barry's blog

Wrapping up this amazing event - Winter Soldier Northwest

I took notes on the 3 panels:

Live Blogging Winter Soldier - Panel 1 - Veterans

Live Blogging Winter Soldier - Panel 2 - The Human Costs of War

Winter Soldier Northwest - Panel 3: Building Resistance to War

OK, starting live blogging on Winter Soldier Northwest - Panel 3: Building Resistance to War

Michael William, Army National Guardsmen who went AWOL, IVAW Northwest Regional Coordinator. 

Close to English degree, U of W. Will not go into why he joined too much, but went in as a cook until he could be classified as a interpreter. Then figured out that cooks don't cook in Iraq - that's what KBR does - they pay contractors a big amount of $ to do that - like an earlier testifier said who trained a $75,000 a year contractor to take his job.

Supposed to man a 50 caliber gun on a truck. Tried to obtain CO status, talked to chaplain about why he thought murdering someone is wrong. Left - did not go to Iraq. Any servicemember who wants to join IVAW can join since 911 can join. 

Pitch in at GI-Voice.com to help build a GI coffeehouse.

We need the backing of the civilian anti-war movement.

Adriana Moyola, is a Mexican born female who came to the United States in search of a better life.  She joined the Army Reserve in 2000 right after high school.  In 2006 she resisted deployment to Iraq.  She will speak on her experience as a war resister and on building an Oregon IVAW Chapter.

Have to make a decision about if she goes or not - what does that mean. Helped by veterans here who told her stories, what to expect. Thought about her options in becoming a CO.

Wanted to go to grad school - got a letter from a doctor that said she couldn't go. Presented it to leader. Someone said she just wants to get out of it now that she's used her GI bill. Said she'd get medication, she'd get taken care of, but then she'd have to go.

Decided that she wasn't going to go and that it was the best decision, left the base. Didn't know where she was going to end up. Went to Kentucky - military called her family. 

Couldn't get a job because warrant was out for her arrest - decided to turn herself in. Fear that she would get deported, go to jail.

Turned herself in - May at Ft. Knox. Released within a week with a dishonorable discharge, wants to support any of the veterans who have been..

Gerry Condon, refused orders to Vietnam and deserted from the Army in 1969.   He lived in Sweden and Canada for six years before returning to the U.S. to organize for amnesty for all war resisters.  For the last five years he has been working with Iraq War resisters in Canada.  He directs Project Safe Haven and works with the War Resister Support Action Team of VFP Ch. 92 in Seattle.

We don't hear about most of the resistance to war - thousands of people in the U.S. who are AWOL right now.

Here to talk about those who have been to Canada, because that's what he did.

Project Safe Haven works to support war resisters in Canada.

200 war resisters in Canada now. Much harder now. Immigration situation in Canada has tightened up considerably. and very hard to get refugee status. The Government has become stingy with this.

64% of the canadians support providing sanctuary in CA for US war resistors.  

Minority conservative government has choosen to ignore this. There was an election this week, and the conservative government got back into power again - very low turnout.  62% voted for other parties other that the conservative government - but they came out on top.

Recently there have been more deportations of war resistor families from CA to US.

Some of the Iraq veterans in the US have been visiting war resistors in Canada. One of the best things we can do is to demand amnesty of war resistors in the US - from the next president.

Leah Bolger, Veterans for Peace Chapter 132 from Corvallis, on the statewide effort to keep Oregon's National Guard in Oregon.

Keep the guard home campaign. They would have you believe that when you join the Guard you are helping your community. But - it's been misused, their equipment are sent to Iraq overseas, leaving National Guard at home weak - can't be sent to Iowa floods, New Orleans, etc. NOT meant for deployment in never-ending conflicts, supposed to be rarely used overseas. 

Families of National Guard are rarely near military base. Especially hard on families of national guard because they may have family businesses, etc - the jobs are supposed to be held for them.

The authorization for the use of military force in iraq has expired - guard needs to be de-federalized and brought home. Organization called 'Liberty Tree' making legal argument. and heading up an national campaign. Nationwide plan to create state based resolution/legislation to keep National Guard in states. Has happened in 3 states so far. Sponsors of this legislation: IVAW, MFSO, Progressive Democrats of America, Veterans for Peace.. (and more).

