Message to the 'chickenhawkette' and her daddy

For the last couple of days I've been trying to put together my thoughts on the recent claims by one liz cheney, she don't deserve caps for name. But as this royally pissed me off when it first aired I kept getting madder and madder trying to write something, not being a writer adds to that, and I just had way to much hitting my mind to say to her and anyone else. But low and behold I found a piece by another Veteran that says allot of what I wanted and figured I can link to his while adding the links I wanted to.

This is what I first started out with and kept changing:

Did your dad threaten to remove you from his will, liz, and all that blood wealth reaped especially as he was second{?} in leadership of this Nation? You, like your dad, show how little you understand about our Military, and those that serve in it, as well as what National Security is! But you do seem to want, like your dad, to keep putting out those reminders for us who do understand both, especially those of us who have served and especially serving under failed policies by civilian and some military leaders, 'Nam '70-'71.

The Military personal, especially the NCO's and Grunts expect and cherish the one elected as their Commander - In - Chief to show them that he/she respects the service they do for Country and Constitution, that which we take an Oath to Protect, and that he/she really understands that service as he/she serves in the civilian capacity and not dodging the bullets of the wars they are sent to fight and occupy others countries especially as these occupations are of choice not need!

National Security does not mean invading countries, then occupying them, and killing tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, trying to force an ideology on them you want them to embrace. The killings and maiming's create hatreds and enemies of not only those ordering the invasions and occupations but the people of the country they lead, especially when those giving the orders say 'oops' by calling the tens of thousands of innocent children, women and men killed and maimed 'collateral damage' nothing to see here so lets keep moving on!

10.29.09 President Honors Fallen at Dover Arrival


This is what you, and now the other talking heads, like your buddy rush, are trying to use as your political salvo, pure political propaganda, against a Commander in Chief paying Honor and Respect to the returning caskets of those killed Fifteen Soldiers and Three DEA Agents on the worse casulty loss day in the worse casulty month during this still relative new Administration in Afghanistan, something your father and his puppet never did in the time of either Occupation they Ordered!!

LIZ CHENEY: I don't know why he went to Dover. I think that clearly it is very important for a commander-in-chief whenever he can, in whatever way possible, to pay tribute to our fallen soldiers, our fallen military, folks, but I think, you know, what President Bush used to do was to do it without cameras, and I don't understand sort of showing up with the White House press pool with photographers and asking family members if he can take pictures. I mean, that's really hard for me to get my head around. I think it's an honorable and important thing to pay tribute, there's no greater sacrifice people make to the nation. It was a surprising way for the president to choose to do it. I would also point out that the best way to pay tribute to those who have sacrificed is to win the war.

There's a simple meme I've used since I came back from 'Nam, that being my last year of my four serving in the U.S. Navy and doing so all on shore bases as a 'GunnersMate', that meme is 'nixonian verbal spitting' on military service members and veterans, following those who did so towards us as we returned and continues to this day, even by veterans who served with us then but hang with their denials. With just that statement above you unload that 'Verbal Spitting'! Right from that first sentence then moving quickly into using the, unfelt by you, expected double speak and spin meme's of fake support for those serving in the military and veterans of as you use them in your propaganda salvo spin.

Watch the video above, for you and your extremely bad fake journalist and so called expert friends, there isn't any White House Press Corps at this solemn show of Honor and Respect to the fallen, the pictures and that video are what everyone sees, it's then passed onto the press at the Parents of the Fallen's request, the ones that don't want their sons or daughters casket shown publicly Aren't!! Notice also, the lighting in the video is that found on the tarmac of the airfield, no flood lights, no stage lights to highlight who are assembled. This is what the Dover 'Old Guard' and Dover Command along with other Air Force Base duties.

Not only did your father and his puppet Never Meet A Returning Plane, with the caskets of those killed in their two occupations, this is what they were doing at the time as to others, Elected Representatives of The People { Back in '08 I put up a post after Senator Biden was chosen to run with Barack Obama as VP, this is part of that post with the pertinent links} :

Back a few years ago I went Absolutely Livid, have many many.................... times from the first beat of the War Drums, this time while watching the CBS 'Face the Nation' Sunday show. While the blood had rushed to my head I waited, impatiently, for the transcript to come up on their site. When it finally did, I quickly copied and pasted it to an e-mail and sent it out, but that didn't quell the Absolute Rage. I wanted more who hadn't seen it to get as Pissed as myself so I tried thinking of online News outlets, some just coming into being, to further trying to get this report out to as many eyes and minds as possible, one was a fairly new outlet, the Huffington Post. A few hours later, to my surprise, and still Royally Pissed at what was reported, I receive an E from the Huffington Post that they were going to run with it, saw very little that day and ensuing days from the MSM about this incident as told by Senator Biden to Bob Schieffer.


Huffington posted it on June 20, 2005 at 10:11 PM {you gotta love google, I didn't keep the story, but a quick search and there it was}


Sen. Biden: 'I'm Not Allowed To Be There When The Flag-Draped Casket Comes In' ...

On CBS News's "Face the Nation" yesterday, Senator Joseph Biden (D-Del.) told Bob Schieffer that the Defense Department policy forbids him from paying his respects to fallen soldiers as their coffins return to the US through the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Though no cameras and no press would accompany him, Biden said he had to receive express permission from the Pentagon to join a grieving family that had requested his presence as they met their deceased son who died in a car bomb in Iraq.

"I'm allowed in the military base. I'm not allowed to go to the mortuary," he said.

The CBS Transcript of that show in PDF, they don't have that video clip in their archives.

Now here's the piece from a brother veteran posted on October 30th '09 :

The following brought to you via Veterans Today: Military Veterans and Foreign Affairs Journal online website.

WINGNUT OF THE WEEK: LIZ CHENEY, How Dare You! Who are you anyway?

When dead American soldiers were brought back in secret, in shame, it was at the orders of Vice President Cheney. Cheney planned the Iraq invasion even before the election and well before 9/11. The Cheney's testimony before the 9/11 Commission is filled with things like, "We never thought anyone would attack America, we knew nothing, nothing, nothing....never expected anything at all."

Cheney ordered the phony intel that took us into Iraq. Cheney overruled the generals who told us the war would go on for years and cost thousands of lives Cheney sent troops to war with poor body armor, defective weapons and protected against IEDs by canvas doored Humvees. When our troops had poisoned water and were electrocuted in their barracks, it was Haliburton, Cheney's company that did it. When 5 years passed with too few troops, it was Cheney in control.

It was Cheney's war plan that brought America to the brink of total defeat in Afghanistan. Dick and Lynn Cheney, among the biggest war profiteers in American history are now pointing their blood stained fingers in blame at others. Now they have their pointless spawn playing attack dog too?..>>>Rest Found Here

When Gordan does a rant he really does a rant!!

By the way little liz, wasn't daddies fifth deferment, while we were serving in 'Nam, because of your mom being pregnant with you?

Being the woman? you pretend to be, meaning oh so tough and oh such an expert {why you even pop up on the fake news shows}, there's a series at the New York Times you should follow, I doubt you even have heard of it or if so haven't given it a thought, why, because it's Reality, you know that real world you don't live in:

A Combat Role, and Anguish, Too

For Vivienne Pacquette, being a combat veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder means avoiding phone calls to her sons, dinner out with her husband and therapy sessions that make her talk about seeing the reds and whites of her friends’ insides after a mortar attack in 2004.

