JUSTIN CLIBURN

Click here for text of Ghosts ©Justin Cliburn

I went to Iraq as a member of the Oklahoma Army National Guard in December 2005. During my tour, I experienced every facet of the war (socially, politically, militarily). I patrolled supply routes, trained Iraqi Police, dealt with the political nuances of working with the Iraqis, and befriended Iraqi children. I arrived back at the base everyday feeling like I had just made the world only a little bit more dangerous; a success in my mind was making the world only slightly worse, instead of drastically worse. Nothing was as it seemed and I never saw reality in the news conferences I saw. After returning to the United States, I found myself angry and full of anxiety as I watched story after story about Iraq on the daily news. After months of complaining to the TV and anyone with a beer and an open ear, I decided to join IVAW. I am now the South Central Region Coordinator for IVAW, a political science and journalism student at Cameron University and working for United Parcel Service.

All that is necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to sit around and do nothing. Let's do something.

JUSTIN CLIBURN