Sgt. Ricky Clousing, who served as a U.S. Army Interrogator in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, pled guilty to a charge of "absent without leave" on Thursday October 12th at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. Clousing is a 24-year-old Army sergeant and interrogator from Seattle who is also an Iraq combat veteran. Clousing was sentenced to three months' confinement, forfeiture of 2/3 pay while confined, and a bad conduct discharge. At his sentencing hearing, Sgt. Clousing continued to voice his concerns about the abuses of power that go without accountability and the everyday devastation of the occupation of Iraq. “My experiences in Iraq forced me to reevaluate my beliefs and ethics,” he told the judge. “Ultimately, I felt like I could not serve.”

Clousing had left Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 2005 after returning from Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division, and had been AWOL until he turned himself in on August 11th, 2006. At the press conference on August 11th, he outlined his opposition to a "war of aggression" that has "no legal basis to be fought." ( Report Supporters gathered in downtown Fayettville on October 12th, the day of Ricky Clousing's court martial. Ricky is reportedly being held in a military brig at Camp LeJune in North Carolina, and his supporters are asking for words of encouragement and support, in the form of letters to Ricky, and donations for his legal expenses.

Past Coverage of Ricky Clousing | Photos from August 11th press conference with Sgt. Clousing | Ricky Housing's Blog and Website