My name is Ash Woolson, I served six years in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, fullfilling my full contract, in 2003 I served a year in Iraq with duties as an infrantyman. In 2007 I co-founded the Bellingham chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War. I have spoken at international peace conferences in Canada, Japan, and on nationally affiliated radio stations. I strongly support the Bellingham G.I. Sanctuary City movement.
Jules Tindungan is a soldiers whose military contract was involuntarily extended to include a second tour of duty in a war zone, this time in Iraq. Jules served his country faithfully fullfilling his contract, but the military didn’t fullfilll it’s. Now living in Canada as a refugee, Jules Tindungan doesn’t want killing as a career anymore. Recently I interviewed him about the GI Sanctuary City movement in Bellingham, and what it would potentially mean to him.
A- Interviewer - Ash Woolson
J- Julio Tindungan
A: What emotions did you go through when deciding to leave your unit? Had there been Sanctuary Cities in place at that time, would your emotions have changed?
J: The only emotion that comes to mind as I try to recall that time is the fear. The fear of not knowing. The fear of failing. The fear of ridicule. A much different type of fear than anything I’d ever known. Unlike rolling out of the wire, or hearing shots fired. It was not debilitating, but rather empowering. I was of sound mind when I came to the decision to leave, so it was MY choice. I wasn’t following the heard, or doing something because the people to my left and right were doing it. I was scared of course, but any other emotion would have been inappropriate. One realization that many come to while at war for prolonged periods is that fear is healthy. fear lets you know your still alive.
A: What is your relationships like with the soldiers in your unit since you went AWOL? J: My relationship with the soldiers I served with is sort of like that of one who changes duty stations and still maintains a friendship with old battle buddies. I am a deserter in Canada. Yet when speaking to people in my old unit we talk about families, promotions, who has gone where, and joke about old times…sort of like how we always spoke to each other. Even the most conservative of them, who don’t agree with my politics, agree that we are bonded by the same war that brought me here and kept them there. A: What is your relationship like with your family and friends since you went AWOL?
J: Since leaving the Army and coming back from Afghanistan, my family has been supportive of my decisions. I made sure it was clear before I came to Canada, why I was doing what I was doing. They may still not understand the situation entirely, but they understand the gravity of what may happen should I return. I can call them normally but it’s difficult for them to come and see me. My older brother who is also a paratrooper stationed at Ft. Bragg is the only member of my family who is relatively financially stable.
A: How soon after you went AWOL, did you go to Canada?
J: After leaving on the night of May 16th, 2008, I stayed in Los Angeles with a family who offered me their couch. From there, I planned my exodus and made contacts in Canada. On the 29th day of being AWOL, I jumped on a Greyhound bus from Los Angeles to Vancouver. The reason I chose to stay until the very last day before the U.S Army issued a nationwide felony warrant for my arrest, was because I had made a promise to my brother. That I would be the first to salute him at his commissioning ceremony.
A: As a refugee/soldier of conscience, how were you received in Canada? J: With mixed reviews. A: What impact would a Sanctuary City have made on you, as a war resister?
J: A sanctuary city, though not entirely safe for deserters, would have made the process less strenuous. Perhaps allowing me to have thought more rationally about my choices, Without fear of arrest for the most miniscule of offenses, like not having a safety belt on while driving. Just like my safe house in Los Angeles, where I felt the most comfortable, a sanctuary city could become a staging point for soldiers of conscious to properly plan a strategy, collect resources, make connections (lawyers, support groups, activist organizations etc.). The sanctuary city would be an indispensable apparatus of the G.I rights movement, and more importantly the Anti-War movement.
A: How has not having had sanctuary as an American war resister changed your views of America? J: Not having sanctuary in America has not made as much of an impact on me as not having complete sanctuary in Canada. I knew that America as a whole was not ready to accept their own soldiers walking away from unjust immoral occupations, that’s why I came to Canada who had a history of welcoming draft dodgers, deserters, runaway slaves, Mennonite refugees, etc. So when I recognized the tragedy that is the Conservative Government here my hope sort of waned. But slowly and surely, we will build sanctuaries, because we know that you cannot depend on governments to get what you want. You have to make the change yourself. It would be a tremendous feat, however, If an American city could accomplish what the Canadian Government could not. A: Do you for whatever reason miss being on American soil?
J: I miss America like a deployed soldier misses America. I don’t necessarily miss the country or idea of America itself. But I miss the aesthetics. The dirt, the weather, The Los Angeles traffic, In & Out Burgers, Authentic Mexican food, and the seemingly infinite number of little things. My friends and I used to joke about how recruiters sold us on what we would learn in the Army. In the end, they said, you learn to live out of a bag, sleep in the dirt, smoke cigarettes and play Texas hold em’ under a poncho with your headlamp. Home is where you make it, and mine is wherever me and my kind are welcome.
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