The IVAW (Iraq Veterans Against the War) are a group of U.S.
military from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom that
are trying to get their message out: but in the heat of the
election year, their voices are being drowned out. We told you
about Boston Veterans Day 17 this month - a group of veteran
war protesters that were arrested for marching peacefully at a Veteran's
Day Parade.
Though the Boston 17 had their case dismissed by
the Judge, some veterans' groups weren't even allowed to make it
to the parades in the first place. The Los Angeles, California
chapter for IVAW appeared before the Long Beach City Council
requesting they overturn the Parade Committee's announcement that the IVAW
was banned from participating in the Veterans Day Parade.
I didn't
even hear about this until a friend gave me IVAW updates today.
Why not? Why wasn't that barring - any of the others - all
over the front pages? These are not some hippie leftovers marching
around to the beat of their own drummer. These are men and women -
many of them young and newly returned from deployments to the Middle East
- speaking out and saying "this war is not going well, this is not
okay."
After all they've done to serve our country, and all of the
debilitating mental and physical ailments so many of our returning
soldiers are suffering from...don't they at least deserve to be
heard?
Have a quick listen to this vet's shocking
statements:
In March of 2008, the IVAW will be having a
public investigation/gathering called "Winter Soldier" (in reference to
the Winter Soldier meeting of Vietnam Veterans Against the War in
1971 that publicized war crimes in Vietnam, which was ignored by most of the media besides Detroit Free
Press, but later accepted into Congressional record - and still hardly
publicized other than by the group itself and the documentary film that followed).
The event will
take place on Thursday, March 13th to Sunday, March 16th and will feature
testimony from U.S. veterans who served in the Middle East since September
11th, 2001.
Listen to what they have to say. Don't we at least
owe them that?? At LEAST? If
you are also able to support the soon-to-be-veterans, just $20 will pay for
an IVAW care package for an active duty service member. If not,
listening is enough.
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