As with other women in her position, hiding seems to make sense. Post-traumatic stress disorder distorts personalities: some veterans who have it fight in their sleep; others feel paranoid around children. And as women return to a society unfamiliar with their wartime roles, they often choose isolation over embarrassment.

Many spend months or years as virtual shut-ins, missing the camaraderie of Iraq or Afghanistan, while racked with guilt over who they have become.

Snip

Some psychiatrists say that women do better in therapy because they are more comfortable talking through their emotions, but it typically takes years for them to seek help. In interviews, female veterans with post-traumatic stress said they did not always feel their problems were justified, or would be treated as valid by a military system that defines combat as an all-male activity...>>>Rest Found Here

Women at Arms

A record number of women are coming home from war with post-traumatic stress disorder. Four years after leaving Iraq, Shalimar Bien explains her continuing struggle.

Women at Arms
The Psychological Scars

Articles in this series explore how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have profoundly redefined the role of women in the military.
Previous Articles in the Series

A series many should visit and read.

I'll close with two heartfelt, and more reality, recent video's on your senseless, and certainly no feelings for the Fallen Soldiers or any for that matter, political propaganda salvo's, using the fallen soldiers with your fake concern for and with no honor nor compassion for them or their families!





Oh and could you do me a favor. When you read this, I know you won't but one of your little cult followers will, could you pass this on to another pure 'chickenhawk draft dodger' from our time, along with your dad, that being the mouth rush limbaugh, after all he's using your meme's and ramping them up to fill that empty airspace he takes up on that radio show of his.

Rest In Peace {UpDate}

Marine killed in Afghanistan served country in many ways

Marine Sgt. Bill Cahir was a public servant his whole life.

He served as a congressional staffer, as a journalist, as a political candidate and, finally, as a Marine reservist in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Snip

"There it was," Cahir wrote. "My last, best chance to serve."

Marine Sgt. Bill Cahir's Arlington funeral

Cahir served two tours of duty in Iraq, blending his military work with his journalism.

A year ago, Cahir bought a home in Pennsylvania and settled down to run for Congress, filing for the 5th Congressional District seat left open by the retirement of Rep. John Peterson.

Cahir was one of three Democrats in the race, and he faced criticism for living away from State College for so long. However, Cahir was quick to emphasize his roots, talking about the hospital where he was born, recalling his youth and greeting a former English teacher from the dais at a political forum.

On the stump, Cahir advocated a responsible exit from the war in Iraq and pushed for universal health coverage............Rest Here

Marine Sgt. Bill Cahir's first-person account of his training as a Marine

They spoke of his thoughtfulness and humor, of his integrity and sense of fairness.

But when Capt. Jason C. Brezler recalled his friend and colleague Bill Cahir, he honed in on Cahir's dedication to his comrades and country.

"On paper I was his commanding officer and team leader," Brezler said. "But his opinion mattered to me as much as any senior officer." ...........Read Rest Here

The Question 'Why?'

A Hero's Death in Afghanistan, and the Question 'Why?'

Bill Cahir joined the Marines after 9/11 to fight in Afghanistan, and he finally got there after two tours in Iraq. He was buried Monday at Arlington.

On Saturday, millions watched as Ted Kennedy made his final trip to Arlington National Cemetery. With rather less attention, Arlington's soil opened again Monday to accept the remains of one of Kennedy's former aides, 40-year-old Bill Cahir.

The deceased, an Alexandria resident, was unknown to most Americans, but he did no less for his country than his old boss -- and, gauged by the last full measure of devotion, he did even more. He went from his job working for Kennedy in the Senate to become, at various points, a Washington journalist and a failed congressional candidate. But it was the Sept. 11 attacks that inspired Cahir, at age 34, to get an age waiver from military recruiters in 2003 and enlist in the Marines...............

Rest In Peace with the rest of your, and those of us who preceded in our service to, brothers and sisters, the best of the best, who have fallen while in service to your country, right or wrong it's policies may be, the Noble Cause becomes the protection of those serving with you and they to you!

Maybe some day we will find this countries promised direction once more, that which we had pride once of what we said we were and in many ways showed that, maybe!

The above could be about any of the 5,149 who have fallen, and that continues, in these occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, and while the Country was burying Sgt. Cahir at Arlington two more U.S. and two British troops were killed in Afghanistan, from the many cities and small towns around this country, but it's just one of the recent Honors given to those who serve with pride and honor, their country and constitution.

The pride and honor from many, in this country, seems more towards tearing it and the constitution apart, especially that coming from the extreme groups, and present and previous public servants, given the microphones and press to loudly condemn anything and everything and not backtracking and apologizing when caught in their many lies, just bringing on more!

UpDate: Statement From Rene

Cahir's widow: "Bill was a hero to me"

The following statement was issued Monday by Bill Cahir's widow, Rene Browne:

"While this is a time of incredible loss and sadness for our family, we are deeply grateful for the tremendous outpouring of care and support we've received since the news of Bill's death.

"He was a loved and cherished husband, son, brother and excited father-to-be, as well as a friend and colleague who touched the lives of so many. From across the globe, the shared prayers, tributes and stories have meant so much and will keep Bill's memory alive for all of us.

"Bill was a hero to me, and to his family and friends, long before he gave his life for his country. He acted with the courage of his convictions in every facet of his life. Although I will forever miss him, I am blessed for the years that we spent together and for the stories that I will be able to share with our children of Bill's ideals, bravery, love and compassion.

"Bill would also be grateful to see that his story helped to raise awareness of the untold sacrifices of the men and women serving their country around the world today. It is their sense of duty and patriotism that inspired Bill to serve and will be the legacy of honor and commitment that he leaves to our children, and to the rest of us."

August 7th is Purple Heart Day

A Day to Honor America's Combat Wounded and Fallen Heroes

By Executive Order 9277, dated December 3, 1942, the decoration was extended to be applicable to all services and required that regulations of the Services be uniform in application as far as practicable. This executive order also authorized the award only for wounds received.

PURPLE HEART RECIPIENTS

War I: 250,000¹
War II: 964,409
Korea: 136,936
Vietnam: 200,676
Persian Gulf: 590
Afghanistan: 3,495 *
Iraq: 34,808 *
Total Estimated: 1.7 M¹

NOTE¹: Estimates only. Battlefield awards and incomplete records; 1974 fire in St. Louis repository.

*Data as of 6/20/2009

And what will the 'rushlicans' do, why they'll bring out fresh 'purple heart bandages' and laugh and laugh and laugh........................................!!

Like this:



Showing they don't respect those that serve, even the ones amoung them that did, but this is what the Purple Heart and it's being Awarded Means:

Each year on August 7th, Americans should pause to remember and honor the brave men and women who were either wounded on the battlefield or paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives. The Purple Heart is awarded to any member of the U.S. Armed Forces that has been wounded or died as a result of a wound in battle.

