SPEAKING
FREELY Asian American
soldiers of conscience By Gina
Hotta
Speaking Freely is an Asia
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When Major General
Antonio Taguba steps on-stage, his shoulders are
pulled back and he stands straight while
addressing the audience at the University of
California, Berkeley. He smiles at the warm
reception he receives at a university known for
being at the center of anti-war and left-wing
students movements. A man in the audience holds up
a sign saying "Mabuhay General", expressing a warm
welcome in Tagalog, a language of the Philippines.
It also reflects the pride that Filipinos in
America feel
when
they see this man - the son of immigrants to
Hawaii, whose father was a survivor of the Bataan
Death March - talk about his investigation that
revealed systematic abuse of prisoners at Abu
Ghraib prison in Iraq.
"Torture is
un-lawful", are the first words of his keynote
address, part of the "War on Terror" lecture
series presented by the Human Rights Center at
Berkeley. In 2004 Taguba was lead investigator
into conditions at the US military's Abu Ghraib
facility in Iraq. His highly critical report was
publicized throughout the world. The 6,000-page
report gave evidence of torture, prisoner abuse,
and a failure of leadership and responsibility at
the highest levels of authority. The report was
hailed as a thorough investigation completed in
only 30 days. But in January 2006, Taguba received
a phone call from the Army's Vice-Chief of Staff
who offered no reason but said, "I need you to
retire by January of 2007." This Taguba did after
34 years of active duty.
The war in Iraq
has thrust American soldiers of Asian ancestry
into the limelight as no other US conflict has
ever done before. Aside from their Asian heritage
there is yet another tie that these men have. It
reflects another on-going battle - one that is
being fought in the halls of Congress and in
countless debates throughout the world. Asian
American soldiers have found themselves front and
center in these fights over the use of torture,
questions of wartime ethics and conduct and even
over the legality of the Iraq war itself.
In my interviews with war resistor First
Lieutenant Ehren Watada; James Yee, the former
captain and Muslim chaplin at Guantanamo Bay
Prison; and Taguba, they all remain strong
believers in the US constitution, its principals
and the ability of the US military to protect
them. Despite the different ways they acted on
their beliefs and despite differing opinions, what
remains is their commitment to a firm set of
ideals and their willingness to pay a price for
it.
I asked Taguba if he felt that the
immigrant experience had something to do with
their stance that put them in the line of fire.
His response was that it was more a matter of
taking responsibility and of giving leadership
when called to duty as any American should do. Yet
Taguba's parents and their experience during World
War II are the sources of his greatest
inspiration. His father is a survivor of the
Bataan Death March and fought Japan's occupation
of the Philippines. His mother helped prisoners at
a Japanese POW camp in Manila. Taguba still
remembers his mother's stories about the
atrocities committed in the prison.
However, the road has not been easy for
his family. It was only through Taguba’s efforts
that his father finally received recognition for
his heroic efforts during the war. Taguba also
cites instances of discrimination: of being
refused service in a restaurant and - although he
holds three masters degrees - being accused of not
speaking English well. Yet his response was to
double his efforts and to leave bitterness behind,
his integrity intact. Watada and Yee also speak
with pride about their service in the military.
Both have fathers who were in the service and cite
their families as a source of strength. Like
Taguba, a sense of dignity and of duty towards a
just cause still infuse their words, even though
their beliefs took them on a path contrary to the
prevailing norm.
Yee wanted to improve
conditions at Guantanamo Bay through providing
religious guidance and education about Islam.
However, when rumors of spying at the prison
arose, Yee was charged with espionage, the most
serious of several charges. He was arrested,
hooded, shackled and subjected to sensory
deprivation; the same kind of treatment that
prisoners at Guantanamo received. Throughout his
ordeal, Yee's wife was questioned and his
character was smeared. Even after all major
charges were dropped and the others reduced to
mishandling classified information, Yee remained
under FBI surveillance.
Watada's refusal
to deploy to Iraq underscored the Bush
administration's determination to go to war, with
Truth being its first casualty. Watada argues that
the President misled the public and that the
reasons for going to war were based on false
premises. Watada states that he will not fight an
illegal war. He now faces a possible court
martial.
The stand Watada took remains a
source of controversy. Yet support for him is
strong, with a group of Asian Americans supporters
driving several hundred miles to his trials in
Washington State. Support for Yee first came from
Muslim Americans. But as events surrounding his
case were revealed, Chinese and Asian Americans
rallied to his cause.
I compare this
situation to that of the war in Southeast Asia.
When I documented stories of Asian American
Vietnam Veterans, I was told of an Asian American
soldier being signaled out by a squad leader. He
then told the squad, "This is what the enemy looks
like." The contributions of these Asian Americans
in the armed forces were no less than those of
Asian American soldiers today. But too often
racial stereotyping and derogatory attitudes
reserved for the Vietnamese were also pointed at
Asian Americans. The sense of isolation, the
mental and emotional scars inflicted upon these
men and women remained apparent years after
returning to civilian life.
When I ask
Taguba about the role of de-humanizing the enemy,
his pace slows and his voice seems to loses its
brightness. "It's about usurping your power over
somebody who's desperate. It has been a part of
how we handle prisoners. But it doesn’t have to
lead to torture or inhumane treatment."
Minorities in the US military bear a
double duty: one to serve their country and one to
prove to the very same country that they are equal
human beings. This contradiction and its pressures
are hard to bear without supportive networks and
methods of dealing with racial discrimination. But
over the years, Asian Americans have distinguished
themselves in the armed service, have nurtured
organizations and role models as well as developed
broad networks of political and social support
beyond what existed during the war in Southeast
Asia. Perhaps all these factors contributed to the
present phenomenon of Asian American soldiers with
high profiles in issues of war, the US
constitution and human rights. (Although all would
have preferred to remain out of the spotlight.)
Other Americans have asked me
if Asian Americans have a dual loyalty: one to
their Asian ancestral home and one to their
American home. An underlying question is: does
this pose a danger to the US if they serve in its
military? One only has to look at people like
Taguba, Watada and Yee to find answers. Yet, these
soldiers do not subscribe to a blind loyalty or
patriotism. In his opening remarks, Taguba says he
saw the importance of the Free Speech Movement and
the struggles of minority students for a better
education. Rather, these men are informed by
beliefs tested by obstacles that they and their
families had to overcome and by the sacrifices of
those who took a stand for justice and equality.
These soldiers of Asian ancestry do not have to
take on double duty. And yet many do. It's as if
it comes with the uniform, with their heritage.
And it is not a light burden to bear.
Gina Hotta is a radio
producer and writer with a focus on the Asian
Pacific Islander Diaspora. She has won awards such
as from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
and the Asian American Journalist Association. She
also works on CBS radio's Science Today.
(Copyright 2008, Gina
Hotta)
Speaking Freely is an Asia
Times Online feature that allows guest writers to
have their say. Pleas e click hereif you are interested in
contributing.
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Ghraib prison in Iraq. 
