Yolanda Huet-Vaughn - Gale

a base for troops, equipment, and medical support for nations that
were working together to expel Iraq from Kuwait. The military activity
was called Operation Desert Shield, and Huet-Vaughn was called to
report to Saudi Arabia in December 1990. She officially announced her
refusal to serve on January 9, 1991. Three weeks later, the Gulf War
began.
Things to remember while reading
‘‘Statement Refusing to Serve in the 1991
Gulf War’’:
Huet-Vaughn objects to Operation Desert Shield as ‘‘an immoral,
inhumane, and unconstitutional act.’’ She gives several reasons:
1) She believes the military action violates the Constitution; 2) she
maintains that the medical oath she took when becoming a
physician is to preserve life and prevent disease; and 3) she believes
that as a human she needs to protect the planet. By participating in
Operation Desert Shield, she would be violating both of those
beliefs. She cites potential dangers to civilians and the environment
to back her position.
During the Gulf War, there was great concern around the world
that Iraq possessed and would use chemical, biological, or nuclear
weapons. Huet-Vaughn emphasizes that this would result in a
medical disaster.
Those who supported Huet-Vaughn’s refusal to serve in the Gulf
War argued that the Nuremberg Charter (1950) applied to her
case. The Nuremberg Charter is an international agreement that
defines the principles under which an individual can be tried for
war crimes, or crimes against humanity. The charter stemmed from
the Nuremberg Trials following World War II (1939–45) in which
Nazis accused of committing atrocities such as genocide—the
intentional harming and killing of a particular group of people—
were put on trial. Under Principle IV of the Nuremberg Charter, a
military person has an obligation to not obey illegal orders.
Similarly, American military manuals state that U.S. soldiers are
under no obligation to involve themselves in criminal activities. As
Huet-Vaughn notes, war plans against Iraq were likely to include
the bombing of Iraqi cities. The bombing raids would likely result
in civilian deaths (she notes that 57 percent of people in Iraq and
Yolanda Huet-Vaughn
American Social Reform Movements: Primary Sources 227