This now includes those persons who died in captivity while a prisoner of war (POW). We now celebrate Purple Heart Day on the anniversary of its inception, August 7th. On this day it is our patriotic duty to remember and recognize those people willing to serve our country, no matter the price..............Rest Found Here

Coming Home with Honor! Ending 18yr Ban, 4.05.09

First Photos of Fallen Soldier Ends 18-Year Ban
Air Force Allows Media to Cover Arrival of Airman Killed in Afghanistan

For the first time since the Obama administration reversed an 18-year-old ban on news coverage of returning fallen soldiers, the military allowed media to cover the arrival tonight of an airman killed in Afghanistan.

The arrival of remains of Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Myers, a 30-year-old supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, at Dover Air Force Base at 11 p.m. today marked the first time that the transfer of any of the nearly 5,000 U.S. troops who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan was open to the media. >>>>>More

On Sec.Gates visit to Dover AFB

Gates' 3.18.09, Emotional Reaction to His Visit to Dover AFB, an ABC News Video.

Gates': "...very difficult...I will add a sentence or two...I went to the back of the plane by myself, and spent time with each of the 'transfer cases'...I think I'll stop there."

A 'Nation' Honoring It's Fallen, Past Due

This started out as just a 'to be comment', with the NPR report just below, updating the reports surfacing about the revisit of the policy on our returning soldiers killed in action in the two combat theaters. I kept finding abit more so included, along with an upcoming HBO presentation, this coming weekend, of a documentary on the journal written by an officer as he accompanied a soldier back to his family and community.

Rethinking Media Coverage Of Fallen Troops

Talk of the Nation, February 17, 2009 · President Obama has indicated that the Pentagon will review a policy banning the press from photographing the remains of U.S. troops returning to the states in flag-draped "transfer cases" at Dover Air Force Base. The ban has been in effect since the Gulf War in 1991.

John Barry, national security correspondent for Newsweek, once attended the unloading of the coffins from a C-17 at Dover. He writes that witnessing "an event so moving in its intimacy and restraint" made him feel like an intruder.

Listen In

Below is an earlier discussion right after President Obama made his statement as to the new Administration looking in to this policy of hiding the return of our fallen.

Ban On Media Coverage Of Military Coffins Revisited

All Things Considered, February 11, 2009 · A longtime Pentagon policy bars the media from covering the arrival of coffins carrying the military's dead. But that may change under the Obama administration.

Listen In

At the University of Delaware, professor Ralph Begleiter, a former CNN correspondent, has fought unsuccessfully in the courts for the release of government photos taken at Dover. He says it's an important element of the story of any war.

"What I'm about to say, I say with the fullest respect of the family members who have made that sacrifice by giving up their family members," Begleiter said. "I would say the people who die make that sacrifice not solely for the families but also for the nation. So it's not just a matter of privacy for the families. It's a matter of national grieving."

This is also an earlier NPR show and discussion on this important topic:

After Death, a Soldier's Journey Is Not Over

Talk of the Nation, April 7, 2008 · Writer Chris Jones followed a soldier's body from Baghdad to its final resting place in the soldier's hometown of Scottsburg, Ind. Jones discusses the long journey in "The Things That Carried Him," a detailed article in Esquire magazine about the transfer of remains.

Listen In

Esquire magazine "The Things That Carried Him", By Chris Jones.

When we joined the Military, along with all the papers to sign and more, we took an Oath, and Oath that stays with all who serve, wether one stays in or finishes his or hers enlistment, the Oath and the Experinces never leave:

I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. { So help me God }

This is the same Oath but for the officers who serve:

I, [name], do solemly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State (Commonwealth, District, Territory) of ___ against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the Governor of the State (Commonwealth, District, Territory) of ___, that I make this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the Office of [grade] in the Army/Air National Guard of the State (Commonwealth, District, Territory) of ___ upon which I am about to enter, { so help me God.}

You serve for Country and Constitution and deserve to be Honored, right or wrong the decisions of the civilian and military leadership, by the Country, and they must know the true cost of that service especially after being sent into conflicts far from home!

Grief for War Dead Shrouds Casket Photo Ban
Military Families Want Sons' and Daughters' Stories Told -- but Privacy Respected

Insets, from left to right: A1C. Elizabeth N. Jacobson, LCpl. Justin Mark Ellsworth, Pfc. Brandon Sapp and Sgt. Patrick McCaffrey. Back, in this Department of Defense photo soldiers drape U.S. flags over the caskets of members of a Black Hawk helicopter crew killed in Kuwait in 2005.

"His life was the American middle-class dream," said his mother, Nadia McCaffrey, 63, a veterans' rights activist who lives in the house her son left in Tracy, Calif. "He didn't realize war could happen."

The family was besieged by the press nonstop for 10 days, and because they had so many unanswered questions about their son's death, they allowed the media to join them when Patrick's body arrived in Sacramento.

"The day my son left for Iraq he was hoping to make a difference," his father, Bob McCaffrey, told ABCNews.com. "He left behind his children, his wife and his own life. We are not going to hide him when he comes home."

The McCaffrey's decision defied a longstanding military ban on photographing the caskets of America's war dead -- a policy that had been enacted in 1991 during the first Gulf War. Many mistakenly believe that it was President George W. Bush who enacted the ban.

"It's like they're hiding the service members killed in action," said McCaffrey, 64, of Bella Vista, Calif. "It disgusted me from the beginning."

Below is a part of a previous post:

Film tells story of final journey for soldier

We as a Nation, for these past 7plus years, have not been allowed to Honor the Returning Soldiers killed while serving this Country in these Two Theaters of Occupations, and because of that few know or even think about the real cost of War, especially Wars of Choice!

President Obama has now said he will be revisiting that policy, set by those who sent our Military into both Theaters.

GILLETTE, Wyo. — It was just one soldier’s story. Lance Cpl. Chance Phelps, 19, was killed in an ambush outside of Baghdad on Good Friday 2004. Within the next week, his body would be escorted from Iraq, across the Atlantic Ocean and across most of the United States to his hometown of Dubois in northwest Wyoming.

To national audiences, it was one more military casualty.

But like every soldier felled in battle, Chance left behind a world of connections: family, friends and a small Wyoming town devastated by his loss. The man who accompanied his casket from Philadelphia to Dubois, Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, provided a glimpse into that world by journaling the cross-country trip.

Premiered at the Sundance Festival on January 16th 2009, and will air on HBO in February 2009.

A ‘behind-the-scenes’ clip from the Sundance premier of Taking Chance.


"Taking Chance" trailer


Chance Phelps Foundation

HBO airing dates and times, airing through the 1st of March.

Final Salute

Last night, on the PBS Newshour, they had an appropriate July 4th interview, especially in these times of two occupations:

Marine, Author Reflect on Honoring Fallen Comrades You can read the transcript and more at that link.

Author Jim Sheeler and U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Steve Beck talk about Sheeler's book, "Final Salute," which chronicles the Marines who notify families about the death of their loved ones during war and provide support as families cope with their loss.

You can listen with this link or link at site page above.

There is also a Slide Show: Beck Discusses the Photos that Have Become Icons of the Cost of War, with a non-flash version.

You can visit this interview from March 21, 2006
NewsHour Poetry Series: The Returning Dead with links to view or listen.



