Veterans of the U.S. military in Samoa are helping to organize the “March for Joe!”
Three weeks ago, supporters of the associate minister began distributing “Free Joe” stickers.
In a release, the United States Veterans of Samoa Association said it “strongly condemned the U.S. Department of State actions in arresting U.S. Air Force veteran Joe Keil for alleged passport and citizenship fraud.”
The president of the association, retired U.S. Air Force Capt. Mark Moors, said: “We are outraged at the arrest of Joe Keil in Branson, Missouri on Sept. 9. Keil served in the U.S. Air Force for four years from 1961 until he was honorably discharged in 1965. It is unheard of for someone who has proudly and honorably served the United States as a citizen to be arrested for allegedly impersonating a U.S. citizen. This is an insult to all U.S. veterans born outside the United States.”
The association said Keil’s arrest raises serious questions about the value of the service of Samoans in the U.S military and the loyalty of the U.S. government to its servicemen and women.
According to Moors, “Keil served in the U.S military at a time when the U.S. was engaged in another unpopular war in Vietnam. Today, many Samoans are fighting and dying on battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan. They serve the U.S., as we did, with unswerving loyalty. We are now asking ourselves — why? You can serve and die for the U.S. but they can take away your citizenship at any time.”
The association has also expressed concerns at the use of heavy handed anti-terror treatment in Keil’s arrest.
Richard Keil, Keil’s brother and also a U.S veteran said: “When Joe was arrested, he was put in prison overalls, shackled and not allowed to talk to a lawyer. He was locked up for seven days and then when he came up for bail, the government tried to keep him locked up. And they say he is being treated as innocent until proven guilty!”