Oregon does not have military bases - only the national guard, in case of a disaster.

Next june ALL of that helicopter assets are supposed to go back to Iraq.

Peace and Justice Works Oregon is coordinating the statewide push in Oregon. Talk to them.

Make this an issue - ask your legislators if they support this. Sign the petition. 

Daniel Shea, Veterans for Peace Chapter 72 on the PDX Peace campaign to make Portland a Sanctuary City for War Resisters.

Talks about PDX Peace - find out more: Sanctuary City Petition, Bring the National Guard Back home.

Served in the Philippines. His wife had a baby - something wrong. Remembered how he was around Agent Orange. Couldn't play as much - heart. Cleft Palate.

Went to surgery, oxygen shock. coma. didn't survive.

thinks about not just his son, but all the children that were affected by war. 7 million tons of bombs. Agent Orange. Sprayed pesticides. 5.6 million acres sprayed. 4.8 million deformed children were born.

Went back to Vietnam with Dave Klein, one of the founders of VVAW and VFP. Went to a villages build by veterans to help children affected by children by Agent Orange.

(Having an event with victims of Agent Orange this week) 

Didn't know where to go, who to talk to about agent orange, PTSD heightened during times of war here in US.

Get involved. Help in any way you can with veterans and returning veterans.

Thank you by Megan Brooker. Get involved with campaigns Sanctuary City and National Guard campaign 

Liveblogging the Winter Soldier Northwest event here - second panel 

After a fundraising pass the hat, by Dahr Jamail we get to the second panel.

Kelly Campbell introduces the second panel - Families of those in the military, those who experience war daily through loved ones, those whose concern does not end.

Mary Geddry, member of Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) Oregon and mother of a Marine son who served two tours of duty in Iraq.

Learned today he has been deployed to Ramadi.

As a mother, she never expected to be the mother of someone who would be asked to kill.

first time in Iraq, wounded someone. Second...

Constantly on 'google alerts' to get information - made herself sick everytime someone in the company was killed, thought it might be her son.

Talked to son - worried about him - 'wasn't my day to die' he said when she called - after someone in his company was killed. This is an expression that they use, she said.

Home: PTSD. Not a seamless transition. Falling apart. After a while, living with at home.

Treatment- recommend treatment for any veteran. 2 steps forward, one step back.

Bonded with Vietnam Veteran. struck with how many years he's suffered and the pain in his family. Felt connection with people who's life son has touched.

Reads this Letter to Iraqi Women.

Adele Kubein, Military Families Speak Out Oregon chapter president, mother of an Iraq war veteran.

Daughter shot down in helicopter in Mosul in 2003. With shattered leg, hearing loss and PTSD. kept in until 2004.

Not along in cases pending with VA. 

Over 40% of troops in Iraq were National Guard.

Senator had to intervene to get treated for her injury.

She was a member of Oregon National Guard. Left home to go to Iraq - signed away rights to future medical services to return to families.

National Guard - left out in the cold. 2008 news article. Hundreds of shredded documents were found in VA office. If you thought your claim was taking a long time... Delayed, denied and hope that I die.

3 years after claim was filed. At one time so broke that peace community came toghether to pay her house note.

Sometimes suicidal. Dreams at night. VA want's to see her every week, but no transportation. Her mother fights for her.

Even if they are missing a limb, they need sworn statements from superiors. She made copies of her records, and they were lost by the VA (Shredder?) but she send her copies in. Others may not have done that and are out in the cold.

Amputation to end the pain? We used to hike, mountain bike, climb mountains. All this has been taking away.

18 people take their lives each day(?). VA denies this. CBS

1000 suicide attempts per month.

Grandson - birth control will fail with anti-malarial drugs. They weren't told this.

During pregnancy, exposed to Depleted Uranium, Toxic fires, etc. 

But this is luxury compared to what they are going through in Iraq.

Did what she could do to make it right in Iraq. 

Do what you can do to make it right also. Do everything you can to stop this, make it right.

