iraq veterans against the war

Iraq Veterans: It’s our turn to tell our stories
Iraq Veterans Against the War to convene Winter Soldier as occupation enters sixth year
Washington, D.C. – Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) is preparing to launch an
event that will give veterans and service members a chance to speak out about the
occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan will feature
testimony that will expose the human consequences of failed policy.
From March 13-16 at the National Labor College just outside of Washington, D.C.,
veterans from across the country will be standing up to share their experiences. Their
stories will show that wrongdoings in Iraq and Afghanistan are not isolated incidents
perpetrated by “bad apples.”
“We’ve heard from the politicians, we’ve heard from the generals, we’ve heard from the
media – now it’s our turn,” said Kelly Dougherty, executive director of IVAW and a
former sergeant in the Colorado Army National Guard, who served in Iraq as a military
police officer. “It’s not going to be easy to hear what we have to say. It’s not going to be
easy for us to tell it. But we believe that the only way this war is going to end is if the
American people truly understand what we have done in their name.”
The event has been named Winter Soldier to honor a similar gathering 30 years ago of
veterans of the Vietnam War. Winter soldiers, according to founding father Thomas
Paine, are the people who stand up for the soul of their country, even in its darkest hours.
Hundreds of veterans are planning to travel to Washington for the event, which will
feature live testimony – along with supporting video and photographic documentation –
as well as panel discussions that will focus on the human impact of the war as well as the
continuing break down of the military. For those who won’t be able to travel to
Washington, live video and audio feeds of the entire Winter Soldier weekend will be
available – groups across the country are already planning to gather and watch the event.
Iraq Veterans Against the War was founded in 2004 to give those who have served in the
military since September 11, 2001 a way to come together and speak out against an
unjust, illegal and unwinnable war. Today, IVAW has over 700 members in 49 states,
Washington, D.C. and Canada and on military bases overseas.
For more information or to register to attend:
www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier/media

Iraq, Afghanistan veterans to reveal war atrocities and 'some pretty fucked-up shit'
Nick Juliano
As the war in Iraq approaches its fifth anniversary, veterans of that conflict and the war in Afghanistan will give first-hand accounts, supported by photographs and video evidence, of the true nature of the wars, including attacks the vets say killed innocent civilians.
Iraq Veterans Against the War is organizing the "Winter Soldier" conference outside of Washington, DC, to share their experiences from the front lines. The conference, which begins Thursday and will continue through the weekend, aims to build on a 1971 gathering in which Vietnam veterans gathered in Detroit to share their view of atrocities they witnessed in that war.
�It�s not going to be easy to hear what we have to say," IVAW executive director Kelly Dougherty, who served in Iraq as a military police officer, says in a press release. "It�s not going to be easy for us to tell it. But we believe that the only way this war is going to end is if the American people truly understand what we have done in their name.�
Although the 1971 Winter Soldier meeting inspired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to hold a hearing that featured Vietnam Veteran John Kerry -- "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" he famously asked -- it failed to receive wide ranging media coverage..............