Morello declared soldier for peace

Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello has been named a soldier for peace by a group of Iraq war veterans.

The star, who is currently performing as The Nightwatchman, was presented with one veteran's medals in recognition of his anti-war stance and efforts to stop the fighting.

"A member of the Iraq Veterans Against the War gave me his medals after I played a Nightwatchman show at the Winter Soldier conference," he told Spin.

"He gave a moving speech, saying, 'The real battle for freedom and democracy is not overseas; it's here. And you're a soldier in it.'"

Together with System of a Down's Serj Tankian, Morello co-founded political action group Axis of Justice, which aims to "bring together musicians, fans of music, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice".