An Open Letter to Russian War Resisters from an American War Resister
By John Bach As a formerly imprisoned war resister in the United States, I write with profound respect for the acts of resistance and non-cooperation by Russian citizens over the war in Ukraine. Never have expressions of international solidarity been more urgent, as the war grinds on and domestic oppression intensifies. All movements for social justice and enduring peace begin with the sharing of stories and lives and the nourishment of concerns. And so I include in this letter to those on the front lines of this resistance, fragments of my own story, to honor your sacrifices. As a young man growing up during the escalating American war in Vietnam, I dropped out of college to renounce my student deferment as racist and elitist. It was impossible for me to study the humanities and stay detached amid such a dirty little war. That began the process which eventually led to a conviction for “refusing to submit to induction” and three years in the federal prison system from
