An ex-American Navy Lieutenant: “It is just a matter of time before the American people get sick of this war and force a pull out.” [Archives:2008/1132/Reportage]
Janie Ferguson
For The Yemen Times
A former U.S. Navy lieutenant has been living in Sana'a for seven months, having resigned in protest from serving in Iraq. Harvey Tharp was a full lieutenant in the U.S. Navy when he was called to serve in Iraq due to his knowledge of the Arabic language. Upon his departure from Yemen, he spoke to The Yemen Times about the moral challenges he faced, which led to the ending of his military career, and what he learned from his time spent with Yemeni people.
Why did you join the military?
I was just out of law school and already had been a sergeant in the Air Force while in law school as an Arabic translator. I knew I'd be well paid because of my seniority. As a result, it seemed like a good career move.
So, was it a career move rather than a feeling of moral obligation?
Both. I didn't see any conflict between a U.S. leadership role in the world and my principles when I applied in 2000.
How did you end up in Iraq?
I became a national security lawyer in Hawaii. Since I knew Arabic, I took the language proficiency test and I was shocked to find that the test hadn't changed in 10 years. Because better proficiency meant better pay, I'd been taking the test every six months, so I ended up with the best score possible.
I wasn't against the idea of toppling Saddam Hussein, but I was worried that the country would descend into utter chaos as he opened the jails to release criminals, etc., leaving us with a mess, which turned out to be true.
By the time they called me to Iraq in late September 2003, they were desperate for Arabic speakers, so I was sent.
I was of a frame of mind that we were going to lose the war. I was against it, but you can't resign because you think you'll lose. The Air Force paid for my college degree, law school and Arabic training and to have said no to going to a combat zone would've been awfully convenient. But I couldn't walk away because I didn't want to be thought of as a coward. Looking back, that wasn't really a man's way of deciding, it was a boy's.
So why did you eventually decide to resign?
I was based in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk for six months, from October 2003 to March 2004. I asked to stay for longer because at the time, the polls were saying that the Iraqis wanted us to stay. I had two dozen Iraqis working underneath me and we were friends. I wanted to finish my work there as part of a diplomatic team, but the military wouldn't let me and sent me back to the U.S. in March.
When the Abu Ghraib Prison photos came out in April 2004, opinion basically began to change over the summer, with 70 or 80 percent of Iraqis wanting us to leave. It also became clear that there were no weapons of mass destruction and that this hadn't been an honest mistake, it had all been lies. To me, the U.S. forces were part of the problem and not doing any good.
I was called to Iraq again, but unlike before, I knew I'd be a combatant this time and the idea of killing someone over a lie really started to weigh on my mind.
I had considered myself lucky when I was last in Iraq because, although I had to display considerable physical courage to drive around the city in a conspicuous vehicle with no radio in a very dangerous situation, I wasn't a combatant. The question which arose was did I have the moral courage to leave because I had become convinced that it was wrong – an unjust and immoral war?
How did your family and friends react to you going to Iraq and then resigning?
I have a range of friends with very different opinions on the war, but most were just concerned about my personal safety over there.
My friends wouldn't believe that I would act on my doubts in 2004. They didn't think I'd walk away from a great career and a well-paying job. When they found out, they were very surprised and worried that I was walking away with nothing.
How did you go about resigning in protest?
I went into my commander's office and said I wouldn't voluntarily return to Iraq. He said if I refused to go, I'd have to resign from the military entirely. I had a day to think about it, so I called my father and my best friend for advice. They agreed that I should resign, so I handed in a letter saying I felt the war was unjust, immoral and that the Iraqis didn't want us there.
What will you do when you return to the U.S.?
I'm a member of the Iraq Veterans Against the War. As the only officer who has joined, I'm the highest ranked. When I was in military school, I was taught that if you find yourself completely alone in your stance, you're probably wrong. This time, though, I don't think I'm wrong.
I'm going to Washington, D.C. for the winter soldier hearings from March 13-16. Fifty members from the Iraq Veterans Against the War will testify to war crimes they witnessed or even participated in and I'll be there in support.
Did you witness any war crimes?
No, I didn't personally witness any, but I came to know about certain cases. What shocked me was how the rules about war crimes were far too loose. I knew of a mother and daughter who were shot, killing the daughter to die and causing the mother to lose a leg, because they were running away as soldiers tried to talk to them. I was told that this wasn't illegal because they were evading capture. I didn't witness it, but the rules of engagement seemed unrestricted to me.
Were there any Yemeni foreign fighters there?
I didn't have any experience of that, but I know Yemenis were among the foreign fighters, although most were Saudis. They were really so-called foreign fighters, but as Americans, so were we!
Why did you come to Yemen?
Due to my time in Iraq, I developed post-traumatic stress disorder, so I'm unable to work and I have some spare time. I wanted to improve my Arabic to see if I could get back into translating and I heard that the Yemeni dialect is very close to standard Arabic, as well as that it seemed like a very interesting place to visit.
How do Yemenis react when you tell them about your past?
I understand that the war is enormously unpopular with Yemenis and indeed most people in the Middle East. Personally, I'm not proud at all of having taken part in the war, but it often makes up for it to locals here that I resigned in protest and didn't partake in combat.
How will you describe Yemen when you return to the U.S.?
Although the huge difference in wealth between Yemen and the U.S. is obvious, Yemenis don't feel deprived and they seem happy with their lives. Also, just like when I was in Iraq, I've been very impressed with the positive role of Islam in the people. Islam gives a moral compass to my professors and the people here.
What's your favorite and least favorite thing about Yemen?
My favorite thing has been my professor. He has a degree in Islamic jurisprudence and is very well educated. He has taken me bowling and to play pool.
My least favorite thing is the traffic. I take the bus most days and they have no seatbelts, even though they swerve all over the road.
Has the U.S. lost the war in Iraq?
I'd like to stress here that I separate the U.S. government from the U.S. people. As far as the U.S. government's aim to control oil in the Middle East more, it's been a failure. Once the U.S. military leaves Iraq, the Iraqi government will collapse because it has no legitimacy – and that's why we've lost the war. It's just a matter of time before the American people get sick of this war and force a pullout. It's a question of when the U.S. government will lose.
Who are you going to vote for in the upcoming U.S. presidential election?
I'm disappointed that Barack Obama – who campaigned against the war from the start – hasn't committed to pulling troops out of Iraq immediately. However, he's the best anti-war candidate, so I'll vote for him.
Hillary Clinton voted for the war and still hasn't admitted that it was a mistake.
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