Army reservist Sgt. Marshall Thompson, 27, recently embarked on a 500-mile walk across Utah from the Idaho border to the Arizona border, calling for responsible troop withdrawal from Iraq. A Logan native, Thompson just completed a year in Iraq as a military journalist. According to his Website SoldiersPeace.com, Thompson will begin walking south from the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 7, at 8 a.m., down State Street.

When did you decide you couldn’t support the war in Iraq?
nBefore we went into Iraq in 2003. The problem was we were attacking a nation based on the fear that they might, at some future date, do something to harm us. Pre-emptive war is by nature superfluous and immoral.

Why is the U.S. mission in Iraq failing?
nBecause there is a U.S. mission in Iraq. We’re inciting the violence, and when we’re not inciting it, we’re creating it. The best way to a stable Iraq is to leave in a responsible manner. President Bush must find this a galling Catch-22.

How would you propose withdrawing the troops?
nI’d start with an immediate withdrawal of 10,000 troops. … Then I would continue until everyone is safe and Iraq is free. All evidence points to Iraq being stable as soon as the United States leaves. … One example of a benchmark plan like this is available at FoFChange.org.

What role should the United States play in the Middle East?
nThat of an investor, particularly in Iraq. Right now we pay corrupt American contractors to fix the infrastructure in Iraq and no progress is made. I think we should pay corrupt Iraqi contractors and at least put some money into their economy.

Any surprises on your walk?
nYou have no idea how much roadkill there is. … I’ve seen a flattened version of every indigenous animal except an elk.