Former Army Chaplain James Yee to Speak Oct. 26

October 13, 2005
Contact: Andy Faught

Former Army chaplain James Yee, who faced government charges that he was an enemy spy while stationed at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, will speak at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26 in Occidental College’s Morrison Lounge. Yee’s appearance is free and open to the public.

Occidental is located at 1600 Campus Road in Eagle Rock. For directions and a campus map, click here.

Yee, a Muslim, was arrested in September 2003 and charged with five offenses: sedition, aiding the enemy, spying, espionage and failure to obey a general order. As chaplain, he administered to Muslim detainees held at the Cuban base – some of them suspected al Qaeda terrorists and members of the Taliban – following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

Yee recounts his experiences in his new book, “For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire.” After his arrest, the government did not name a government or group that Yee was suspected of spying for. In the book, Yee claims he was held in solitary confinement for 76 days and subjected to sensory deprivation. In March 2004, the government dropped all charges against Yee.

Occidental’s Intercultural Community Center is sponsoring Yee’s appearance. For more information, contact program coordinator Denise Uyehara at (323) 259-2522.