Ward Churchill
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Ward LeRoy Churchill (born October 2, 1947) is an American writer, political activist, and academic. He is a tenured full professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and author of over 20 books and hundreds of essays. In addition to his academic writing, Churchill has written for several general readership magazines of political opinion. His work is primarily about the U.S. and its historical treatment of political dissenters in general and of American Indian peoples in particular.
Churchill was widely discussed and criticized in the mass media in 2005, for a 2001 essay in which Churchill questioned the innocence of many of the people killed in the World Trade Center attacks, labeling them as "technocrats" and "little Eichmanns." The University of Colorado stated support for Churchill's right to engage in controversial political speech.
Following an investigation, the University's Standing Committee on Research Misconduct recommended Churchill be sanctioned for repeated acts of "serious research misconduct", Some observers concerned with academic freedom argue that the investigation is in retaliation to Churchill's critical statements about the World Trade Center attacks.
[edit] Background
[edit] Early life and education
Churchill was born in Elmwood, Illinois and attended Elmwood High School.
In 1966, Churchill was drafted into the United States Army. On his 1980 resume, Churchill said he served as a public-information specialist who "wrote and edited the battalion newsletter and wrote news releases." In a 1987 article on Churchill, the Denver Post reported that he went to paratrooper school, then volunteered for Vietnam and served a 10-month tour as "a LURP" [sic], one of a six-man team sent out on Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol to track down North Vietnamese. According to the same Denver Post article, Churchill also said that he had been politically radicalized as a result of his experiences in Vietnam, and that he had taught bomb-making to members of the Weather Underground.
Military records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show that Churchill was trained as a projectionist and light truck driver, and give no indication that he went to paratrooper school or trained for LRRP.[1]
