[Peace-discuss] winter soldier flier

[Karen Medina]

Attached are the .doc and the .pdf of the Winter Soldier flier. The text says:

Winter Soldier event by Iraq Veterans
Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan was a resounding success. The March 2008 
event collected powerful eyewitness testimony of the wars in Iraq and 
Afghanistan. Testimony was given by dozens of veterans, active-duty troops, 
military family members, Iraqi civilians and other civilian experts. The event 
brought together hundreds of IVAW members -- the largest number of veterans 
and active-duty troops opposed to the occupation of Iraq yet to assemble in one 
place. Though the mainstream media would not cover this historic event, the 
independent media covered it widely and streamed the proceedings live over 
their web sites.  


A few quotes from Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
 
•	The reason I am doing this today is not only for myself and for the rest of 
society to hear, but it's for all those who can't be here to talk about the things 
that we went through, to talk about the things that we did. At one point, it was 
okay.  But reality has shown that it is not, and that this is happening, and that 
until people hear about what is going on with this war, it will continue to 
happen and people will continue to die. I am sorry for the things that I did. I am 
no longer the monster that I once was.

•	The men I served with were honorable soldiers. They were professionals. 
The truth of the matter is that the war is the atrocity.

•	It would be a mistake to point at individual soldiers. And it would be an 
equal mistake to point at individual leaders. This is not a failure of leadership: 
the problem is the occupation.
•	Our rules of engagement are not doing their job and I want to apologize to 
all the people in Iraq and I hope this is going to be over as soon as possible.

•	I oppose this war because I love America. I speak out against this war, not 
in anger, but with a great sorrow in my heart. I speak out against this war 
because I am disappointed with America. There can be no great disappointment 
where there is no great love. I am disappointed with our failure to deal positively 
and forthrightly with the evils of racism, economic exploitation, and militarism. 
We are presently moving down a dead-end road that will lead to national 
disaster, and I don't want a national disaster.

 


4 days of testimonies can be viewed online from http://www.ivaw.org/ 

To contact the Central Illinois Chapter of IVAW:  ivaw.champaign at gmail.com



Why are veterans, active duty, and National Guard men and women opposed to 
the war in Iraq and call for immediate withdrawal?
Here are just some of the reasons:
•	Overwhelming civilian casualties are a daily occurrence in Iraq. 
Large-scale civilian death is both a direct and indirect result of United States 
aggression in Iraq.
For further reading: http://www.nomorevictims.org/ 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1338749,00.html ,
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?
res=F70A1EF73C5A0C758DDDA10894DE404482

•	Service members are facing serious health consequences 
Many of our troops have already been deployed to Iraq for two, three, and even 
four tours of duty averaging eleven months each. Upon a soldier's release, the 
Veterans Administration is far too under-funded to fully deal with the 
magnitude of veterans in need. Combat stress, exhaustion, and bearing witness 
to the horrors of war contribute to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a 
serious set of symptoms that can lead to depression, illness, violent behavior, 
and even suicide (120.3 veteran suicides per week). Additionally, depleted 
uranium, Lariam, insufficient body armor and infectious diseases are just a few 
of the health risks. Walter Reed Hospital and other Veterans Administration 
facilities are overflowing with maimed and traumatized veterans.
For further reading:    http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/  ,     http://www.vets4vets.us/

•	The war dehumanizes Iraqis and denies them their right to self-
determination.
Iraqis are subjected to humiliating and violent checkpoints, searches and home 
raids on a daily basis.  The current Iraqi government is in place solely because of 
the U.S. military occupation.  The Iraqi government doesn’t have the popular 
support of the Iraqi people, nor does it have power or authority.  For many Iraqis 
the current government is seen as a puppet regime for the U.S. occupation.  It is 
undemocratic and in violation of Iraq’s own right to self-governance. 
For further reading: http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

•	Our military is being exhausted by repeated deployments, involuntary 
extensions, and repeated activations of the Reserve and National Guard. The 
majority of troops in Iraq right now are there for at least their second tour.  
Deployments to Iraq are becoming longer and many of our service members are 
facing involuntary extensions and recalls to active duty.  These repeated, 
extended combat tours are taking a huge toll on our troops, their families, and 
their communities.
For further reading: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-
military12jan12,0,7198945.story?coll=la-home-headlines

For more details, to watch the Winter Soldier testimonies, or to make a financial 
contribution: http://www.ivaw.org/



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