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| {{Infobox Military Person | |||
| |name= Adam Charles Kokesh | |||
| |lived= | |||
| |placeofbirth= New Mexico | |||
| |placeofdeath= | |||
| |image= ] | |||
| |caption= Adam Kokesh in ] | |||
| |nickname= | |||
| |allegiance= ] | |||
| |serviceyears= 1999–2007 | |||
| |rank= Corporal (formerly Sergeant) | |||
| |commands= | |||
| |unit= ]<ref name="ivawprofile"></ref> | |||
| |battles= ] | |||
| |awards= ]<ref name="properwearpost"></ref><br>]<br> | |||
| ]<br />] | |||
| |laterwork= Antiwar activism | |||
| }} | |||
| ] ] '''Adam Charles Kokesh''' (previously ]) is a ] veteran of the ] and an anti-] activist. | |||
| ==Background and service in Iraq== | |||
| Kokesh enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1999 during his junior year at the ] in ] as part of the ]. He was originally assigned to November Battery, ], ] of the ]. In 2004, he volunteered for deployment to Iraq as part of the 1st Regiment Detachment of the ] and served in ] from February to September, where he was engaged in several ]s. Kokesh was a Sergeant for most of his enlistment, but was demoted to ] immediately before being discharged in late 2006 for illegally bringing a pistol he purchased in Iraq back to the United States.<ref name="properwearpost" /> Kokesh is currently a graduate student at ].<ref name="ivawprofile" /> | |||
| ==Protest activities== | |||
| After returning from Iraq, Kokesh resumed his studies and completed his bachelor's degree at ]. In February 2007, Kokesh became an active participant in the ]. Kokesh first came to national attention after his photograph appeared on the front page of the '']'' at a protest during ]'s testimony to ] regarding the ]. Kokesh, wearing his Marine Corps ], held up a large sign counting the number of times Gonzalez said "I don't remember" or "I don't recall" (Kokesh claimed Gonzalez used such phrases 74 times).<ref>"The AG hearing: A post-mortem," by Paul Kane. '']'', April 20, 2007. </ref> | |||
| ==Marine Corps hearing== | |||
| Kokesh and other IVAW members wore elements of their ]s for a ] action marking the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War in March. Kokesh and several other IVAW members were contacted by the Marine Corps and warned of possible disciplinary action for violating military uniform policies by wearing their uniforms to a political demonstration.<ref>MCO P1020.34F | |||
| Marine Corps Uniform Regulations, Chapter 11. Published online by the USMC Training And Education Command </ref> Kokesh felt that they were being subjected to ] because of their war protest activities, and replied with a defiant letter (ending it with " ... ask you to please, kindly, go f-ck yourself.").<ref>"Antiwar to the Corps: Marine Reservist-Protesters Face Discipline", by David Montgomery. '']'' May 31, 2007; Page C01. </ref><ref name="properwearpost" /> In May of 2007, a hearing was convened to consider changing Kokesh's ] from "honorable" to "other than honorable" on two points: "Disrespect toward a Superior Commissioned Officer", and violating "Wearing of the uniform" regulation.<ref>"Corps accused of 'muzzle' tactics," by Stephen Koff. '']'', May 31, 2007. </ref><ref></ref> | |||
| Although Kokesh is still part of the ] (IRR) until June 18, 2007,<ref name="properwearpost" />, Kokesh's attorney, Mike Lebowitz, claimed that the Marine Corps is attempting to stifle Kokesh's constitutional right to ].<ref name="washpost-20070531">"Marine Vet Faces Hearing Over Protest," By Heather Hollingsworth. ] | |||
| Thursday, May 31, 2007. </ref> Lebowitz and detailed JAG defense counsel LT Joseph Melaragno argued that the military did not have jurisdiction over Kokesh based on the Marine Corps's use of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, since the UCMJ does not apply to members of the IRR. Kokesh critics counter that the real issue was the disrespect of the uniform, a violation that is particularly important to Marines.<ref></ref> During cross examination of the government's chief investigator, Lebowitz also elicited testimony that the officer was indeed biased and politically motivated in his investigation when he referred to Kokesh and the Iraq Veterans Against the War as "the opposition." In the end, the tribunal declined to impose the harshest, punitive punishment. If his discharge had been changed to "other than honorable," Kokesh would have lost access to certain veteran's health care services and been forced to pay back over $10,000 in educational benefits he received.<ref name="washpost-20070531"/> | |||
| On June 4, 2007, the panel recommended Kokesh be given a general discharge under honorable conditions, a discharge status below honorable. Kokesh appealed the decision<ref>US panel punishes anti-war marine. ], Tuesday, 5 June 2007, 15:08 GMT </ref>, and that appeal was denied <ref>Anti-war Marine loses appeal; final decision on discharge expected within a week.</ref> 7 June. | |||
| ===The VFW supports Kokesh=== | |||
| The national commander of the ] has defended the right of Kokesh and others who have been given honorable discharges to protest in uniform.<ref name="vfwurges-latimes">VFW urges military to back off of activists. Associated Press. '']'', | |||
| June 2, 2007</ref> | |||
| ==Arrest at Ft. Benning== | |||
| Kokesh, along with IVAW members Liam Madden and Nate Lewis, were arrested in June 2007 for crossing onto the property of Ft. Benning near Columbus, Georgia. On June 13th, the government filed a motion to dismiss the trespass charges.<ref> Associated Press, June 14, 2007</ref> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| <references/> | |||
| ==External links== | |||
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| Matt Sanchez | |||
Latest revision as of 00:11, 7 November 2007
redirect #Adam Kokesh