War experience changes veteran into peace promoter

For Iraq war veteran and Wilmington College sophomore Matt Southworth, his time spent fighting overseas changed him forever. \nHe began his speech Wednesday night by asking “How do you tell someone you love this may be the last time they hear from you?”\nA group of students, faculty members and Bloomington residents gathered in Woodburn Hall to hear why Southworth believes the U.S. should pull out of the war.\nSenior Carter Castor said he came because he likes hearing how soldiers’ experiences have affected them.\n“Other people don’t want to hear about soldiers’ suffering because they have their own opinion, either pro-war or anti-war,” he said.\nSouthworth said his first day in Iraq summarized his whole experience there.\nWhen he was on the plane heading for Iraq, the pilot banked quickly and Southworth thought they were crashing, he said. When they landed, the pilot told them he was dodging grenade fire. He later spent an hour waiting in line to get protective plates to fit inside his flak jacket.\n“One week later, another soldier got shot by a sniper while he waited for plates in the same place I stood,” Southworth said.\nNow back home after serving as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. army in 2004, he is speaking out against the war.\n“Terrorism is a tactic, you can’t fight a war based on a tactic,” Southworth said, noting that terrorism cannot be stopped by the barrel of a gun.\nSouthworth said the same government officials, who in 2003 advocated for going to Iraq because of weapons of mass destruction, began that idea in 1996 and saw the tragedy of Sept. 11 as an opportunity to send troops overseas.\n“I don’t think families of those who perished would call that an opportunity,” Southworth said.\nHe said that people need to rally together to support peace because “it is not in anyone’s interest to be in Iraq. Not mine, not yours.”\n“We are the only ones who can make a difference,” Southworth said. “People in office are only interested in getting re-elected.”