As Of July 2 2008, There Are 87 Pages w/5 'Silent Honor Rolls' Each, Number Of KIA's Varies With Each 'Silent Honor Roll';
Many now have numbers in the teens and twenties
In Honor - In Memory

Real HONOR, Right or Wrong the Conflict

This is what the Country, the U.S., that Cheers on Invasions and Occupations, based on Lies, Doesn't Do!!

Real HONOR, Right or Wrong the Conflict

The bodies of five British soldiers from one regiment who were killed in Afghanistan have been flown to the UK.

They arrived at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire for a repatriation ceremony.

Why is Peace Not Patriotic?

That's the question asked by The Real News Network

Back on Thursday, May 15, 2008 I asked a question as well: PEACE Is A Political Statement?.

Both of these are asked as to the Why? a Veterans Organization was banned from marching in Memorial Day Parades. Mine covered two chapters of Veterans For Peace

Chapter 139 (North Olympic Peninsula) and Chapter 016 (Washington D.C.) have both been banned from parades! In both cases, being too political was the reason cited for the ban.

The Real News Network covers the Parade in Washington D.C., the Capital of this Country, The Country And Citizens We Veterans Served For!

The Washington, DC chapter of Veterans for Peace is barred from DC's Memorial Day Parade

Thousands of people gathered in downtown DC for the annual Memorial Day parade. American flags lined the street and viewers showed their support of US troops and their patriotism. Instead of a flag, Michael Marceau held a banner, which called for peace and stated that his veterans' organization had been "kicked out of the parade." The Real News Network spoke with Michael and parade attendees to understand where Americans believe peace belongs in this day of patriotism.

There is a transcript at the Real News Network link above { their video can be found there as well }, but here are a few statements from that transcript:

Transcript
National Memorial Day Parade
Washington, DC
May 26, 2008

TEXT ON SCREEN: The Washington chapter of Veterans For Peace tried to take part in this year's National Memorial Day parade. The coordinators of the parade refused their application.
PALEVSKY: There was a veterans’ organization called Veterans for Peace, which states that it is for bringing the troops home from Iraq, that was kept out of this parade.

JEROME, PARADE ATTENDEE: Well, I guess whoever organized the parade has some kind of a right to keep people out that they don't want in, but I also think that those people have a right to march, I think. I mean, a war is supposed to bring a country together, not divide it.

PALEVSKY: What was your intention of joining the parade?

MARCEAU: Well, we just wanted to give—we have two World War II veterans who are still active in chapter activities whenever they can be, plus the widow of the man, Delwyn Anderson, for whom our chapter was named. We had planned to put them in convertibles and just go down the street carrying our Veterans for Peace flag here and several American flags, and that was about the extent of it. All we wanted to do was be visible and be acknowledged as someone who has stepped up to serve their country when their country asked them to.

Now when did this Nation, who puts out Human Rights Violations Lists Yearly, calls for Peace amoung Nations, Condemns those that Wage Wars or Criminal Terrorism, Believes itself a Christian Nation of Peace, Excepts those who are Persecuted in their own Countries for Speaking Out about their own governments Unpeaceful Actions and Human Rights Violations..................................................,you could write a book on what we say we are and what we think we are, Start Believing That PEACE Is Not Only Political But Unpatriotic???

And why are We, the citizens of this country, excepting this Double Speak of the few who use their Political Ideologies to push their Fear and thirst for Wealth and Power!

Many of us who belong to Veterans For Peace served in a theater of War and Occupation, Vietnam, that was Sold to the Nation, and us, as to Stop The Expansion of a Political Ideology, Communism, that this Country Condemns as being one that wants to wage War to Control others and spread their Ideology, 58,000 of our Brothers and Sisters names are etched into the marble of a monument, in that Capital city, it's called "The Wall"!

There's a new monument, in that same National Capital city, finally after all these years, dedicated to those who fought and died in the Righteous War against another Ideology, Nazism, in Europe, and the Waring threat waged by the Japanesse, in the Pacific!

There's also another monument dedicated to those who died and served in the War of agression by the North Koreans and their supporters the Communist Chinesse!

There are Veterans of those Conflicts as well as our other adventures in War, and in 'Peace' time who are members of Veterans For Peace with chapters spread around the country!

Peace is Democracy, Peace is Patriotism, Peace is Freedom, Peace is Leadership, Peace is Religion, Peace is Tolerance, Peace is Righteous, Peace is Personal, Peace is that which we should be leaving to the generations coming, World Peace Was this Nations Main Goal, NO MORE!

Remembering Memorial Day

Andy Rooney notes that Memorial Day has become just another holiday for too many Americans, as this day should be a time to reflect on those who have died protecting our freedom.

Final Salute

Remember this photo? I'm sure you've seen it a dozen times as it's made it's way around the web. Her name is Katherine Cathey and she's a mother, a mother of a son who never met his father Marine 2nd. Lt. Jim Cathey. Katherine mentions this photo in a video, of which I'll give you the link to in a moment, one you should view.

Recently NPR's Fresh Air aired an interview with journalist Jim Sheeler who won a Pulitzer Prize for his series about Marine Colonel Steve Beck and the families of the fallen soldiers. Katherine Cathey was one of those families that Col. Beck helped. The interview was called A 'Final Salute' to Fallen Marines and you can read abit at that link, as well as listen to, or you can click here to bring up the NPR player to listen in, it's abit over 31min. long and well worth the listen.

Jim Sheeler followed Beck for a year, writing about the experience in a Pulitzer Prize-winning Rocky Mountain News series Final Salute. Sheeler's new book, Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives, is a continuation of the series.

There's an excerpt of his book at the Fresh Air interview link. This aired on the 30th of last month, I passed it on to a few folks but didn't use it in a posting untill I caught a video, over at the News Week magazine website a few days ago.

The video is one you should view, it's short but very moving, the link is in the quote below:

Maj. Steve Beck was charged with notifying families that their loved ones wouldn't be coming home from Iraq. How one widow received the news.

Katherine Cathey is featured in Sheelers book, in the Video she makes this statement: "That's reality, there should be over 4,000 pictures like that that everybody has to look at!".

Once again the the link to the News Week Video

Katherines statement, in the video, is the reality that this country should be living as those who die in it's service are brought home, but these pictures are kept well hidden from an apathedic society that's easily controlled and brought to the fear level, and we seem to like it that way.

We should be viewing the over 4000 pictures of the flag draped coffins, with family members included, 4,075 confirmed as of today from Iraq, and the 499 killed in Afganistan to date.

But what about the hundreds, possibly thousands, of potential deaths that are directly related to these conflicts, suicides, related to physical and mental injuries from these theaters of occupations, unknown causes........................etc., they to, though not counted, should be embraced and remembered in our countries concious!

The physical and mental injuries don't just stop happening when those we send into Wars of Choice return, they continue taking there toll for the years left, not only for those military personal but also their families and those who live in the countries invaded who suffer the most!!

There was also a recent report at Stars and Stripes, Four names added to Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The names of four U.S. servicemembers who died years after they were wounded during the Vietnam War are being added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial this week.