Thank you. 

Sara Rich, M.S.W., anti-war activist and spokesperson for Courage to Resist; mother of Eugene Iraq war vet & war resister Suzanne Swift.

Raised a very strong daughter. 

Daughter joined the military. Heard about sexual violence in the military, but said my daughter is strong, awesome.

"Command Rape" - when person who has life and death decision making coerces someone into a sexual relationship. Your life defends on this person.

She came home from Iraq. Went AWOL, went into treatment. diagnosed with usual things - "can we give you more medication" - refused medication, had therapy.

Daughter was taken in handcuffs, took her in to be courtmarshalled.

Got out of prison, checked into hospital, scared, lost. Tried to get out of the military, they refused.

Story of another - Lavida Johnson. Wasn't just raped in the military, but raped and killed, they tried to burn her body, and lied to her that she was killed. Others she knows of have been raped, and then committed suicide. Often murder accompanies rape - of Iraqis.

Army soldiers that raped and murdered - out in 10 years, not put on a national registry of sex offenders.

Common: Blame the victim. Straight A honor student was told that her raped and murdered child was 'promiscuous'. (Lavida Johnson[sp?]).

Moral vacuum in war.

Stop blaming the victims, work on healing. Males are raped as well. Stop medicating and restraining them - need therapy.

Involved with Trauma Healing Project. Innovative way of helping those heal from war.

Mark Kaplan, Professor in the Department of Community Health - Urban & Public Affairs at Portland State University who has conducted research on suicide rates among male veterans.

Here to share about veteran suicide. 

Same issues have been documented as long as there has been war. Writings from ancient times on warriors.

Problem: availability of firearms to soldiers.

WWII: excellent documentary - interview pilots.

Emotional trauma first decade after service. Don't know how many die from suicide.

Rand Coorporation study - problem that we don't have any independent studies of the impact of war on soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

38000 report problems of PTSD and depression, but only half seek help.

Alcohol abuse, marital family conflict, stress. 

Iraqi Man, Achmed Abed has asked to speak, is introduced by Dahr Jamail

Thank you for having me.

A sad story. I am father of Mustafa. Shot by airplanes. He was 2 years old.

Before he took his son to the base, treatment was not found a the military base.

Story of how it happened.

Looked for medicine at market. Bought him new shoes. Returned home.

This was 2004 during holy month of Ramadan. 

[illegible due to acoustics] Describing the tragedy.

An explostion - a strike happening.

Teenager carrying mustafa. Leg wounded. Screaming. Mother unconscious. Airplane strike 12 feet from where he was standing.

[...]

Breaks his heart when he sees other kids playing. Leg amputated.

No answer from Iraqi government.

Medical infrastructure is not sophisticated.

After months 'No More Victims' organization extended their hands to his family, brought him over to be treated in the U.S. Happy that his son has found treatment here, but sad for thousands of kids in iraq who can't get treatment, orphans. 

Thank you for listening to my story. Brings his son on stage, holding him.

Dahr Jamail, an independent journalist who spent a total of 8 months as an unembedded reporter in occupied Iraq.  He has written for Mother Jones and The Nation, among other publications, and has provided radio reports on Democracy Now! and the BBC. Author of Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq.

Thanks people for staying and listening to extremely difficult information.

First went to Iraq 2003. Got word about an incident in Ramadi. Came to a farmhouse - looked like cottage cheese. Story went something like this -  Family was sitting down to break Ramadan fast, US military showed up, helicopters, ground troops, raided home, held at gunpoint while searching the house. Three men were executed by soldiers, and then hose destroyed, torched.

A couple days later US Military showed up with letter of apology - they had the wrong house.

Bomb shelter - memorial in Iraq - went in there to see what was left. Passed secondary school sealed off by US military. Talked to soldiers, first didn't, then found someone who did. Kids were having a pro Saddam demonstration. Their teachers told them not to. Military there detained 12-16 year old kids who had been photographed earlier. kids running around comepletely terrorized. Kids started threatening Dahr, and others in military.

some kids started throwning rocks, US military starts shooting above kids.

