This week's guest on "Report from Santa Fe" is Ann Wright, a former United States Army Colonel who served in the Army for 29 years, and a retired official of the U.S.State Department, known for her outspoken opposition to the Iraq War. She received the State Department Award for Heroism in 1997, after helping to evacuate several thousand people during the civil war in Sierra Leone. Wright is the author of Dissent: Voices of Conscience, Government Insiders Speak Out Against the War in Iraq, which includes a forward by longtime anti-war activist Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the top-secret Pentagon Papers in 1971. Wright discusses what she feels is the biggest military cover-up in U.S. History – the abuse of women soldiers. She reveals that one in three women who have been in our military have been sexually assaulted or raped during the time that they have been in the military service. Wright also explores the tragedy of the increases in soldier suicides. Having taught the Geneva Conventions at Ft. Bragg for years, Wright discusses the Chelsea [Bradley] [sic.] Manning case and the conditions of her [his] [sic.] detainment. She explores the results of citizen activism against the military's use of drones overseas and at home. Colonel Wright encourages her fellow citizens to find the courage of their convictions and take action against wrongdoing when they see it.
