Perspective: The private war of Camilo Mejia

Above: Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia in Iraq. Left: Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia leaves court in Fort Stewart, Georgia, on May 21, 2004 after he was sentenced to a year in prison and a bad conduct discharge.

Halfway through his tour of duty in Iraq, Army Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia experienced a moment of clarity that shook his world.

The concussion didn't come from a bomb, but a decision.

After a two-week leave in Miami, Mejia decided he would not return to combat. Instead, he would become the first Iraq War veteran to publicly oppose the war on moral grounds and apply for conscientious objector status.

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