Mary Ann Wright (born 1947) is a retired United States Army colonel and retired official of the U.S. State Department, known for her outspoken opposition to the Iraq War. She is most noted for having been one of three State Department officials to publicly resign in direct protest of the March 2003 invasion of Iraq …(full text).
Resignation: Wright submitted her resignation letter to then U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on March 19, 2003, the day before the onset of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Her letter was published on the internet the following day. In her resignation letter, Wright listed four reasons she could no longer work for the U.S. government under the Bush administration:
- The decision to invade Iraq without the blessing of the U.N. Security Council
- The « lack of effort » in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process
- The « lack of policy » in regard to North Korea
- The curtailment of civil liberties within the United States.
Mary Ann Wright has been a career military woman, a State Department diplomat, and an influential spokesperson in the anti-war movement. She served 13 years in active duty, 16 years in the Army reserves, and another 16 years as a foreign diplomat in countries such as Nicaragua, Somalia, Uzbekistan, and Sierra Leone. She is coauthor with Susan Dixon of « Dissent: Voices of Conscience », the stories of those in the Bush administration and other governments who have had the courage to speak out. « Dissent » was published January 2008 by Koa Books. Transcript From militarism to peace: … (full text).
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(Mary) Ann Wright, Col. (Retd.) – USA
Her video on RealNewsNetwork, on responsible US withdrawal from Iraq and the prospects for a peaceful future, 7.23 min, Sept. 4, 2008.
Biography for Mary A. (Ann) Wright.
Mary A. Wright’s resignation letter, March 21, 2003.
Ann Wright’s address to Sacramento City College on 10-16-07 MP3 Real Media (click on download to hear the audio).
Ann Wright’s address at Time Tested Book, Sacramento, CA on 10-17-07 MP3 Real Media (click on download to hear the audio).
Wright was the third of three State Department officials to retire from service in protest in the month prior to the invasion of Iraq, the other two being Brady Kiesling and John H. Brown. Wright says that she did not know the other two, and had not read their resignation letters at the time she submitted her own … (full text).
Wright was the third of three State Department officials to retire from service in protest in the month prior to the invasion of Iraq, the other two being Brady Kiesling and John H. Brown. Wright says that she did not know the other two, and had not read their resignation letters at the time she submitted her own … (full text).
Mary Ann Wright: Sexual Assault in the U.S. Military: A Pentagon Cover-Up?
Breaking Through Diplomacy’s Glass Ceiling, 10 pdf-pages, Oct. 2005.
End the War and Impeach Bush – An Interview with Ann Wright, Feb 18, 2006.
… Pair to discuss war in Iraq: Ann Wright and David Swanson will speak against the war in Iraq at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 23 at Mary Baldwin College’s Francis Auditorium at 101 E. Frederick Street. Wright is a retired Army colonel and a retired official of the U.S. State Department who publicly resigned in 2003 in protest of the invasion of Iraq. She recently has written a book in conjunction with Susan Dixon, « Dissent: Voices of Conscience. Government Insiders Speak Out Against the War in Iraq » … (full text).
In The Service Of Her Country, October 04, 2007.
As part of the CodePINK delegation to Guantanamo, former Lt. Colonel Ann Wright makes this statement: « We apologize to the Cuban people for our governments’ decision to illegally occupy part of their territory for more than a century, and then turn it into a center of torture and abuse », (as part of an international delegation of peace activists in Cuba demanding the closure of the detention center) … (Target of Opportunity, scroll down to her photo).
Tomdispatch Interview: Ann Wright on Service to Country, November 11, 2005.
Article from Revolution Interviewer, Oct 30, 2005.
She says: « … I signed up during another very unpopular war, the Vietnam War. It was going on. But I didn’t sign up to go kill Vietnamese. I didn’t want to go to Vietnam; I wanted to get out of Arkansas, the state that I grew up in. So, like most of the kids that join the military, you don’t want to go kill anybody, but you want to get out of Arkansas, a family that may be abusive; you may not have money for college. You know, there is such a variety of reasons. I would not join up to the military right now. I think our military is being abused by the government and the Bush administration. I still can be recalled to active duty, as when I retired, I purposely put myself into the retired ready reserve. So in case of national crisis, I can be recalled to active duty to help, ’cause I’ve got a lot of skills. But if the Bush administration should recall me to active duty, I would have to say, « You’ll have to court martial me, because I will not go. » I would rather go to jail and save my conscience than do the bidding of the Bush administration on what I believe is an illegal war … (full interview text, Sept. 4, 2008).
Find her on Google Blog-search.
She says also: … The neighbor (in Texas) of President Bush, a brave man here in Texas, who came to us and said, ‘You have the right to free speech, and we know that you are in the ditches, and you should have a better facility than just the ditches. You need to,’—he said, ‘I want to offer you a piece of property that will get you out of this very dangerous road area.’ And actually, it’s the most remarkable place in the world. It is right next to one of two Secret Service checkpoints. So we will have a protest that is right on the entrance to the Bush ranch. We told the Secret Service, ‘We know that you are concerned about this, but you don’t have to be, because we come in peace and non-violence. We’re not causing any trouble. All we want is that the servant of America, the President of America, speak to the people of America, those that are speaking in opposition to a major policy … (full interview text).
links:
War Resister Robin Long Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison, Aug 25, 2008;
Statement by Ann Wright Concerning International Commission of Inquiry on Crimes Against Humanity by the Bush Administration;