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<h1>Coalition Of Groups Welcome Home Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl</h1>
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June 11th, 2014</span><br>
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<p style="color: #222222; text-align: left;" align="CENTER">On June
10th, a coalition of organizations held a protest at the White
House to welcome home Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. The protest was a
counter-balance to the reprehensible attacks on Sgt. Bergdahl and
his family in the corporate media by war advocates — the people
who have gotten the United States into the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan and favor drone killings of civilians.</p>
<p style="color: #222222; text-align: left;" align="CENTER">The
organizations involved included Veterans For Peace, the veterans
group March Forward, CODE PINK, the ANSWER Coalition, American
Muslim Alliance and Popular Resistance.</p>
<p style="color: #222222; text-align: left;" align="CENTER">The
message of the organizations was that Sgt. Bergdahl should not be
criticized as he is a victim of US military policy in Afghanistan.
They called for an end to the Afghanistan War with all troops
brought home immediately andthe closing of the Guantanamo Bay
prison camp. They applauded Bergdahl for realizing that he had
been misled about the US mission in Afghanistan and rethinking his
views on the war. Below is a statement by Gerry Condon of Veterans
For Peace and a photo essay by Ted Majdosz.</p>
<h2 style="color: #222222; text-align: left;" align="CENTER"><span
style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b>Veterans For Peace
Statement Welcoming Home Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl</b></span></h2>
<p style="color: #222222; text-align: left;" align="CENTER"><span
style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><i>Delivered by Gerry
Condon, VFP National Board Vice President</i></span></p>
<p style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span
style="font-family: Arial;">Five more U.S. soldiers were
killed in Afghanistan yesterday. They were killed by a NATO
airstrike, so-called “friendly fire.” Who is to blame for
these deaths? Certainly not Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who did not
order U.S. troops into an endless and pointless war in
Afghanistan.</span></span></p>
<div id="attachment_39626" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption
alignright"><a
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src="cid:part12.05000906.08020102@comcast.net" alt="Gerry
Condon, Vice President, Veterans For Peace" height="402"
width="400"></a>
<p class="wp-caption-text">Gerry Condon, Vice President, Veterans
For Peace</p>
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<p style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span
style="font-family: Arial;">Veterans For Peace has had few
opportunities to applaud the actions of President Obama. We
are profoundly disappointed that the president has continued
the aggressive foreign policies of the Bush Administration.
But today we can thank President Obama for a couple steps in
the right direction.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span
style="font-family: Arial;">President Obama did the right
thing when he brought home a U.S. prisoner of war from
Afghanistan.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span
style="font-family: Arial;">President Obama did the right
thing when he released five Afghan prisoners of war from the
U.S. prison at Guantanamo.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span
style="font-family: Arial;">But President Obama did the wrong
thing when he decided that U.S. troops will remain in
Afghanistan for another 2-1/2 years, and then some. The
deaths of five U.S. soldier yesterday is the kind of bad news
we can expect as long as U.S. troops are in harm’s way.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span
style="font-family: Arial;">As Vietnam veteran John Kerry once
famously said, “How do we ask a man to be the last man to die
for a mistake.”</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span
style="font-family: Arial;">Veterans For Peace wants to speak
directly to Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl:</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span
style="font-family: Arial;"><i>We love you, Sgt. Bergdahl. We
have great respect for you and your wonderful family. We are
happy that you will be reunited soon!</i></span></span></p>
<p style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span
style="font-family: Arial;">Veterans For Peace also has a
message for President Obama:</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span
style="font-family: Arial;"><i>Mr. President, I am speaking
for thousands of veterans from too many wars. We want you to
bring ALL the troops home from Afghanistan! Bring them home
now, and take good care of them when they get here.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span
style="font-family: Arial;"><i>And Mr. President, it is time
to release all the prisoners of war from Guantanamo. End the
torture, Shut Down Guantanamo now!</i></span></span></p>
<p style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span
style="font-family: Arial;">The American people are tired of
war. We are ready to live in peace.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #222222;"><a
href="http://photobyted.smugmug.com/Other-2/Welcome-home-Bowe-Bergdahl/n-TtzxX/i-FTd4Dq6">Below
is a photo gallery by Ted Majdosz, more photos available here</a></p>
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