Veterans Sign-on Letter
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Dear President Bush:

U.S. soldiers have fallen to antipersonnel (AP) landmines in every American-fought conflict since World War II. Mines are friends to no one—they maim or kill upwards of 18,000 people each year, mostly innocent civilians. AP mines, most of them our own, were responsible for a third of U.S. casualties in the Vietnam Conflict and Gulf War. As veterans, we ask you to send the Mine Ban Treaty to the Senate for ratification.

We are not alone in our support for this treaty and our belief in its humanitarian, military, and diplomatic necessity. On May 19, 2001, eight retired senior officers sent a letter asking you to join the Mine Ban Treaty. Signed by such respected leaders as Lt. General James Hollingsworth, former commander of U.S. troops in Korea and author of the U.S. battle plan for the defense of South Korea, this letter provides further military rationale for treaty accession.

The humanitarian reasons for supporting the Mine Ban Treaty are striking. The overwhelming majority of landmine victims are civilians in poor countries who have severely limited access to doctors, blood transfusions, and prosthetic limbs. One third of landmine victims are children. Fortunately, however, this treaty has already begun saving lives. Since 1997, more than two thirds of the world's nations have joined the Mine Ban Treaty, and AP mine exports and production have significantly decreased, while casualty rates have fallen. U.S. participation will help further stigmatize landmine use among the few remaining countries that deploy this indiscriminate and insidious weapon.

Nearly all of our NATO allies have ratified the Mine Ban Treaty, demonstrating that humanitarian concerns can be met without limiting their ability to complete their missions and protect their troops. So now, as citizens and veterans, we ask you to honor your commitment to protect U.S. troops and innocent civilians by sending the Mine Ban Treaty to the Senate for ratification. Thank you for giving your attention to this pressing matter.

Sincerely,