Remembers: soldiers pointing their guns at kids, keeping them trained on their heads as they drove off.

Focused on Bechtel - went to water treatment plant. 45% of villages supplied with water. 1 hour of electricity per day. One pipe is drinking water for village.

Fast forward to today: Cholera in Bagdhad. 1.2 million Iraqis dead (more other studies) are dead. OXFAM: 8 million are in in need of emergency medical assistance.

This is what is being refered to as 'success' by Obama and McCain in reference to the surge.

Angry? do something about it.

Dr. Baher Butti, formerly the chief psychiatrist at a mental health clinic Baghdad, now an Iraqi refugee and faculty member at the OHSU School of Medicine.

Much better off than other Iraqi refugees - who can't get jobs.

Daughter survived an explosion - car bomb.

In addition to being a psychiatrist, also a writer. Name appeared on a hit list to be assasinated, so had to leave. What happens to intellectuals. A Christian. Ran in national elections. Managed election projects, it wasn't really free elections. [...]

Want to help? help the Iraqi refugees

Thank you. 

 Dr. Zaher Wahab, Professor of Education at Lewis & Clark College; serves as a senior advisor to the Minister of Higher Education in Afghanistan, and has been spending about five months annually in that country since 2002.

Casualty of conspiracy of silence.. Appreciate being here.

10's of thousands have been killed since it's started.

this year 3200 have been killed this year.

more bombing going on right now in Afghanistan than in Iraq, since there are less troops.

100 million dollars per day in Afghanistan. That much money can do alot of damage.

Widown, orphans, amputees, beggars - everywhere.

"My Guantanamo Diary", Taxi to the Darkside.

Speaks both national and official languages in Afghanistan.

Countless people are victims of extreme poverty. And then wars and sanctions over the last 30 years. Last winder hundreds of people froze to death.

A million drug addicts in Afghanistan. Not the resouces or capacity to address this.

A major source of human trafficking. Suicide by women. Forced marrages, arranged marrages. Sometimes families will sell their daughters..

Per capita income: $1 a day.

70% of Afghans are traumatized because of war in their country. 2 million people seriously mentally ill  

60% of the country is 'no go' according to the UN. 2001 he could travel anywhere.

It is said that the society there is dying - no society is being murdered. 

End of Panel 2 

Read - Panel 3 : Building Resistance to War

I'll do my best to write some comments here on Winter Soldier Northwest in Portland. This is going to be emotional stuff, so I'm not sure how I'll do here conveying the experiences of these brave soldiers who are speaking out about their experiences here. And what they are saying is filtered through my own hand at writing.

If you are reading this please come on down - It's happening 12-5 at the Unitarian Church in Portland- click the link above for more info.

It's about 12:30, and it's starting. 

Introductions - Megan Broker, Organizer with PDX Peace and IVAW, and Malcolm Chaddock of VFP Chapter 72.

Panel 1 begins. 

Chanan Suarezdiaz, a Navy hospital corpsman and purple heart recipient who served in Ramadi from September 2004 to February 2005 with a weapons company. He is now the Seattle Chapter president of IVAW.

Speaking about his experiences in Ramadi. 

(I am finding it hard to write about what they are saying, so anyone reading this, if you want the whole thing unfiltered, please check KBOO - because they are recording this for broadcast later

[Tech difficulties: I just lost about an hour of writing on this, which was really disappointing - just lost Chanan's testimony, and Jan's]

Jan Critchfield, a specialist with the Army National Guard who served as an army “journalist” while attached to the 1st Cavalry in Baghdad during 2004. His unspoken job in Iraq was to "counter the liberal media bias" about the occupation.  He is a member of IVAW Seattle. 

[Tech difficulties: lost his testimony.] 

Joseph Holness, from Gresham, Oregon served eight years in the US Army in Iraq and nine years with the US Air Force Reserves supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom 

Wanted to join intelligence team. After 911, knew things were going to get tough. Investigated human intelligence - "Snitches".  Most of their raids came from human intelligence - not filtered at all, if someone told them someone was a terrorist, then they would raid their house - and find zero evidence. Became a crazy cycle of harassing people in Iraq. 

