FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Daniel Marble: 732-644-5820
Attorney Larry Hildes: 360-715-9788
Chuck Fager, Quaker House: 910-323-3912
MEDIA ADVISORY
"Killing People Is Not What I Am", Says AWOL GI
A soldier who went AWOL two years ago rather than take part in combat is enroute to Fort Bragg to face military authorities.
PFC Daniel Marble, 25, went AWOL in August 2006 after he finished combat training. He was arrested on January 26 at his home in New Jersey on January 23, 2009.
Marble said he went AWOL because he became clear that he could not kill another human being, and did not know what else to do. He is speaking out about his beliefs while returning to military custody.
A statement by Marble is below. He will be available for interviews at the Quaker House in Fayetteville until noon on Thursday February 5. For telephone interviews, call 910-323-3912, or (cell) 910-322-6590.
Statement by PFC Daniel Marble, February 4, 2009:
I joined the army in March of 2006. After basic training I went to Airborne School with the 507th parachute Infantry, Delta Company. I completed airborne school in July 2006, and rece ived orders to report to the 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in August of 2006.
Paratrooper training was very intensive, but I enjoyed it and did well: my training grades were also very good for rifles, grenades and mortars.
After training I received two weeks of leave before having to report to the 82d. This leave time was my first chance to really reflect on what my actual job would be in combat, which is to kill people. And I became clear that this is something I am not prepared to do. It is just not who I am.
I did not know what to do about this awareness, and so I did nothing. I stayed at home in New Jers ey, and did not report to Fort Bragg, which meant I was AWOL. I told my family that I had been discharged, and then began work in construction. I did this for two years, until January 23, 2009, when I was arrested by local police in New Jersey, on an AWOL warrant issued by the Army.
On January 26, I was released from jail and given a FAXED message from the Dept. Of Defense Police Criminal Investigation, which told me to report to Fort Knox, Kentucky later the same day. The message also stated that I was being offered a "one-shot deal" to be processed out of the military there.
I reported to Fort Knox as instructed, and was there, until February 2. However, instead of being processed out, on Monday, February 2,20I was told that, instead of being discharged, I was being returned to my unit at Ft. Bragg. They gave me a pass and a bus ticket to Fayetteville NC.
I had been in touch with an attorney, Larry Hildes. On February 3, Larry Hildes told me that Ft. Bragg officials advised him that I was to be placed in a unit and deployed, probably to Iraq, within a few days after my return there.
I will report to Fort Bragg as ordered, and cooperate in any way possible to resolve my situation. However, I am still clear that I am not willing to go kill people. My conscience and deepest sense of myself will not allow me to be part of any war.
