Robert Bell

I joined the US Army after graduating from the University of North Texas in '03. However, my feelings about 9/11 and the invasions that took place afterward were mixed. As part of my major I worked in the media so I understood how the public was being manipulated into following the plans of power and empire. At the same time, my student loan debt was very high. The army made an offer to pay them off by the end of my first contract. Joining was a difficult decision for me because I knew the connections of the past and how they had come back to haunt us. Unfortunately, the need for economic security convinced me to treat my decision to join as a job and nothing more. After continuing to learn about the futility of these lost occupations I can no longer look at what I went through as 'just my first job out of college'. I truly believe there will be no end to these actions without the forceful will of the public. Even worse I fear that without this force there will be more unlawful wars of aggression carried out in all our names. I'm joining IVAW to do what I couldn't do some ten years ago. To stand up for what I honestly believe is right, and do all I can to bring people together to end these illegal wars.