Said it seemed like everyones house in Iraq got kicked down.

The Iraqis don't know why you are there.

Big deal in Vietnam: How many did you kill?

Big deal in Iraq: How many did you detain?

Premiums put on how many people did you arrest.

While arresting them in their house, he somebody's mother would be hanging on them screaming about why are you arresting my son?

Alot of people were detained from absolutely no reason. Statements from soldiers about why they were arrested: "Looked Sketchy", or "running away from Strykers". Says that if he was an Iraqi he'd run away, too.

Interesting: Operation Freedom. Says dissent is not allowed in Iraq, so how could that be freedom for Iraqis. Says that's what they seem to be setting up in this country. Freedom somehow means dissent.

Speaks about interrogating: Abuse of prisoner is perceived as success. 

Want's to apologize to Iraqis.

They have the Iraqis do some of the dirty work - torture. 

Right now Barack Obama is talking about sending troops to Afghanistan. Says there's no difference between someone fighting the occupation in Iraq an dAfghanistan, so we should reject this call for troops in Afghanistan. 

Evan Knappenberger, served one year in Iraq with the Army 4th Infantry Division working as an intelligence analyst; held one week long “Tower Guard Vigils” in Bellingham, WA and Washington, DC to call attention to the STOP-LOSS policy.

Subjective ethics of command policy - uncritical of politics.

Juxtaposition with politics of principles.

Blood spent from our politicaians.

Responsible not as soldiers, but as murders. for Iraqi deaths. My belief.

When joined, abandoned morals, principles, better judgement.

Felt became guilty. Only someone who has been through with it can understand.

Actions can become done by people who are thinking they are doing good.

Jesus: Forgive them father for they do not know what they do.

Main contention is with the US executive and us command: says they are fools.

Small mindedness and justification of violence in the name of freedom:

for his testimony email wintersoldier@pdxpeace.org.

Complaining that 'freedom is not free' - Jefferson 'freedom is not disjoined from the human condition'.

Gigantic misconceptions allowed war to start. We lost this war on semantic battleground.

Rules of engagement = murder

Iraqi Police =

Liberation = justified occupation

etc. "this i witnessed"

Soldiers come to your village, give children candy and useless junk. Rip through your orchards and detain your family. People in village start grumbling. One night a plane circles overhead. mothers come out of their homes to find their husbands. Men with guns,  gunshots, explosions. People dead, fathers shot.

how do you know that your father has been killed for violating curfew in his own orchard.

"Operation November Rain" - from a rock song.

One small slice of his experiences.

A bit of a rant politically.

freedom is free. war is ignorance. military is opposed to human rights

Seth Manzel, an Army sergeant who served as a vehicle commander and machine gunner in Iraq.  Member of IVAW Seattle.   

Many people he was with have been back 3 or 4 times.

Patrolling around. Caught up in mile long ambush. Air was cool. All of a sudden tracers in the air all over the place. Looked beautiful - for a second people were mesmerized, then started firing back. miracle to get out of there alive. 

Helicopters. Dropped off dismounts. Semi truck coming at them. shot warning shots. the truck stopped. a car from behind sped around and kept on comming at them. didn't want to get hit by a IED. fired more warning shots. more warning shots. emptied pistol into car.

Passengers hit, piled out, they had AK47s. Told vehicle next to them to kill them. Then found out that they were Kurdish militia that were trying to get out. Says this happens all the time - fratricide. was investigated for it, nothing wrong. thought it over a million times since them, and there wasn't anything that they could have done differently. not trying to justify, but these are the things that people are forced into doing. and these are the things that are taken home with you.

Soldier return all the time with these experiences, and are not able to get the healthcare they need, mental healthcare. High rates of spousal abuse.

Intend to start a coffee house outside of Ft. Lewis, talk to soldiers and help them get the healthcare they need - talk to him to support the project.

Chris Arendt,  was a member of c 1-119th field artillery from 2001-2007. He deployed with charlie battery from 2004-2005 to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where he was a block guard and the escort control for 11 months. While deployed Christopher co-founded the short lived radical G.I. resistance group Motorcycle Awesome. He is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) Chicago.

