My friend Mary Hanna held a press conference to help focus local attention on the efforts of her son, Evan Knappenberger, to bring legal action against the US Army’s Stop-Loss program. You can read more about his efforts at TowerGuard.org.
Evan has released an email explaining his recent actions, reproduced below:
As you may know, the Towerguard Vigil in Washington D.C. was a huge success! Not only did we succeed in every goal set: publicity, funding, awareness, and activism; we also managed to kick off the national Stop the Stop-Loss Legal campaign!
…the Military Law Task Force, and the groups (IVAW, VFP, CODEPINK, WPJC, WPC, MFSO, and UFPJ) supporting me (plan) simultaneous legal action against the Stop-Loss in multiple diffferent federal court districts. The idea is to do it all at once, so that the military cannot ‘settle out of court’ by discharging the plaintiffs medically or otherwise. If we filed 15 suits, all with Amicus Briefs (friend of the court) from senators and congressmen, it would only take ONE to go through circuit court of appeals to put an injunction against the stop-loss.
Imagine the blow to the system of involuntary servitude that is perpetrated against our troops! It would also effectively (and immediately) bring home 10,000-20,000 soldiers out of harm’s way, ending their contractual extensions beyond their limits. Re-enlistment rates would drop drastically, and the administration would be forced to recognize the supremacy of Justice in the judiciary.
Here is what I need to make that happen in the next six months: 2 dozen candidates in the Army or Marines, facing stop-loss for six or more months in the future.
I am asking you all to please forward this email address to anyone you may know with family facing Stop-Loss, or anyone you know in the Army or Marine Corps. Please have them email me at stoplossed@gmail.com .
I am willing to go the distance at my own expense (see http://www.towerguard.org/) and all we need is to get a list of soldiers matched to a list of lawyers just waiting to fight this injustice.
Thank you!
Evan Knappenberger