Iraq War Vet Turned Defense Contractor Resigns in Protest, Launches Documentary Film Project
Rochester Hills, Michigan (PRWEB) August 08, 2013 -- Brandon Toy, an Iraq War Veteran who publicly resigned in mid-July in protest as a Project Manager from defense contractor General Dynamics, has launched a documentary film titled More Than Human/Less Than Human. The film will examine the causes and consequences of dehumanization on current and past global conflicts. Toy has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the film. Details, including a short video, can be found at moreorlesshuman.com, which redirects to the film's Kickstarter page.
Toy's resignation letter, which he sent to General Dynamic's corporate leadership and several journalists, went viral after being published online by the progressive news site Commondreams.org. In the letter, Toy harshly criticized US foreign and domestic policy and stated that "We have become what I thought we were fighting against." Full text of the letter can be found at https://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/07/16-5/.
Toy has subsequently made appearances on various radio and television programs including Infowars with Alex Jones, RT's Breaking the Set, and World Focus with Blase Bonpane. He has harshly criticized the US drone program, NSA mass surveillance, torture, indefinite detention, and counterinsurgency "Dirty War" tactics used by the US Military during the Iraq War.
Toy launched the film via Kickstarter.com early this week with a funding goal of $27,000. The film will take a contemporary look at dehumanization tactics used by governments and militaries - particularly the United States - to justify war crimes and human and civil rights violations both domestically and overseas. Filming is scheduled to begin this November with a planned release of June 2014.
More Than Human/Less Than Human will weave together expert interviews, scholarly research, witness testimony, and contemporary video footage with Toy's own personal narrative about his transformation from a "true believer" in the "War on Terror" to conscientious objector and activist.
Toy enlisted in the Michigan Army National Guard after the start of the Iraq War in 2003. He served as a Military Policeman in Baghdad during the height of the insurgency during 2005 as a machine gunner in a HUMVEE squad. His unit's mission was to train, equip, and support Iraqi Police and Iraqi National Guard units on the east side of Baghdad in the Sadr City and New Baghdad neighborhoods. Upon returning from Iraq, he finished college and started working as a Project Manager on the Stryker combat vehicle program for General Dynamics Land Systems, the worlds 4th largest defense contractor. Brandon has an MBA from the University of Michigan.
Brandon Toy, moreorlesshuman.com, http://moreorlesshuman.com, +1 2484088486, [email protected]
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