Grandfather was a war hero -proud.

In Iraq, carrying a guy in a three piece suit, a prisioner to a cell. realized that all the books read, and cool picures of soldier killing nazis, he couldn't tell the difference between himself and a bad guy. Felt sick about himself for a long time.

worked in Guantanamo Cuba. Wondered why he was there, same things as the people there - some kind of complicated scenario that the government intented. Tried to get out of it told them he was crazy. And sure as hell - did lose his mind while there staring all day long at detainees. then went to his room. Felt like he was in a concentration camp.

Thought about Gardening. Tomatoes - plant tomatoes, right? Not like foreign policy.

Democracy in America works because we have a justice system. We do to these places and sent up a non-just, non legal system. Killing, murdering without reprocussions. Take people out of their home and detain them for years. Can do this in a uniform, but otherwise you'd be a mass killer or high profile criminal in this country.

650 people in Guantanamo.

Read: Enemy Combatant by _________

We are ruining peoples lives. No structure to it.

Siitting there all day long, making justifications to it, all day. Then when you come back, it's still all day long, always there in your head. 

Silent killer - Mental fantasies of tor ture - but they don't have to do that, just lock them up and tell them that they are not going home and going to be there forever. same thing.

Green paint inside  guantanamo - terrible color.

Thing hates the most: Calloused emptiness. Rarely any emotions at all. Wished was angrier while there. Felt like there was no way to feel. Feelings bring you down and make it longer and harder. "Feel later" 3 years after getting out, still trying to do that.

David Mann, was an Army Specialist  whose Army occupation was mainly working on the Army radios.  He was deployed to Nasiriyah, Iraq in 2003 and stop lossed for a second deployment to Balad, Iraq in 2005. He is a member of IVAW Denver.

Basic training 2001. Recruits running around saying they were gonna get bin Laden. Said "I didn't sign up for this".

Nonesense for peaceful resolution, UN, at some point US would invade Iraq.

Invasion, going North into Iraq.

Remember crossing the border.

Children without shoes, begging for food and water. Don't stop if they run in front of you.

Send back to Kuwait. Back home - Christmas. 21 year old veteran. Others young enjoying their youth - knows he is suffereing.

Back in Iraq - soldier says - check you leave date. -changed from 2005 to 2006 - found out on his earning statement, on his birthday. Depressed, wanted to kill himself.

told Army councilor that he was goign to kill himself instead of war. Talked him down. Spent another Christmas in Kuwait.

Corkscrew landings - drive through the night while it was unsafe to drive. 

KBR was going to take over their maineneance mission. Fixed radios, computers eyevision goggles.

KBR hired people with security clearances or the knowledge, but not both, but didn't know how to do it. So he had to train government contractors to do his  job, they were making 75,000 dollars a year to do his job.

Here to let people know that there is alot of money being spent in this war, and it has to do with the economic crisis. Why are people being paid 75000 a year for a war that should have never happened.

McCain's bracelet - every person that has died he feels like it has been in vain. There is a human cost of war.

thank you to IVAW..

Joseph Holness, from Gresham, Oregon served eight years in the US Army in Iraq and nine years with the US Air Force Reserves supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Starts by saying: we support the troops, we don't support this war - has heard people attacking them as 'not supporting the troops' - not true.

Career military. 8years. Air force. UAE 2003 Enduring Freedom.

Body bags - saw them.

Told by commanding officer - you are going to Iraq. In charge of a gun truck platoon. Living with the Army augmenting the army.

From onset of war thought it was a tactical and moral mistake. but did his job.

Saw many RPGs, IEDs, small arms fire, many people get maimed and killed, both soldier and civillians.

Citizens interrogated - duct tape on mouth, fathers, in front of their children.

This is in the service os spreading "PAX Americanna" across the globe.

We weren't there to liberate the people - the real estate.

Commanding officer says 'we have a morale problem'. Tell our soldier that we are liberating them. Said no sir I won't lie to these people I know why we were here.

Seething mad about this war. came back - his medicine cabinet is a pharmacists dream.

