From my friend Pete Hegseth at Vets for Freedom....

Washington, DC, June 2, 2009 - Pete Hegseth, Chairman of Vets for Freedom, released the following statement in response to the pending release of Rendition: Guantanamo. A new Microsoft Xbox 360 game that users pretend to be inmates at Guantanamo Bay who kill prison guards in order to escape. This video game is being promoted by a former Guantanmo Bay Detainee, Moazzam Begg, who is the central figure in the game, who has ties to al Qaeda, and who will benefit financially from the sale of the game.

“Rendition: Guantanamo is a disgusting depiction of al-Qaeda terrorists killing virtual U.S. troops. It is inexcusable that the developers of this game—and their U.S.-based distributors—would want to teach our children that killing American or British soldiers is a game. In fact, the video trailer for the video game even goes so far as to glorify the detainee and make him look like a righteous freedom fighter. This is no surprise, seeing as the primary promoter—and financial beneficiary—of the game is a former Guantanamo Bay detainee.

The game reinforces a twisted vision for children in the U.S., and around the world, that U.S. Troops are the enemy and the terrorists are the victims. Any game that encourages the murder of American troops while being marketed to children and teens is not only shameless, but extremely harmful to the perception of our military. This video game is nothing short of pure terrorist propaganda and should even be considered a training video for our enemies. The creation of this game seems to be guided by the desire to incite hate and violence against the United States in the next generation of youth.

As a former guard at GITMO and then a soldier in Iraq, I saw how my fellow soldiers risked their lives to capture these terrorists and this game dishonors—and fundamentally undermines—the hard work and sacrifice that has been made for our country. If Microsoft distributes this game it will be a slap in the face to all of our active duty troops and veterans.

We implore Microsoft to stand up for our troops, reject the licensing and stop the production of this game.”

Pete Hegseth is a former guard at GITMO and Iraq war veteran. He currently serves as Chairman of Vets for Freedom.