September 22, 2014 by the Chelsea Manning Support Network
“I’m a bicycle ridin, banjo pickin, peace ramblin hillbilly from the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas!”
Jacob George at Fort Meade to protest to the court martial of Chelsea Manning, 6/1/13. Photo by Ward Reilly.
The Chelsea Manning Support Network is greatly saddened to learn the news of veteran and Manning supporter Jacob George’s passing. Due to his years in service, Jacob suffered from various physical and mental injuries that he worked through with anti-war activism. Jacob rallied for Chelsea Manning at Fort Meade, attended Chelsea’s court martial, and was one of the first people to rally to Chelsea’s defense in the days following her arrest in May 2010.
Jacob was a veteran of three combat tours in Afghanistan—Operation Enduring Freedom. To overcome those demons, Jacob cycled thousands of miles, “A Ride Till the End,” he called it, to promote peace and justice. He rallied fellow veterans to take political action. And he stood strong for military resisters–especially those who were prosecuted for refusing to do the things he himself had participated in.
Every day at least a dozen US military veterans take their own lives, with some estimates at over 22. In the end, these will far outnumber the fatalities on the far away battlefields. We are reminded that statistics are easy to live with, until the statistic strikes close to home.
We will likely never know why Jacob took his own life. He seemed to have done more than anyone to heal himself from the unseen physiological devastation of war. Today we simply remember an amazing individual whose contributions to our community go far beyond what words we can muster.
Donations to Jacob George’s Memorial Service:
https://www.everribbon.com/ribbon/view/18459
The Human Cost of War: IVAW Testimony
http://vimeo.com/66857895