(@9 PM – Today’s Focus On War Featured Essay! – promoted by On The Bus)
Cheney Five Years Ago: ‘We Will, In Fact, Be Greeted As Liberators’
And so from the spectre of the summer soldier who shrinks from the hard truths and his country’s crises, comes the Winter Soldier who will not look away.
Visit War Comes Home to Replay previous testimony, opening statements, transcripts and much more.
Visit IVAW – Iraq Veterans Against The War to Watch, online, and get further information.
Broadcast of todays testimonies, 3-16-08, begin at 10am ET
Thanks to Veterans For Peace Chapter 78, who are live blogging from ‘Winter Soldier’ I borrowed a few of their photo’s, including the one above, and the ones below, some more can be found at link at site.
IVAW Group photos, of those participating
Winter Soldier: Bitter Truths From Those Who Know
A Defense Department spokesman said he had not seen the allegations raised yesterday but added that such incidents are not representative of U.S. conduct.
“When isolated allegations of misconduct have been reported, commanders have conducted comprehensive investigations to determine the facts and held individuals accountable when appropriate,” Lt. Col. Mark Ballesteros said.
How laughable this would be if it were not so tragic. Mark Ballesteros hasn’t even seen the allegations but he can already assure us that they’re false!
In yesterdays testimonies they played a few clips, from Iraq of Iraqi’s, from Alive In Baghdad. Alive in Baghdad has been bringing reports, video and written, from Iraq these past five years. If you haven’t visited their site please do, for first hand reports of conditions and lives from those living in the middle of Occupation!
The Real News Network has also been devoted to telecasting the testimonies under the heading This weekend: Winter Soldier, Iraq and Afghanistan organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), they have a number of video clips up on the individual testimonies for all to view and, those who want, to embed at their sites or send to others.
Visit War Comes Home to Replay previous testimony, opening statements, transcripts and much more.
Visit IVAW – Iraq Veterans Against The War to Watch, online, and get further information.
Broadcast of todays testimonies, 3-16-08, begin at 10am ET
Some more reports out today:
Boston Globe
Veterans recall horrors of war in live broadcast
Liz Jackson’s eyes were fixed on a screen showing a live broadcast of anguished testimonies by Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans describing what they had seen and done during their combat tours.
Jeffery Smith recalled how his Army unit beat and humiliated Iraqi prisoners. Former Marine Bryan Casler recounted how fellow Marines urinated and defecated into food and gave it to Iraqi children. Former Marine Matthew Childers talked about how he used to humiliate Iraqi civilians during predawn raids on their homes. When he described turning away an Iraqi father who was asking American troops to help the badly burned baby he carried in his arms, Jackson began to weep silently.
“These soldiers are saying: ‘I’m complicit,’ ” said Jackson, 29, a community organizer from Cambridge. “But every American citizen who saw this happen and isn’t out there protesting is complicit. I include myself.”
Another year, another $300 billion
THE SIXTH year of the Iraq war begins this week. The war is now the second-longest in US history – longer than any except Vietnam. So far, 1.6 million US troops have served, more than a third of them for two or more tours of duty. Almost 4,000 US service personnel have been killed, and 60,000 wounded, injured or contracted a serious disease. Many survive with severe multiple injuries (“polytraumas”) that in previous wars would have almost certainly ended in death.
One-third of the 780,000 troops discharged so far have been treated at veterans’ hospitals and clinics, including 120,000 treated for mental health conditions and 68,000 diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. This year alone the Department of Veterans Affairs expects to treat 333,000 returning veterans. The majority of these veterans will be eligible to receive lifetime disability compensation – 228,000 have already filed applications.
Boston Herald
Testimony from vets in D.C. fires up local protesters
A dozen Massachusetts veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars piled into a van bound for Washington, D.C., on Friday or traveled by other means to spend the weekend testifying about their experiences overseas and to protest the five-year war in Iraq.
A portion of the four-day “Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan” public testimony at the National Labor College, just outside the capital in Silver Springs, Md., was shown at the First Parish Church in Harvard Square yesterday.
“I feel it’s not just something we should be against but we should actively work to end,” said Liam Madden, a Northeastern University sophomore and ex-Marine sergeant. “Our presence there could not fix the harm we had done.”
America Must Hear These Iraq Vets’ Stories
If America listens to what they say, the war would be over tomorrow – Penny Coleman.
I missed the Winter Soldier Investigation in 1971. At the time I was married to a vet who desperately wanted to put his war behind him — and he wanted me to help him do it. We were supposed to pretend it had never happened. It didn’t work.
I have posts up on
‘Winter Soldier’ at my site that I also posted on a few others as well as sent out.
