Road from Ar Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of Sergeant Camilo Mejia
by By Mejia, Camilo
Category: Biography & Autobiography , Military

The inspiring story of a soldier who fought in Iraq and refused to return.Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia became the new face of the antiwar movement in early 2004 when he applied for a discharge from the Army as a conscientious objector. After serving in the Army for nearly nine years, he was the first known Iraq veteran to refuse to fight, citing moral concerns about the war and occupation. His principled stand helped to rally the growing opposition and embolden his fellow soldiers. Despite widespread public support and an all-star legal team, Mejia was eventually convicted of desertion by a military court and sentenced to a year in prison, prompting Amnesty International to declare him a prisoner of conscience.Now released after serving almost nine months, the celebrated soldier-turned-pacifist tells his own story, from his upbringing in Central America and his experience as a working-class immigrant in the United States to his service in Iraqwhere he witnessed prisoner abuse and was deployed in the Sunni triangleand time in prison. Far from being an accidental activist, Mejia was raised by prominent Sandinista revolutionaries and draws inspiration from Jesuit teachings. In this stirring book, he argues passionately for human rights and the end to an unjust war.