Stoneworker James Lee holds the paper as Priscilla Mason makes a rubbing of her husband's newly-engraved name on the Wall. Lance Cpl. Raymond C. Mason, wounded in Vietnam in 1968, died of causes related to his wounds in 2006.
See more photos here

"I can't even put it into words," Priscilla Mason, from Riverside, R.I., said after watching Lee at work. "My first reaction was, he's finally home.
"They were able to put him chronologically where he would have been if he had died Feb. 28, 1968, when he was shot. My first thought was, I wonder how many of those names (on panel 41E) did he know.
"I'm sure he feels he's home, too."
Raymond Mason, confined to a wheelchair since he was wounded, died May 28, 2006.

There is a Video at the end of the report as 'Nam Brother Raymond Masons wife Priscilla speaks about him and his and her comfort in bringing him home to 'The Wall'!

And what about those who live in the countries invaded and occupied, we think even less of them than we do our own, some even consider All of them our Enemies, and in todays age some already are or will quickly turn into seeking the retaliation for what we've done.

Among Iraq’s Children, Orphans Suffer Most

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The number of Iraqi orphans increased in the last few years due to the war. According to official Iraqi government statistics released in December 2007, the number of Iraqi orphans had reached at least five million over the last three years. Many due to the Sunni-Shia conflict. There are several social organizations caring for a small number of these Iraqi orphans, such as Child Aid International. There are approximately 26 orphanages that Alive in Baghdad has been able to locate around Iraq. Eight orphanages are in Baghdad and another 18 are distributed all over Iraq and generally they accept kids between the age of 6 and 18 years old.

One of the biggest scandals that happened in the history of the Iraq conflict is the one that happened in Al-Hanan orphanage. There were many pictures distributed online and by television of Iraqi orphans lying on the floor naked, with no food for weeks, sick and nearly dying. After this the Iraqi government began to show more attention for the orphans, there were many stories being reported regarding Al-Hanan Orphanage, like sexual abuses and bad treatment of the kids living there.

Al-A’ssal House is one of the rare orphanages that still take care of the young children who have a dead father or who are orphans due to losing both parents. The house has a special method and it’s opposed to the toy guns due to Iraq’s situation and the reason behind it, which is the constant conflict that Iraq is undergoing. Another organization was also created by this house, and it’s called the Sazan organization. This organization is taking in orphans for free, with no payment at all. Also this house employs Iraq widows in order to help the Iraqi women support themselves during the war. Despite all their hard work, this orphanage has not yet received any funding from the Iraqi government or sponsorship by a bigger humanitarian aid organization while other orphanages such as Al-Hanan orphanage received funds from the Iraqi government without oversight.

Ask yourself, as I did,

this orphanage has not yet received any funding from the Iraqi government or sponsorship by a bigger humanitarian aid organization

with all the monies being spent, and the War Profitteers reaping, especially on our Private Merc Army and the rest of the No-Bid Contracts, Why The U.S. Is Not Funding This and Other Orphanages along with So Much More!

There's much more to feelings than title says, 'Final Salute'!

Not only for our Fallen but also for the Innocents who have lost so much and it will continue!!

And thinking of Burma as well!

Happy Mothers Day?

Arlington West - March 2008 - Honoring The Fallen

Before dawn every Sunday morning, at the foot of the Santa Monica Pier, volunteers set up crosses in memory of American service members killed in Iraq.

The Video was produced for the New York Times and can be also seen At Their Site

The Times don't include an 'embed' link, so for those who might want to add this to their sites you can get the above embed link at Blip TV, also at Google Video if you prefer or at Live Video as well.

For Vietnam Veterans, Families, Relatives, Friends of, and all those interested but not touched by having a Fallen Loved One Honored on 'The Wall' the Memorial and the National Archives offers a great new service:

WASHINGTON - The National Archives is joining with a Web site to make historical records of tens of thousands of deceased Vietnam War veterans available electronically for the first time.

The interactive site - at Footnote - The Wall - is a Web re-creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall. The site offers access to thousands of pages of casualty records and agency photos. People can search by name, hometown, birthdate, or dozens of other categories.

The site allows people to post photos they may have of a deceased veteran and to make comments. The service is currently free for Vietnam War information; the company is deciding whether to charge fees for some of the 50,000 National Archives photos now digitized.

Note: Interactive Vietnam Veterans Memorial It's Free, leave a tribute, a story or photograph about any of the 58,256 veterans killed or missing in the Vietnam War.

This morning, 3-27-08, the local affiliate of NPR, WFAE had a report on a few of the local family members with sons or daughters serving in the Military and In-Theater either Iraq or Afganistan, and how their neighbors are disconnected from what they are experiancing, after talking to the family members they did an interesting follow, talking to people of the WWII era showing the total Disconnect of this Country, and it's Citizens, Now as to these Occupations to Than.

You can Listen with this Link, brings up windows media player.

Thinking, as I listened, they could have expanded the report to the Occupation myself and thousands of my brothers and sisters served in. Than we didn't have Cable, with so many stations, mostly of uninteresting shows, and with a number of so called News Channels that Rarely show what is happening in Either Theater and flip through reports of those killed or maimed Without a Concious thought as to them or their families. The greater majority of the country were disconnected, carried over from the Korean Conflict, But The Conflict Was In The Living Rooms Almost Nightly on any one of the three stations or all three.

Though because of the Extreme Danger to the Real Journalists, doing war correspondence, they can rarely get out of their safe zones in either Iraq or Afganistan to actually report first hand, as was not the case in 'Nam, but the almost total lack of reporting on the Soldiers this Country sent into these Occupations leaves the Country Totally Disconnected and Unwilling To Sacrifice as these soldiers and Families Carry The Full Burden of the Extreme Failed Policies of Country and Society!

Also on NPR, this morning, but on Morning Edition they had this report Ft. Campbell Soldiers See Kids' Milestones from Afar

Seniors at Fort Campbell High School near Nashville, Tenn., are preparing to graduate. But as the Iraq war enters its fifth year, some of those students have had a parent deployed overseas for a lot of their time in high school.

Soldiers at Fort Campbell are on their third deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan — missing the milestones of watching their kids grow up.

You can listen with this Link

And what's this costing us, much more than those not Sacrificing a thing Think, or rather as we put it all on a Credit Card, our Next Generations Will Be Paying! You can get a taste of the cost with an updated report, aired last night on The News Hour:

Five Years In, Cost of Iraq War Far Exceeds Early Estimates

In a follow-up report to a series on the cost of war, Paul Solman examines the new estimates for short- and long-term expenditures related to the ongoing conflict in Iraq -- including military recruitment, equipment and medical treatment for those injured. You can view The Report with this Link. If you prefer to just listen the audio link is at the site.

And rummy, a clip from back when in the report:

PAUL SOLMAN, The cost of the Iraq war, it's a far cry from the original estimates.

DONALD RUMSFELD, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense: The Office of Management and Budget estimated it would be something under $50 billion.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, Anchor, "This Week": Outside estimates say up to $300 billion.

DONALD RUMSFELD: Baloney.

These returning present day Combat Veterans will face a Country not only Disconnected but in Denial and in Collective Apathy, they will continue what those before them, from Korea to 'Nam to the First Gulf War and all Military Actions in between, Fighting For What This Country Owes Them!!

