BRANDON TOY, bmtoy79 at gmail.com
Toy has just resigned from his position as an engineering project manager at the military contractor General Dynamics.

Toy told Common Dreams on Wednesday: “I felt a lot of cognitive dissonance for the last two or three years. I knew what the truth was and what the consequences of our actions were. But I needed to make a living. … When [Edward Snowden] talked about how he had believed in the mission, joined after the Iraq war, and found out it was false, it was like my words coming out. It gave me hope that he took the chance and risked his life to do what he was doing.”

His letter of resignation has since gone viral on social media sites. The letter reads: “I hereby resign in protest effective immediately.

“I have served the post-911 Military Industrial complex for 10 years, first as a soldier in Baghdad, and now as a defense contractor.

“I have always believed that if every foot soldier threw down his rifle war would end. I hereby throw mine down. At the time of my enlistment, I believed in the cause. I was ignorant, naïve, and misled. The narrative, professed by the state, and echoed by the mainstream press, has proven false and criminal. We have become what I thought we were fighting against.

“Recent revelations by fearless journalists of war crimes including counterinsurgency ‘dirty’ wars, drone terrorism, the suspension of due process, torture, mass surveillance, and widespread regulatory capture have shed light on the true nature of the current U.S. Government. I encourage you to read more about these topics at the links I have provided below. …

“I was only a foot soldier, and am now a low level clerk. However, I have always believed that if every foot soldier threw down his rifle war would end. I hereby throw mine down.”