To Whomever it May Concern:
Greetings, I am HM3 Michelle Hostetler. I have worked in Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes since June 2006 as a psychiatric technician in the Recruit Evaluation Unit and also in its satellite clinic, The Psycho-educational Program currently located in Ship 5-Recruit Separation Barracks. I have also completed two 6-month tours at Joint Task Force, Joint Medical Group; Behavioral Unit located the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The dates of those two tours were from September 2006-March 2007 and April 2008-November 2008.
I have known HM2 Daniel Lakemacher since February 2006 while attending Neuropsychiatric technician “C” school at the Naval School of Health Sciences, Portsmouth, Virginia. Right from the beginning HM2 Lakemacher, then HN Lakemacher seemed different from the rest of us. He appeared to be more reserved, extremely intelligent, and more assertive in comparison to the rest of our peer group. I did not know much about him then, but the impression he made on me was profound. We worked side-by-side before he rose above me and my fellow corpsman as an exemplary Petty Officer known for his tremendous work ethic. Eventually he became our Work Center Supervisor, due to his innate ability to treat others with respect and compassion, and his ability to get the job done right the first time.
Having expierenced working at the Detention Facility in Guantanamo Bay for myself, on two separate Individual Augmentations, I say with a heavy heart that these experiences do not leave a person unchanged. HM2 Lakemacher is correct when he speaks of the level of hate that exists down there, the service members towards the detainees, the detainees towards the service members. While I still have mixed emotions about the role I played while at the Behavioral Health Unit, I am empathetic to the solution and closure that HM2 Lakemacher is seeking in filing for “Conscientious Objector”.
Our founding fathers built our nation on the principle of “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Today’s American military is comprised of an all volunteer force. Please consider granting HM2 Lakemacher’s request to be a “Conscientious objector” on the basis that his continued military service is in direct contradiction to his newly defined objection to war, so that he may pursue his very own meaning of these three “unalienable rights” of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.
Sincerely,
(signed)
HM3 Hostetler, Michelle, L.
USN/AD/####
Psychiatric Technician
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