“It is important that Ivan receive mail everyday , so he is constantly reminded that he is not alone during this time in the brig and that he is supported in his brave and courageous stand.” said Lisa Brobeck, Ivan’s wife. Write Letters of Support:
Lcpl Ivan S. Brobeck
MCB Quantico Brig
3247 Elrod Avenue
Quantico, Virginia 22134
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Ivan Brobeck, 20, of Arlington, Virginia, returned to the United States on election day to ask President Bush and Congress to bring the troops home now. On December 5, Ivan Brobeck plead guilty to “Unauthorized Absence” and “Missing Movement” at his court martial at Quantico in Virginia. He was sentenced to a military brig for a period of 8 months, forfeiture of 2/3 pay, reduction in rank to E-1 and a bad-conduct discharge. Due to a pre-trial agreement Ivan will serve 75 days confined and the rest of his sentence will be suspended. Ivan’s expected release date is Feb 6th, 2007.
During a tour of duty in Iraq in 2004 Brobeck witnessed regular instances of abuse of Iraqi detainees and the killing of Iraqi civilians at military checkpoints. He chose Canada over a second tour in a war that he came to see as illegal and contrary to the interests and moral standards of most Americans.
“I was not willing to go back and fight a war that I did not believe was right, and I didn’t want to put myself in a situation where I would possibly kill an innocent civilian,” Brobeck explains. “Please, President Bush, do what is right; do everything you can to bring our troops home from Iraq.”
Ivan Brobeck surrendered to military authorities in Washington, DC on election day. He was transferred to Quantico in Virginia where he faced court martial for his actions. He returned in the same spirit that motivated him to enlist at age 17 – a desire to serve his country and to stand for what is right.