thevoicewithinbook

The Voice Within:
The Story of How a Family Awakened to Conscience in Time of War

Book Overview

Written By Lesley Link

The Voice Within: The Story of a Family Awakening to Conscience in Time of War depicts a journey of the heart as Iraq War veteran Agustín Aguayo and his family awaken to conscience and risk everything to stand firm against the U.S. Army in his quest to be recognized as a Conscientious Objector (CO).

An inspiring and worthy story about courage and conviction, The Voice Within raises the important questions of duty, choice, courage, and responsibility in military service and in life. "We all awaken to conscience in different ways and in different times," Agustín Aguayo says. "Every day is an opportunity to awaken more."

Uniquely and powerfully told in alternating his and her voices by Agustín Aguayo and his wife, Helga P. Aguayo, The Voice Within is a profound, intimate, and inspiring memoir of a man, a woman, their children, and a war. It's about a man who believes in honor, dignity, duty, and loyalty, and who serves honorably and follows all the rules, until he wakes up to the voice of conscience and realizes that he must find the strength to be true to himself. It is also a keen portrait of a woman's journey as she discovers her own conscience, and along the way finds strength she never knew possible in supporting her loved ones. This is an important story of one family's quest for justice, and how they risked everything to stand up for conscience and for peace.

Conscience Demands Courage

The Aguayos continue, "It took some time for us to listen to our inner voices and find out who we are." They found themselves to be courageous, and deeply committed to peace.

Little did the Aguayos realize the high price that conscience would demand from both of them. When his unit threatens to shackle him and physically force him onto a plane to Iraq, Agustín escapes and goes AWOL.

The Army responds by harassing and preventing the family from leaving Germany. Only after Helga powerfully resists the Army's threats and brings outside attention to their situation are she and the children are allowed to leave for home in the U.S. (In the modern military, the entire family receives orders and, like the soldier, is expected to obey.)

Then, a month later, after fleeing to the U.S. by way of Spain and Mexico, Agustín, with Helga at his side, turns himself in to authorities in California. Even then, the Army still will not grant his application for CO status. He is returned to Germany, where he is court-martialed and found guilty of missing movement and desertion. He is sentenced to 8 months in prison. Amnesty International declares him a prisoner of conscience.

Inspiring Others

This is a story that will inspire others with a thought-provoking and personal approach that explores morality, conscience, community, and love. It is uniquely told from both Agustin's and Helga's perspectives, giving readers the feeling of being part of the conflicts they face. His story powerfully details the struggle to live a moral life dedicated to honor and loyalty, to country, to family, to conscience. Her story, beautifully and passionately told, reveals the hidden costs to families in the military and shows how only by being true to her own heart could she and the children survive the ordeal of fighting for Agustín to be recognized as a CO and for justice.

Their compelling story will deeply resonate with anyone who has heard their own inner voice-whether whispering or sometimes shouting-altering them that something is not quite right. It will touch all those who have ignored or pushed aside their own inner wisdom because of expectations or in response to external circumstances. The Aguayos' story shows the huge cost they paid for ignoring their inner voices and the power they discovered when they began listening to conscience.

By standing firm and standing true, the Aguayos did much more than survive. They have inspired others around the world and along the way discovered freedom, courage, strength, power, friendship, and deep, abiding love. The Voice Within, compelling and deeply personal, shows the importance of standing firm for conscience and inspires readers to examine their choices and they listen to the voice of conscience within themselves.

Agustin was honored with the 2007 AnStifter International Peace Prize, awarded by AnStifter, a German peace advocacy group. He was presented with the award in December 2007. The prize is awarded annually to people actively engaged in achieving peace, justice, and solidarity. Previous winners have included Lama Tarayra, a Palestinian national, from Jersusalem and Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, who was kidnapped in Baghdad while working for the Italian newspaper Il Manifesto and German publication Die Zeit.

aguayodefense@aol.com