The Nation magazine has published a new expose of 50 American combat veterans of the Iraq War who give vivid on-the-record accounts of the
US military occupation in Iraq and describe a brutal side of the war rarely seen on television screens or chronicled in newspaper accounts.
The investigation marks the first time so many on-the-record, named eyewitnesses from within the US military have been assembled in one
place to openly corroborate assertions of indiscriminate killings and other atrocities by the US military in Iraq.
In studio we speak with the article¹s co-author, journalist Laila Al-Arian, and four Iraq veterans who came forward with their stories of war.
Listen/Watch/Read
* Iraq War Vets Describe "Brutal Techniques" Used by U.S. Military Against Iraqi Civilians *
Two Iraq war veterans, Sgt. John Bruhns and Spc. Garett Reppenhagen recount their experience in Iraq, particularly describe the brutal house raids they
conducted on a regular basis in Iraq. Spc. Reppenhagen says, "you could see The frustration on [the Iraqi's] faces, the anger, the sadness, the worry,
the fear. You know, it was very hard to see the faces of the Iraqi people when you took their family members away...especially when you know most of
the time you have bad intelligence and you are raiding the house that usually the people inside are innocent."
Listen/Watch/Read
* If Soldiers Came From Another Country And Did This To My Family, I Would Be An Insurgent Too² War Vet Describes Iraq House Raid *
From Denver, Staff Sergeant Timothy John Westphal, who served in Iraq for one year, recalls raiding a sprawling farm on the outskirts of Tikrit in 2004 and the
Screams he can still hear of the man he woke up inside. Sgt. Westphal says, 'he was so terrified and so afraid for his family. I thought of my family at
The time and thought 'If I was the patriarch of the family, if soldiers came from another country and did this to my family, I would be an insurgent too.'
We also speak with Sgt. Dustin Flatt who describes unarmed civilians being shot or run over by U.S. Military convoys.
Listen/Watch/Read
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Tonight On ABC Night Line
Thursday, July 12, 2007 -
Iraq War Veterans
Bob Woodruff has an exclusive report tonight on how some injured Iraq War veterans are being treated when they come home. Bob talks with two discharged soldiers who say they've been severely affected by their combat experience, and that now the Army is denying them their disability benefits, claiming the soldiers had pre-existing personality disorders. You'll also meet another veteran who has been documenting all the cases of soldiers who were discharged for the same "personality disorder" and can't get help for injuries they incurred while serving their country in a war zone.
On ABC Right Now Questionable Treatment for Some Iraq Heroes
Veteran Care Under Review as More Than 22,000 Are Discharged With 'Pre-Existing' Personality Disorder, Which Some Say Developed During War
Here's The Video Link of above report.
Dave Matthews Band Has posted a petition on their site to confront the personality disorder scandal. Please sign the petition.
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From IAVA
The statistics are shocking: more than 11,000 soldiers have been wounded by roadside bombs; more than 50,000 have sought treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder; and 150,000 have submitted a claim for disability. Undiagnosed brain injuries-serious concussions that can cause memory loss, vision problems, and even depression-are affecting as many as 300,000 troops who have come home.
But when you look at the numbers, it's easy to forget that they represent individual stories: lives put on hold, families under strain-above all, tremendous personal sacrifice.
This month, I had the opportunity to write the introduction for an in-depth multimedia cover story featuring eleven young veterans, many of them IAVA members. The story was published in GOOD Magazine, and the short, powerful interview clips are now available on the magazine's website.
Take a few minutes to watch these clips now, and pass them on to your friends.
On these pages you'll hear the stories of some of these heroes - a successful lawyer who left his practice to train the Iraqi police force, an activist who ended up homeless only months after driving fuel trucks in Iraq, an actor who put his career on hold to join the Marines after 9/11.
These clips show you the diversity of today's veterans-but they also suggest what they have in common. These veterans have stories that must be heard. The best reporting from the war in Iraq has come from the troops themselves-the people who saw it first-hand.
For the many Americans for whom the Iraq War has required little or no personal commitment, and especially for the politicians in Washington whose choices affect the lives of our troops every day, these videos should be required viewing.
Click here to watch them now.
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Paul Rieckhoff
Iraq Veteran
Executive Director
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
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