And their Children, because of the nature of the Hatreds we have Created, will be facing not only the costs of the Failed Policies but the Blowback, Retaliations, from the Deaths and Destruction we have wrought!!

We have lost over 900 dead Americans since the surge. Now if you want to dismiss that as "success" that would be your interpretation.
Chuck Hagel

97 percent of U.S. deaths in Iraq have occurred after George W. Bush declared an end to "major combat."
Mission accomplished!

Lead Up To Winter Soldier II - SOLDIER'S STORIES

On Sunday, 3-9-08, a fundraiser was held at the First Congregational Church of Long Beach for Iraq veterans eager to talk about the war they saw; a war rife with death, anger, courage and lies. The fundraisers intent was to help defray the costs needed to send the same vets to speak in Washington D.C. at Winter Soldier II, to be held from Thursday March 13 to Sunday March 16, prior to that The District Weekly of Long Beach asked several of them to tell them their stories.

Below you will find some snips about each and what they had to say, with the link above taking you to the rest.

“IT’S BEYOND ME” | SPECIALIST WENDY BARRANCO, COMBAT MEDIC | ARMY

Wendy Barranco was 19 when she served as an anesthesia technician at a Tikrit field hospital—from October 2005 to July 2006. She was just out of high school, like so many of her patients, including the first one she saw die.
Now she is 22, a full-time student and anti-war activist
Barranco still sounds young, with the sleepy voice of a teenager. She’s deferential, too—true to her military training—and wonderfully patient as she spells out every acronym and explains every bit of army shorthand. Her poise falters occasionally: When describing three badly burned Iraqis, she suddenly stops speaking, pausing for a full 12 seconds to steady herself. And certain aspects of the military experience are so ludicrous as to absolutely require the strongest of obscenities.
There are also moments of emotional disconnect: She talks about a “guy” with a chronically infected leg, but it soon becomes clear that she is speaking of a child who may be as young as eight.
With all of this in mind, I thank her for her time and willingness to engage in a conversation that must be very difficult—either because the stories are so gruesome and terrible, or because frequent retellings have rendered the subject so tiresome that she feels as if she’s going to go out of her mind if she has to go over it one more time. “Both,” she says.

“HOW WOULD I BE ABLE TO LOOK MYSELF IN THE MIRROR?” | SGT. JASON LEMIEUX | MARINES

“I got to Marine Corps boot camp in Parris Island, South Carolina, on Sept. 10, 2001. Boot camp is a media blackout so we didn’t realize the gravity of what was going on. The drill instructor told us the country had just been attacked by terrorists. But for all we knew he could have been exaggerating to scare us into submission.
“My first deployment was to Kuwait on Jan. 21, 2003, in preparation for the invasion. I was part of a huge boot drop. That’s not official terminology—boot drop—but it’s what they call dropping fresh infantry school graduates straight into combat. Our boot drop comprised 50 percent of the manpower of the unit we were joining. Normally they wouldn’t put so many fresh, inexperienced soldiers together in combat, but that’s the way they’re doing it in this war. I invaded Iraq on March 21, 2003, and went all the way to Baghdad. Most of the units we were supposed to attack fled when they found out we were coming. After the invasion we moved down to Karbala, the safest city in the country at the time. We supported the local businesses with our money, and were welcomed for our ability to maintain order. I came home in September.
“My second deployment was to Husaybah, from February to September of 2004. It was a meat grinder, incredibly violent, a whole different world than the Iraq I had left five months before.

“I SWORE TO THE HOLY FAMILY” | SPEC. EDGAR CUEVAS | ARMY

Edgar Cuevas hated the Iraq war long before he landed in Tikrit where, 24 hours into his first Iraq assignment, he watched medics haul in two soldiers injured in a roadside bombing.
“From the beginning of the war, I was like, ‘Why are we even invading?’ There was no connection between Iraq and 9/11,” Cuevas says.
He grew up in Burbank, joining the Army out of high school, in January 2001.“At that time I didn’t think we’d be in a war, so I thought it was good timing,” he says.
The Army sent Specialist Cuevas to Schweinfurt, with tours in the Balkans—“police actions,” he calls them. “Both the Serbs and Albanians were really happy we were there,” he says. “We helped them and they helped us. Nothing there made me say, ‘I don’t like this, I want to get out.’”
Then, in Nov. 2003, just 12 days from the end of his service, the Army hit Cuevas and thousands of other military men and women with a stop-loss order.
“If you remember the election of 2004, John Kerry was talking about the ‘backdoor draft.’

“WE DON’T GO ANYWHERE” | SGT. JABBAR MAGRUDER | ARMY NATIONAL GUARD

“I joined the Army National Guard in 2000. I was a high school kid who wanted to learn a trade while serving my country. The day of September 11, I called my National Guard unit and asked them, ‘Are we going to get involved, are we going to go anywhere?’ And they told me, ‘We’re the National Guard. We don’t go anywhere.’

Visit The District Weekly to Read the Rest of the interviews.

The Sunday Times Magazine, March 1, 2008 The veterans are not against the military and seek not to indict it – instead they seek to shine a light on the bigger picture: that the Abu Ghraib prison regime and the Haditha massacre of innocent Iraqis are not isolated incidents perpetrated by “bad seeds” as the military suggests, but evidence of an endemic problem. They will say they were tasked to do terrible things and point the finger up the chain of command, which ignores, diminishes or covers up routine abuse and atrocities.
Some see it as their responsibility to speak out – like Jason Washburn, a US marine who did three tours in Iraq; Logan Laituri, a US Army forward observer in Iraq; and Perry O’Brien, an army medic deployed to Afghanistan in 2003. They believe that, as veterans, they are the most credible sources of information. They say they were put in immoral and often illegal positions. They will speak about what they saw, and what they were asked to do.
Read the article from the London Sunday Times

Winter Soldiers march to Valley Forge
Dozens of members of IVAW participated in a 25-mile march in Philadelphia from March 1-2, starting at the Constitution Center and ending at Valley Forge. In spirit, Valley Forge is the first Winter Soldier event. "230 years ago, a group of soldiers gathered at Valley Forge to stand up against oppression on behalf of their people. And we aim to do the same here today," said Steve Mortillo, president of the Philadelphia chapter of IVAW and former Calvary Scout in Iraq.
Read the Philadelphia Daily News' coverage of the Valley Forge March

Iraq Veterans Against The War-Winter Soldier

Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan will feature testimony from U.S. veterans who served in those occupations, giving an accurate account of what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground.

The four-day event will bring together veterans from across the country to testify about their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan - and present video and photographic evidence. In addition, there will be panels of scholars, veterans, journalists, and other specialists to give context to the testimony. These panels will cover everything from the history of the GI resistance movement to the fight for veterans' health benefits and support.

When: Thursday March 13 to Sunday March 16

For those interested in watching or organizing around the proceedings at Winter Soldier, there will be a number of ways to watch and listen to the event.

**Live television broadcast via satellite tv, accessible through Dish Network as well as public access stations that choose to carry our broadcast - Friday and Saturday only

**Live video stream on the web - Thursday through Sunday { no site url given, as yet, on this video stream }

**Live radio broadcast via KPFA in Berkley California and other Pacifica member stations - Friday through Sunday

**Live audio stream via KPFA's website - Friday through Sunday

Please return to the IVAW website for specific details in the coming weeks.

