If In DC This Weekend - Oct. 3rd and 4th

Joint MFSO/AFSC Press Release on Afghanistan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2009

Military Families, Veterans and Quaker Group Host Memorial on Eighth
Anniversary of the Invasion of Afghanistan

WASHINGTON D.C.- Military Families Speak Out (MFSO), a military family
organization opposed to war and The American Friends Service Committee
(AFSC), a Quaker organization dedicated to peace and non-violence, will host the
first ever memorial to the U.S. soldiers and Afghan civilians killed since the U.S.
invasion of Afghanistan on October 7, 2001. The exhibit will be October 3 & 4
on the south-east quadrant of The Ellipse, located in front of The White House in
Washington D.C.

Since the start of the war, 850 U.S. Soldiers have died and credible estimates put
the civilian casualties in the tens of thousands. The National Priorities Project says
that taxpayers in the U.S. will have paid $228 billion for total Afghanistan war
spending since 2001. According to a recent CNN Poll, 57 percent of Americans
who responded say they oppose the U.S. war and occupation in Afghanistan, the
highest percentage ever since the invasion in 2001.

Larry Syverson of Richmond, VA serves on the Board of Directors of MFSO and
is the father of three sons who have served in Iraq -- one of whom is currently
serving in Afghanistan. Syverson said:

“I feel that the war in Afghanistan was wrong to begin with, and Obama taking
it over does not make it right. Obama is out of touch with the American people.
Americans are turning against the war. Instead of increasing the troops, the
President should be bringing the troops home now.”

Maggie Pondolfino of Portland, Oregon is the mother of a soldier deployed to
Afghanistan after serving one deployment in Iraq; Pondolfino who serves of the
Board of Directors of MFSO says:

“The administration that briefly gave me new hope has sent my son to another
war with no clear mission and no exit strategy. I know that no good will come
from continuing the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, just more heartbreak,
sorrow, and tragedy.”

Peter Lems, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is an analyst for the American Friends
Service Committee; Lems recently visited Afghanistan on a fact finding mission
and says:

“AFSC believes that conflicts can never be solved by military means, in fact true
security cannot be gained through arms. In order to move forward, the
aspirations and well-being of the Afghan people must be at the center of
rebuilding Afghanistan. The International community must respect this principle
if there is to be a secure, peaceful and stable future for the Afghan people.”

Members of Military Families Speak Out and Gold Star Families Speak Out are
available for interview including those whose loved ones are now serving in Iraq
and Afghanistan or will soon be sent there, those whose loved ones suffered
physical and psychological injuries in Iraq, and those whose loved ones died as a
result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that
includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace
and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the worth of
every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and
injustice.

Military Families Speak Out (www.mfso.org) is an Organization of people
opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who have loved ones or relatives
in the Military. MFSO was formed in 2002 by two military families and has
grown to over 4,000 members speaking out to end the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan. New families are joining daily.

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The True Cost of the War in Afghanistan



Invasion of Afghanistan on October 7, 2001 8 years of war and occupation!
On the weekend of October 3rd and 4th, Military Families Speak Out and American Friends Service Committee will be undertaking the first Eyes Wide Open Exhibit showing the Cost of War in Afghanistan!

Afghanistan 8yrs. Of War