True Grit: A Hero’s Stand Of Conscience — Sgt. Buswell Fired, Demoted, Harassed For 9/11 Dissent

In August of 2006, The Lone Star Iconoclast reported on the investigation into an Army Intelligence Analyst stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Sergeant First Class Donald R. Buswell, a 20-year veteran of the United States Army and holder of a purple heart, became the target of an investigation into his use of military e-mail networks due to his dissenting opinion regarding the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

At the onset of the investigation, one of Buswell’s commanding officers, Col. Luke S. Green, Fifth Army’s Chief of Staff at Fort Sam Houston, made an alarming accusation. In a letter appointing Major Edwin Escobar to head up the investigation into Buswell, Col. Green claimed the Sergeant had “made statements disloyal to the United States” (emphasis added) when he questioned the validity of the Administration’s official 9/11 story.

Buswell joined the Army at the age of 22, while he was living with his father, Winthrop, in New Hampshire. His many jobs with the Army have included Explosives Ordinance Disposal, Metalworker, and, since 1990, Intelligence Analyst. He has been deployed in numerous combat tours, from Rwanda to Bosnia, the first Gulf War, and the ongoing Iraq conflict.

On April 15, 2004, while jogging in the shadow of Saddam’s Baghdad palace on the outskirts of Camp Victory, Donald Buswell suffered shrapnel wounds after a series of rockets landed in his vicinity. To his horror, Buswell watched as two nearby Iraqi men suffered a direct hit. As they lay screaming in agony, Buswell ran to the men and attempted to put out the fires. A fifth and final shell landed next to them, but failed to detonate. Had it struck true, Buswell’s selfless decision to stop and render aid would have been his last.

He never really believed an off-the-cuff e-mail exchange could snuff out what has otherwise been a career of distinguished service to the Untied States.

In July 2006, Sgt. Buswell was reassigned from Ft. Hood, Texas to Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, though he retained his job as an Intelligence Analyst. Coming in from another base, Buswell wanted to make sure his superiors knew of his views, so as to head off any potential of a hostile workplace. He went to Chief Warrant Officer Mario Torres, a legal advisor to his Compartmentalized Information Facility at Fort Sam Houston. Buswell told Torres he would not be willing to write reports or give speeches that required him to say things he didn’t believe regarding 9/11.

He shared with Torres his belief that the facts of what happened that day contradict large portions of the official story contained within the 9/11 Commission Report. He used the words “inside job,” but Torres didn’t see a problem. Buswell would not be working on anything related to 9/11, said Torres, who claimed the Sergeant’s views versus the official story were about the equivalent of liking beer over wine. Buswell’s concerns were dismissed, and he went to work.

The statements in question were made in response to an unsolicited mass e-mail, sent by a “Larry Anderson, JMC” (Joint Military Command) on Aug. 2, 2006. Anderson’s e-mail contains a short v