On November 26, 2008, former US Army Specialist André Shepherd became the first Iraq War veteran to apply for refugee status in Germany. Shepherd, who enlisted in the military in 2004, served six months on a forward operating base near Tikrit. About the Iraqis, Shepherd says, "Some had the look of fear, while others looked outright angry and resentful. . . . I began to feel like a cruel oppressor who had destroyed the lives of these proud people. "Our unit did a lot of good things, giving schools books and bringing clothes to children. These actions helped my conscience a bit, but I kept thinking to myself, 'Had we not invaded, would these people need this aid now?'" Shepherd began researching the causes of the Iraq War, and the wider so-called War on Terror. Eventually, perhaps inevitably, he lost faith in the mission. He says: "Saddam Hussein was admittedly a dictator. However, he was not leading his country to produce any sort of weapon that could be used...
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