Sgt. Camilo Mejía was the first Iraq war soldier to publicly denounce the war. After returning to the US for a two-week break, Mejía decided not to go back to Iraq and continued to stay in the US underground. Mejía claimed a conscientious objector status, however he was still charged by the US military for desertion of the war and sentenced to one year in prison. Mejía was released early for good behavior on Feb. 15, 2007 and now tours schools and organizations, sharing his story of why he left the war in Iraq. The following video was taped on Tues. May 15, when Mejía spoke to the Verde journalism staff and Susan Kahn’s seventh period English class.