U.S. Army Veteran Urges Immediate Withdrawal from Iraq as Violence Escalates

Interview with Iraq War veteran and former U.S. Army Sgt. Mark 'Gordie' Lachance, conducted by Scott Harris

Even before October was over, the month was on track to become the deadliest for U.S. soldiers since the November 2004 assault on the town of Fallujah. By Oct. 24th, 91 American troops had been killed, bringing the total for the war up to 2,800 since President Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

The conflict has been exponentially more deadly for Iraqi civilians. The prestigious British medical journal The Lancet, recently published a study by three Johns Hopkins University epidemiologists, which found that more than 600,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed in the war thus far, a conclusion dismissed by President Bush and the Pentagon.

As the congressional election draws near and the situation in Iraq deteriorates with an increase in insurgent attacks, suicide bombings and death squad murders, Bush has altered his rhetoric and dropped his trademark slogan of "Stay the course." It seems that with the GOP likely headed for defeat in the November ballot, the White House is desperately trying to indicate to voters that a change of policy on Iraq is being considered.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Mark "Gordie" Lachance, a U.S. Army sergeant who served a year in Iraq with the 1st Infantry Division ending in February 2005. Now retired from the military, Lachance an activist with the group Iraq Veterans Against the War, discusses the worsening conditions in Iraq and the coming U.S. election.

Contact Iraq Veterans Against the War by calling (215) 241-7123, or visit their website at www.ivaw.org

Related links:

Independent journalist Dahr Jamail's website at www.dahrjamailiraq.com

United for Peace and Justice at www.UnitedforPeace.org

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