Former Army Col. Ann Wright Recounts Israeli Assault on Gaza Aid Flotilla

Excerpt of talk by Former Army Col. Ann Wright, and U.S. diplomat, on Israeli assault on Gaza aid flotilla, recorded and produced by Melinda Tuhus

Ann Wright is a 25-year military veteran who rose to the rank of colonel, then retired and joined the State Department, where she was second in command when the U.S. opened its embassy in Afghanistan in December 2001. She resigned from the diplomatic corps in protest when President Bush invaded Iraq in March 2003.

After her resignation, Wright has become a full-time peace activist with Code Pink and other groups. She was on board the Greek flagged ship "Sfendoni," one of six ships in an international aid flotilla that was trying to break the blockade of Gaza in order to carry tons of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population there. Israeli soldiers boarded the ships on May 31, resulting in the deaths of nine activists -- eight Turks and a Turkish-American. An Israeli military investigation into the naval raid concluded in a July 12 summary that the killing of the aid flotilla's activists was justified, though the operation was beset by flaws in planning and intelligence. The U.N. and governments around the world continue to demand a full and impartial international investigation into the incident.

Ann Wright recently spoke about her experience aboard the aid flotilla to an enthusiastic, capacity audience at the West Haven, Conn. library a few weeks after returning from the Middle East. In this excerpt of her talk, she describes what happened when the Israelis boarded her ship, and the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the nine activists who were killed aboard the largest ship, the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara.

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