Soldiers fresh from Iraq speak out against war, Bush administration AUSTIN (AP) — Two military service members who recently returned from Iraq spoke out against the war Wednesday during a rally at the Capitol, telling a small but boisterous crowd that the Bush administration misled America about the threat of terrorism there. "I supported this war at first, when my administration led me to believe that it was the right thing to do to oppose the government of Saddam Hussein and free the Iraqi people," said Capt. David Harris, a 12-year veteran who recently returned from Iraq. He criticized the administration for accusing Saddam Hussein of harboring weapons of mass destruction, which have not been found in Iraq. Harris called on the small crowd to vote for the Democratic presidential ticket of Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards. Mike Hoffman, a former Marine who was in the first wave of service members to cross into Iraq last year, said Iraq is still dangerous despite Saddam's capture. "Democracy cannot be forced on people who don't want it," he said. James C. Berbiglia, a Vietnam veteran and retired military chaplain, said the protest was not about politics. "It's about getting young Americans, the best of our country, back here in the states so that they can defend us and get on with fighting terrorism, which has absolutely nothing to do with Iraq," he said. Berbiglia is affiliated with Veterans For Peace, a 3,500-member group based in St. Louis that has appeared at rallies across the country. The small crowd applauded after each veteran spoke. Not far way, down the Capitol promenade, Austin's Women in Black gathered for their weekly protest, holding up peace signs and passing out literature opposing the U.S. invasion of Iraq. ### © Lubbok Online
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