Encourages Vets to get hooked up into VA system - get help, get therapy. Often times sees people going downhill over time.

Once home, want to carry on with our lives, integrate into society.

People said: "Thank you for protecting my freedom" - ticked him off. Their freedom was not being threatened.

Ben Lewis(?)

refused his activation into the Marine Corp.

What personal experience has led to become a war resister? thought about this.

More and more he feels like they may ask outside this country - why would you fight this war? 

His platoon dropped rounds on a house - a surviving woman is hysterical. Made her walk 5 miles, couldn't help her.

Checkpoint: can't let someone through who wants to go home. Says to guy who they aren't letting through - we just want to go home, sorry. Iraqi says: well, how 'bout you go home and I'll go home. Passed this information up to his superiors: was not well recieved.

He's not special - the fact that he is a combat veteran does not make him more that others who are also against this war.

Camilo Mejia, a National Guard staff sergeant who after fighting for five months in Iraq, became the first combat soldier to refuse to go back to Iraq. He now serves as Chair of the Board of Iraq Veterans Against the War and is the author of Road from ar Ramadi.

Thanks to the organizations who made this event possible.

Share a couple stories.

Firefight we had - exposes alot of things in Iraq we are not aware of. An experience that led him to be a CO and oppose war in general.

After arrived in Ramadi - (called Sunni Triangle, but was never called that by Iraqis). After a couple week there started to get attacked, and became experts in getting attacked, IEDs. quickly learned what to look for in attacks, what to look out for. Don't stay in one place too long - gives those who are attacking the information to attack.

It became a matter of policy with him to not stay in one place for more than a half an hour.

Leaders who make policy, military officials - not what happens on the ground.

Setting up military contol point - set up at sacred mosque, sure way to infuriate locals. not respectful.

running this traffic control point, occupied side of mosque, running what looked like valet parking for civilian parking - keeping their cars. Kept the civilians with them because likeley to get attacked, keeping civilians with them. A mistake, told patol leader that this was a mistake.

A man failed to stop when told to come to a halt.

Standing with friend of his. Heavy firing started - soldier shooting car, came to halt in front of him. The car was 'glowing' from being lit up with bullets. Was not questioning what went on at the time - just something that was happening. Brought his rifle up and started squeezing the trigger. didn't know why he was shooting at it - others were. 

Image: person in the car wasn't human, a bundle of flesh blood bone, the head hanging from a third of what was left of his neck. Memories are so hard to deal with - this is an image. Turned away from it, asked his friend what were we shooting at. Realize they were under attack. Muzzle flashes from rooftop - shooting back with everything they had - grenade launchers. not enought room to use them.

Started shooting out the floors below - at people that were not under attack.

walked  perimiter of area, civilians dead, attacked again, grenades.

walked perimiter again, dead and wounded civilians, people asking for help. this became an infinite ordeal.

Attacked again. Backup came. Humvee with machinegun. 

First they opened up on the wrong building. And then another wrong building. and then finally where the attack was coming from.

At least 7 dead Iraqi civilians. and the attackers no where to be found.

You aren't ordered to kill civilians, but it happens every day.

Congressman Murtha: the occupation is a atrocity producing situation. Not one of his favorite people but he got this right.

We have to end this - thank you very much for your support.

The first Panel has ended. 

Read more - Live Blogging Winter Soldier - Panel 2 - Families

Direct Aid for Iraqis 

We Can Do Better
By NOAH BAKER MERRILL 

(Noah Baker Merrill is an American co-coordinator of Direct Aid Iraq, an Iraqi-American humanitarian aid and peacebuilding effort. DAI's core team includes ten people, six of whom are Iraqi.)

One night last February, I was in Amman, Jordan interviewing Iraqis who had fled the catastrophic violence of 2006 and 2007. My partner in this work was my friend and colleague "Ali"(not his real name), who is himself an Iraqi refugee. While we walked through the city's dark streets, quietly considering together the dozens of stories of horror, brutality, and loss we'd heard in the last few hours alone, I was seized by a spasm of rage and sadness. Ali took my arm and shook me.

