendation Medal after his honorable discharge from active duty.

After his discharge, and during a March 19, 2007 protest he attended, Kokesh was in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR); a superior officer identified him in a photo caption in the ''Washington Post''. On "March 29, a Marine major sent him an e-mail to tell him he was being investigated for misconduct by appearing at a political event in uniform. Kokesh responded, telling the major what he thought" and used an expletive in his reply, resulting in an additional misconduct charge. The charges were "brought under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which applies only to service members," confusing some veterans and lawyers.

Hearing

In May 2007, a hearing was convened to consider changing Kokesh's military discharge from "honorable" to "other than honorable" on two points: "Disrespect toward a Superior Commissioned Officer," and violating "Wearing of the uniform" regulation. The panel recommended Kokesh be given a "general discharge under honorable conditions," a discharge status below "honorable," and above "other than honorable". Kokesh appealed the decision, and was denied.

Protest activities

After returning from Iraq, Kokesh resumed his studies and completed his bachelor's degree in psychology at Claremont McKenna College. In February 2007, Kokesh became an active participant in the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). On March 19, 2007, to mark the 4^th anniversary of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Kokesh and 12 other Iraq Veterans Against the War members participated in an occupation-like mock patrol of Washington D.C. Kokesh first came to national attention after he was interviewed on CNN and his photograph appeared in newspapers throughout the country, including the front page of the ''Los Angeles Times'' at a protest during Alberto Gonzales's testimony to Congress regarding the dismissal of U.S. attorneys. Kokesh, wearing his Marine Corps Boonie hat, held up a large sign counting the number of times Gonzalez said "I don't remember" or "I don't recall" (Kokesh claimed Gonzalez used such phrases 74 times). In April 2007 Kokesh and a number of other activists were arrested for protesting the Iraq war in the Senate Hart Office Building. Kokesh had performed a ceremony for lost service members using an American flag.

In June 2007 Kokesh, along with IVAW members Liam Madden and Nate Lewis, were arrested for crossing onto the property of Ft. Benning near Columbus, Georgia. On June 13, the government filed a motion to dismiss the trespass charges.

Kokesh enrolled in graduate studies in political management at George Washington University. In October 2007, Kokesh, along with six other students, created controversy by putting up satirical political posters across the university campus. The posters featured a picture of a stereotypical Arab man and the headline "Hate Muslims? So do we!!!," with illustrative captions explaining that the typical Muslim is equipped with a venom-spouting mouth, laser-shooting eyes, and hidden AK-47:s, among other parodical features. The poster was signed "Students for Conservativo-Fascism Awareness," and encouraged students to visit the right-wing website terrorismawareness.org. Kokesh and the six other students publicly admitted to responsibility amidst accusations that the poster was Islamophobic, maintaining that their intent was to spread awareness of what they considered to be the overtly racist intentions of the above-mentioned website's "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" organized by a conservative student organization and featuring David Horowitz.

On September 2, 2008, Kokesh spoke at Representative Ron Paul's Rally for the Republic in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he stated, "While it is our responsibility now to resist tyranny civily, while we still can, there may come a time when we will say to the powers that be, be it with your blood or ours we have come to water the tree of liberty … who will stand with me?"

On September 4, 2008, Kokesh interrupted Senator John McCain's acceptance speech of the GOP nomination for President at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Holding a sign reading "McCain Votes Against Vets" on one side and "You can't win an occupation" on the other, Kokesh yelled, "Ask him why he votes against vets!" A member of the audience grabbed the sign and tore it in two. Kokesh was released shortly after being detained by local police.

On May 28, 2011, Kokesh and other activists participated in a flash mob-silent dance at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. in protest of a recent ruling against dancing at federal monuments; the activists were arrested through the use of physical force by U.S. Park Police officers. An investigation has been launched into whether excessive force was used by the arresting officers. A much larger protest the following Saturday, June 4, 2011, organized by Kokesh and Code Pink, involved about 200 protesters and 75 dancers. About 10 minutes after the dancing began, police began clearing the monument. No arrests were made. When asked by a journalist if he had a permit to protest, Kokesh reportedly produced a copy of the Constitution and said, "Actually I got a permit. It's the same one I swore an oath to when I enlisted in the Marine Corps. And it says something about 'freedom of assembly.' Which means you don't need permission from anybody to come together and speak your mind."

VFW position

The national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars has defended the right of Kokesh and others who have been given honorable discharges to protest in uniform.

2010 congressional campaign

In 2010, Adam Kokesh attempted to unseat Democratic representative Ben Ray Luján in New Mexico's heavily Democratic 3^rd congressional district running as a libertarian-oriented Republican. Kokesh received mostly out-of-state money, support from Ron Paul, and an endorsement from the Republican Liberty Caucus, the PAC that represents the libertarian wing of the Republican Party. Kokesh's opponent in the New Mexico GOP primary was Tom Mullins to whom he lost.

"Adam vs The Man"

Since July 2010 Kokesh has hosted a talk radio program called "Adam vs. The Man." The program airs weekdays from the studios of 1550 KIVA in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In April 2011 his show was picked up by Russia Today television network ("RT"). Accuracy in Media criticized Kokesh's appearing on RT, a non-profit organization which largely is funded by the Russian government. The conservative group wrote that RT uses Americans like Kokesh to make propaganda points. The show was canceled in August 2011.

See also

List of U.S. Marines

Campaign for Liberty

References

External links

Adam Kokesh's talk radio show: ADAM VS THE MAN

Adam Kokesh's blog

Adam Kokesh's profile at IVAW.org

Adam Kokesh's Debut on RT

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:American Jews Category:American anti–Iraq War activists Category:American libertarians Category:American military personnel of the Iraq War Category:American talk radio hosts Category:Claremont McKenna College alumni Category:Native American United States military personnel Category:Native American politicians Category:New Mexico Republicans Category:United States Marines Category:Native American activists