You can find out more at the IVAW - Winter Soldier - Site, on the left you will find links to the needed information, as well as some embedded links in page text.

Winter Soldier Preview

Winter Soldierizing

The following comes from Jack Dresser, Ph.D., Behavioral Scientist, Co-founder, Lane County Veterans for Peace: Capt., US Army (psychologist, Vietnam era)
Squadron 13 ; Veterans Against Torture via G.I. Special-Military Project, Volume: 6B Issue: 16 Ft. Dix, you can read it in Word or in PDF for the rest of the News Letter.

****************

In the winter of 1777-78, after suffering three terrible defeats by the much larger British force and marching hundreds of miles, the 11,000-man Continental Army retreated to a winter headquarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Food was in desperately short supply, 2,000 men were without shoes, and many were without blankets. Typhoid fever, dysentery, malnutrition and exposure claimed some 2,500 lives that winter.

American Patriot morale had declined severely and whole militia companies had deserted to return home. Those that remained to weather the arduous winter formed powerful bonds that led them to eventually prevail in our war for independence.

Of these men and the 700 women who fed, nursed and warmed them through that winter, political activist and revolutionary thinker Thomas Paine wrote, “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of all men and women.”

Those that endured have come to be called the “winter soldiers.”

As veterans, we once swore to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” We do not foreswear that oath upon removing the uniform.

Two Vietnam Veterans visit the My Lai Memorial, Vietnam.

Upon that basis in 1971, following prosecution of Lt. Calley for the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, over 150 honorably discharged, many very highly decorated members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War {VVAW} gathered in Detroit to share their stories. Remaining faithful to their oath beyond their obligated service and harkening back to Paine’s words, they named this the “Winter Soldier Investigation.”

Atrocities like My Lai had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions.
The members of VVAW testified at that time on the systematic brutality and war crimes they had witnessed and inflicted upon the people of Vietnam, stating that unspeakable atrocities such as “free fire zones” were in fact US government policy, violating the Geneva Conventions and other international treaties which are defined by Article VI of the Constitution as “the supreme law of the land.”

Asked by Chairman William Fulbright to present their findings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Lt. John Kerry delivered ringing testimony on behalf of the group. He explained, “We who have come here to Washington have come here because we feel we have to be winter soldiers now. We could come back to this country, we could be quiet, we could hold our silence, we could not tell what went on in Vietnam, but we feel because of what threatens this country, not the reds, but the crimes which we are committing that threaten it, that we have to speak out.”

Kerry concluded his testimony, “We wish that a merciful God could wipe away our own memories of that service as easily as this administration has wiped away their memories of us. But all that they have done and all that they can do by this denial is to make more clear than ever our own determination to undertake one last mission - to search out and destroy the last vestige of this barbaric war, to pacify our own hearts, to conquer the hate and fear that have driven this country these last ten years and more... And so when thirty years from now our brothers go down the street without a leg, without an arm, or a face, and small boys ask why, we will be able to say ‘Vietnam’ and not mean a desert, not a filthy obscene memory, but mean instead where America finally turned and where soldiers like us helped it in the turning.”

But thirty years have passed and America has failed to turn.

Thirty-two years later, America launched another equally brutal, equally mindless, equally unjustified attack on the nation of Iraq, again in violation of international treaty laws - the UN and Nuremberg Charters - that prohibit wars of aggression, and once more violating Article VI, the “Supremacy Clause,” of our Constitution. So once again winter soldiers are needed.

Thankfully, a current generation of outraged veterans is arising and a Winter Soldier II investigation is scheduled for March 13-16 in Washington, DC, where members of Iraq Veterans Against the War {IVAW} will replicate the model of their VVAW predecessors. All other peace organizations nationwide have been asked to suspend public events during that time so that media attention can be focused on this testimony. Information about the event may be found on the group's Web site.

“Over 30 years later,” IVAW states, “we find ourselves faced with a new war, but the lies are the same. Once again, troops are sinking into an increasingly bloody occupation. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming 'a few bad apples' instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.”

IVAW is planning to provide live broadcasting of the sessions for those who cannot hear the testimony firsthand.

Our blue-and-white Veterans for Peace bus, “Squadron13 Deployed,” will be there - our gas budget willing - following a 3,400 mile coast-to-coast awareness raising tour taking the southern route around the Rockies.

We will film and post on YouTube as we go and as we witness.

Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan

On the 22nd 'War Comes Home' posted a DKOS diary on Information on Live Streaming Audio Feed to 'Winter Soldier II' on KPFA with feed available at the War Comes Home website as well.

More is now up at the Iraq Veterans Against The War-Winter Soldier website:

Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan will feature testimony from U.S. veterans who served in those occupations, giving an accurate account of what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground.

The four-day event will bring together veterans from across the country to testify about their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan - and present video and photographic evidence. In addition, there will be panels of scholars, veterans, journalists, and other specialists to give context to the testimony. These panels will cover everything from the history of the GI resistance movement to the fight for veterans' health benefits and support.

When: Thursday March 13 to Sunday March 16

For those interested in watching or organizing around the proceedings at Winter Soldier, there will be a number of ways to watch and listen to the event.

**Live television broadcast via satellite tv, accessible through Dish Network as well as public access stations that choose to carry our broadcast - Friday and Saturday only

**Live video stream on the web - Thursday through Sunday { no site url given, as yet, on this video stream }

**Live radio broadcast via KPFA in Berkley California and other Pacifica member stations - Friday through Sunday

**Live audio stream via KPFA's website - Friday through Sunday

Please return to the IVAW website for specific details in the coming weeks.

You can find out more at the IVAW - Winter Soldier - Site, on the left you will find links to the needed information, as well as some embedded links in page text.

Winter Soldier I site page.

In February 1971, one month after the revelations of the My Lai massacre, an astonishing public inquiry into war crimes committed by American forces in Vietnam was held at a Howard Johnson motel in Detroit. The Vietnam Veterans Against the War organized this event called the Winter Soldier Investigation. More than 125 veterans spoke of atrocities they had witnessed and committed.

With Video Trailer and much more.

In the leadup to the present Winter Soldier we get words from one who participated in the one of the past.

Joe Bangert, Smedley Butler VFP, Star of "Winter Soldier" and "Sir! No Sir!" speaks at the Moonakis Cafe, Falmouth, Mass- 2/9/08- film by Paul Rifkin and David Souza:

Joe Bangert, a Vietnam Vet, of Vietnam Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace, who gave testimony at the 1971 Winter Soldier Hearings, lays the groundwork for Winter Soldier 2.

JOE BANGERT, WINTER SOLDIER


Visit IVAW-Iraq Veterans Against The War and Support These Brave Soldiers who have Served for You!

Nixon, and the government agencies under his control, tried to stop and slander the Soldiers of 'Winter Soldier I' and that continues today by his loyalist and those still bent on the twisted ideologies, from the very top to the tv and radio talking heads to the print media and today to the internet.

Who will be the first to Attack the Soldiers of 'Winter Soldier II', which 'chickhawk' will try to Slander their Service and their Testimony on the Realities of War, take your pick, plenty to choose from!!