"Stop it," Ali said. "I understand why you're feeling this way, and thank you. But Iraqis don't need this now. What we need is for you to be smart, to work hard, and to stay with us, because the whole world has forgotten us."

These words have formed a bedrock of inspiration for me in the development of Direct Aid Iraq (www.directaidiraq.org), a humanitarian aid and peacebuilding effort I co-founded with Iraqi and American colleagues early last year. From its beginnings, Direct Aid Iraq (DAI) has been a partnership of Iraqis and Americans working to model a different kind of American-Iraqi relationship. The premise is that Americans have a responsibility for ongoing reparations to Iraqis, and that living up to this obligation effectively is a powerful investment in building peace – both between Iraqis and Americans, and for the future of Iraq.  read more »

today.From indymedia seattle.

Northwest Winter Soldier

May 31, 2008 at 12:00pm

Seattle Town Hall

In 1971 Vets from the Vietnam War, organized by Vietnam Veterans
Against the War, came together to provide testimony about the horrific
events that occurred during the War. Many spoke about the killing
innocent civilians, rape, and torture that they had witnessed and taken
part in.

Last month Iraq Veterans Against the War held a similar event in Washington D.C.

IVAW Seattle Chapter 8 will be holding a regional Winter Soldier
at Seattle's Town Hall on May 31st. The event will be followed by a
march to the Federal Building. Our intent is to fill Town Hall to
capacity then to own the streets of Seattle.

While Winter Soldier in Washington D.C. was powerful and moving
to all that witnessed it and it was well covered by media from around
the world, it was not covered by major media in the United States. We
want this to be different. We need to make enough noise on the streets
of Seattle that the media can't ignore this event.

To do this IVAW needs the help of the people and organizations
of the region. Please distribute this email as far and wide as
possible.

check out:

GI Voice for updates.

From Tom's Dispach:

Can there be any question that, since the invasion of 2003, Iraq has been unraveling? And here's the curious thing: Despite a lack of decent information and analysis on crucial aspects of the Iraqi catastrophe, despite the way much of the Iraq story fell off newspaper front pages and out of the TV news in the last year, despite so many reports on the "success" of the President's surge strategy, Americans sense this perfectly well. In the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll, 56% of Americans "say the United States should withdraw its military forces to avoid further casualties" and this has, as the Post notes, been a majority position since January 2007, the month that the surge was first announced. Imagine what might happen if the American public knew more about the actual state of affairs in Iraq -- and of thinking in Washington. So, here, in an attempt to unravel the situation in ever-unraveling Iraq are twelve answers to questions which should be asked far more often in this country:

1. Yes, the war has morphed into the U.S. military's worst Iraq nightmare.. Read More

Amnesty International released a report on violence in Iraq today, titled Carnage and Despair in Iraq. From their announcement:

Five years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, the country is still in disarray. The human rights situation is disastrous, a climate of impunity has prevailed, the economy is in tatters and the refugee crisis continues to escalating.

A new Amnesty International report, Carnage and Despair: Iraq five years on, says that, despite the heavy presence of US and Iraqi security forces, Iraq is one of the most dangerous countries in the world, with hundreds of Iraqi civilians killed every month.

Armed groups, including those opposed to the Iraqi government and the US-led Multi-National Force (MNF), have been responsible for indiscriminate bombings, suicide attacks, kidnappings and torture.

 Read more and download the report at Amnesty International's website. 

From a press release from MHRI (Monitoring Net of Human Rights in Iraq):

On the anniversary of the first Fallujah bombardment of March-April 2004, Civil society organizations MHRI and CCERF with Fallujahs doctors has released a report on the use of prohibited weapons in Fallujah. The report reminds the world about the use of internationally banned weapons that was used by U.S. forces against innocent civilians, and backs it up with hard facts. A detailed description of consequent health problems on both children and women is included in the report.

The Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights at the United Nations should do its responsibility towards what has been mentioned in the report. We here legally bound ourself to the facts mentioned in the report and state our readiness to prove every single factual element with documented evidences.

Link to "Prohibited Weapons Crisis Report"(PDF)