Local opinion: Tucson combat veteran calls for peace

As an Air Force veteran who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the memories of war are not just distant echoes, but haunting reminders etched into my being. When I look at the photos and videos of the ongoing violence in Gaza, the acrid smell of death and burning flesh fills my senses, transporting me back to the horrors I witnessed firsthand. And now, as I bear witness to the escalating violence, those memories resurface with a force that is both overwhelming and agonizing.

Eight years of military training and combat experience imparted clear boundaries between the hard realities of war and criminal abuse of force. Every member of our own armed forces knows that targeting schools, hospitals, and residential centers is not only inhumane and strategically ineffective but can constitute war crimes under international law and the Geneva convention. Instead of condemning these actions and conditioning aid on adherence to international law like we do for every other allied nation, the U.S. government has turned a blind eye to the preventable death and suffering of the Palestinian people.

My experience fighting for the human rights of the victims of this conflict here in Tucson, AZ, has been both humbling and inspiring. I attended a protest and march on May 9, from Catalina Park to the University of Arizona with the intention to demonstrate alongside fellow veterans, students, and citizens of conscience. Over 100 students peacefully protested, supported by University of Arizona staff and faculty who served as protection between the police and students by linking arms to serve as a human shield. Witnessing our community’s own precious youth courageously fight for what is right, with the support of their teachers and professors, highlights the solidarity and intersectionality that our leaders in Washington often fail to grasp. Just as the antiwar student activists who sacrificed much and were maligned in the media during the Vietnam war, so too have today’s youth who have led this campaign for peace.

In the history of armed conflict, no peace has ever been won while bullets are still flying and bombs are still dropping. Whether you understand this conflict as a war, genocide, or something in-between, the only humane path forward requires that the U.S. Government use every diplomatic tool at our disposal to secure an immediate, permanent ceasefire.

As a combat veteran, I know firsthand the devastating consequences of war. The physical and psychological scars I carry serve as a constant reminder of the true cost of conflict. And it is because of this that I am calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The cycle of violence must end, and the only way forward is through diplomacy, dialogue, and a commitment to peace.

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To my fellow veterans, I urge you to join me in speaking out against the injustices being perpetrated in our name. We cannot claim to honor the service and sacrifice of those who have gone before us if we remain silent in the face of injustice. It is time to hold our government accountable and demand an end to the bloodshed in Gaza.

To those who may disagree with my stance, I ask you to consider the human cost of war. Behind every statistic, every headline, and every political calculation are real people whose lives have been forever altered by violence and conflict. We owe it to them, and to future generations, to do everything in our power to prevent further suffering and work towards a just and lasting peace.

In closing, I echo the sentiments of my fellow veteran antiwar organizer, Derek Duba: “No revenge, no ideology, no difference of faith or opinion can justify a new ‘forever war’ in the Middle East.” Let us remember our shared humanity and do everything we can to end this cycle of violence before more innocent blood is spilled.