You can view Here, or Here, or Here
Might find something that you hadn’t seen.
Yesterday I asked a question for the ‘Gathering of Eagles’ and by extension ‘Move America Forward’, as both groups combined to have some 40 people protesting, didn’t anyone tell you folks that protesting, as Your Ideology Defines, is ‘Unpatriotic’, outside of the ‘Winter Soldier Hearings’. I also asked ‘Vets for Freedom’ the same in that post:
“if you “Support The Troops” why is it that you carry Nothing on your Sites, nor in your Rethoric, about the Rage you should be feeling about All the reports, finally coming forward, as to the Care of these Same Troops when they Return or are Re-Deployed or Discharged?”!!!
I’m not the only one to want to know the answer, Thousands of us Veterans have a need to know, so We can better ‘Support The Troops’!!
I have a second, more personal, question.
Please let me know how it is that you know, well before someone speaks, that what they say Is A Lie?
I ask the same to those who have been posting on their sites and blogs that the testimonies are False as well as those Soldiers giving them, well before anything has been said!
This is something I need to learn to do myself, do you speak to God one on one like george, would make things so much easier if you pass on your secret!
By the way, an Iraqi Citizen at the hearings, offered up the use of his house, in Baghdad, yesterday. For anyone wanting to travel and stay awhile to give First Hand Reports, Direct From Iraq, on how Great and All Those Wonderful things happening, and according to some aren’t being reported, so you can give the Real News, or maybe rush, hannity, savage, or any of the FOX nonjournalists!
Someone should take him up on the offer, Really. I’ll let you view the archived video’s to find him so you can make contact and Vacation in the Tamed Baghdad!
Visit War Comes Home to Replay previous testimony, opening statements, transcripts and much more.
Visit IVAW – Iraq Veterans Against The War to Watch, online, and get further information.
Broadcast of todays testimonies, 3-16-08, begin at 10am ET
~ Rachel Corrie ~
1979 – 2003
On March 17, 2003, President Bush spoke with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon about Rachel’s killing. Sharon assured Bush that the Israeli government would undertake a “thorough, credible, and transparent investigation” and would report the results to the United States.
On March 19, 2003, Richard Boucher, spokesman for the State Department, noted in reference to Rachel: “When we have the death of an American citizen, we want to see it fully investigated. That is one of our key responsibilities overseas, to look after the welfare of American citizens and to find out what happened in situations like these.”
The Israeli government exonerated the soldiers, closed the case, and refuses to release to the US government the complete report on the military police investigation into Rachel’s killing.
And they still haven’t, according to the rice/bush State Department!
Rest In Peace Rachel, You Will and Are, Not Forgotten!
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Just a few minutes ago, those testifying, Announced they Want To Swear, Under Oath, To A Congressional Committee, in answer to the few protesting outside the hall and calling for same!!
The Ball Is In Your Counrt CONGRESS, Call A Committee and Swear These Soldiers In, and Do Investigations, not like the Nixon Whitehouse, But Real Investigations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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U.S. veterans, Japanese mark 1968 Vietnam massacre
John Kerry testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after Winter Soldier I. John Kerry sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today as one of the higher ranking members.
It would seem logical that this committee should hold hearings regarding Winter Soldier II.
You can read Kerry’s 1971 testimony here.
Other Democratic members of that committee are Chairman Joe Biden, Christopher Dodd, Russ Feingold, Barbara Boxer, Bill Nelson (Fla), Barack Obama, Robert Menendez, Benjamin L. Cardin, Robert Casey, Jr., and Jim Webb.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee was the only member of Congress (to my knowledge) to speak (by phone) at WSII. She sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and is amenable to working to get hearings.
The Armed Services Committees of both houses are also important here. Contact as many members of all 4 of these committees as possible.
To find Republican members and Democrats in addition to the ones mentioned above:
Google Senate (or House) Foreign Relations Committee
or Senate (or House) Armed Services Committee
And click on “members.”
Or make a toll free call to the capitol switchboard at (new numbers): 800 614 2803 or 866 340 9281.
IVAW invited Kerry to attend WS II, but his office said he would be unable to attend because he would be in Massachusetts. He didn’t even send a statement to be read.
Sad really. So let’s lobby him for hearings; and if not him, then others on the committee. I don’t think he would want someone else sponsoring hearings. I don’t think that wpould look good!
The Dehumanizing The Enemy clips were infuriating.
When doctors won’t treat Iraqi patients who are in detention, then they have no business holding a licence. First and foremost, they violated the Hippocratic oath. Second, their actions promote pseudospeciation, which is a viral act.
We invaded them. If the doctors reminded people of that and not only treated their problems but treated them fairly, they may have had less patients to abuse.