Excerpt of Kevin Benderman's statement:
I have prepared this statement to address the injustice I have been dealt by the US Army after I made the decision to apply for Conscientious Objector status. I made this decision after my return from Iraq where I witnessed and experienced for myself the insanity of war. What I learned from my experience is that war is a waste of humanity. We kill many people in the name of keeping the peace – an oxymoron if there ever was one. After many months of contemplation I reached the conclusion that I no longer wanted to contribute to the ultimate violence toward other human beings that war is.