By Dennis Serdel, Vietnam 1967-68 (one tour) Light Infantry, Americal Div. 11th Brigade, purple heart, Veterans For Peace 50 Michigan, Vietnam Veterans Against The War, United Auto Workers GM Retiree, in Perry, Michigan
****************
Bridging The Gap

There is a broken bridge that they call America
between the people and their government.
Stressed out cracked TV's, broken fractured newspapers
with jagged concrete facts that they call Iraq.

There's a broken bridge between our Soldiers
and what they were told they were fighting for.
There is a broken bridge across the Euphrates river
like a broken bridge across the Mississippi too.

Rivers of darkness and light that flow
a lightning bolt currents dark and dangerous,
pieces of humans lay at the bottom and who is responsible,
who does not care at all as the rain and sand
fall like teardrops trying to see through the murky waters,
trying to find a way out, trying to stop the bleeding,
trying to kill the cause and Americans
stand and watch the horror of civilization
pounded by combat boots, they want to stop it
but they doubt it like by voting the war away.

Captain Amerika still acting like superman,
the Statue of Liberty is cracking like the economy,
who cares about a war debt, put it on a Chinese credit card,
green back dollars going down and down drowning
another bridge falling into the water.

To the energy poor depression crashed civilians
of a war wreck they once called America,
the Answer is within our Soldiers
when they come back from another tour.

The Answer is within Americans
when they stand behind the Soldiers
when they refuse to deploy on a no way next tour.

Pete Seeger to Winter Soldiers



VVAW Dec 26th \'70
Once again Country living in Distress!

“ Every war, when viewed from the undistorted perspective of life's sanctity, is a "civil war" waged by humanity against itself."
- Daisaku Ikeda

Those Fighting Can Do It, CAN YOU!

Fort Hood soliders breaking the silence in war in Iraq

A growing number of active duty soldiers or recent Iraq war veterans are speaking up about the war in Iraq.
And with the number of soldiers speaking up about their experiences in Iraq via online forums, blogs and pamphlets,
some vets feel it's their duty to let the American public know the truth.

This occurred on the 17th, yesterday, outside of Ft Hood Texas, which has a rich history of action by Active Duty and
recent Veterans of the Vietnam Conflict, back than one of many bases, around the country, as well as the world, and In-Country
Vietnam!

This Austin Texas News Channel seems to have fallen in behind these Soldiers, embedded links and all, with no negative reporting!

'There is a cost to this war. This war is being paid in American blood, in my soldier's blood. And that is not okay,' Coppa said.

'We lost really good friends, really good leaders who died in Iraq. From my perspective, it didn't make any sense, we didn't
accomplish anything, and I talked to a lot of other soldiers who feel the same way,' Fort Hood soldier Casey Porter said.

Visit above link to read and Watch the Video Report

This morning Army Sargent had this posted up at Vet Voice:

Winter Soldier: What We Believe‏

Many of you don't understand why I believe in Winter Soldier, or what I think Winter Soldier is going to be about. It's hard to explain, especially when you find yourself coming up against gaps. You can read my piece in the SIT-REP, if you're lucky enough to be by a base where that hot little newspaper is going around.

There's abit more, it was leading up to this Moving Video of what is to come next month in the Nations Capitol, Winter Soldier, March 13-16 2008

WARNING: A few very graphic photos and descriptions
Winter Soldier Iraq and Afganistan

When I returned home Thomas, brother Vietnam Vet, of Military Project-G.I.Special
had sent out the following in the News Letter, it's from an issue on 11-14-07, from an Active Duty Soldier, who might recognize it:

Army Values

“I Am Loyal To My Fellow Soldiers; I Do Not Want Them To Die In A Purposeless War”

“I Am Loyal To The Constitution; A Constitution Which Is Under Attack By Men Who Have Not Sacrificed To Protect It”

“Our Leadership Is Currently Dishonorable”

A lot of people question how I can be a sergeant in the Army, giving my oath true weight, and believing in its values, and still be a member of IVAW.

It’s easy.

I believe in the Army’s purpose-it is to defend our country and protect the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

I don’t think its purpose is foreign wars we can’t win.

Its true purpose is noble, and has been subverted by armchair soldiers, politicians who have never had to serve.

They don’t know these values, and they don’t live them -- but I do.
And here’s why they support, rather than contradict, what I’m doing now as a member of IVAW.

Loyalty: Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit, and fellow soldiers.

Nowhere in this list does it say “the current leadership of your country, and their political decisions”.

I am loyal to my fellow soldiers; I do not want them to die in a purposeless war.

I am loyal to the Army; I do not want it to be weakened on multiple fronts and taken away from its true purpose, defense of the nation.

I am loyal to the Constitution; a Constitution which is under attack by men who have not sacrificed to protect it.

I bear true faith and allegiance to these, most particularly the Constitution which founded our nation.

Duty: Fulfill your obligations

Our highest obligations as soldiers is our obligation to our country and the flag we salute. Our obligation as citizens and patriots compels us to defend our country in any way we can -- against its destruction as well as its dishonor.

The Iraq War, and the way it is being prosecuted, dishonors us in the eyes of the world, and even worse, dishonors us to ourselves.

Respect: Treat people as they should be treated.

Treat the people of the United States as well as the people of Iraq with respect.

They deserve to be treated according to their status: if they are prisoners of war, then treat them with the full dignity accorded POWs. If they are criminals, then give them trials.

Innocent until proven guilty: we do not lose our values when we step away from our shores.

Selfless Service: Put the welfare of the Nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own.

Being a member of IVAW is hard.

It is hard to stand up, to devote effort and time to an organization committed to what is right, when your leadership so firmly believes that it is wrong.

It’s hard to face the intimidation and harassment that many members of the active duty military face when they begin to speak out on what they feel. It’s hard to stand up and tell your higher ups that they are committing crimes.

But the welfare of the Nation, our continued survival as an honorable country, and the continued survival of the Army depends on some of us standing up, and saying, “Sir, no Sir!”

That we will not participate in illegal acts, and we will report them when and where we see them.

We will not train our soldiers to commit them, and will train our soldiers to follow the honorable path.

And the honorable path now, the hard service, means standing up and speaking the truth, so that legislators can begin to realize it, and bring us home.

Honor: Live up to Army Values

Honor is living up to all the Army Values, but it is even older than that. It is the thing you have when you have nothing else left. It is all you need: it should be the cornerstone of a soldier.

It is phrased as living up to all the Army Values, because if you lack even one, you cannot be an honorable soldier.

It is the ability to look yourself in the mirror at the end of the day and know you have done all that you can, and that you have not had to reproach yourself for anything.

Our leadership is currently dishonorable.

By their bending of the torture legislation to allow what they want to take place, they are attempting to put a stain upon our honor that will take at least a generation to erase.

As soon as our soldiers have fulfilled their usefulness to them, leadership shuffles them away, with “personality disorders” instead of PTSD treatment.

Benefits are cut, while contractors reach huge rewards.

This is not taking care of the people who have given their all to the country.

It is dishonorable, and the only way to restore that honor is to stand up against the people who are doing so and will do so again.

Integrity: Do what is right, legally and morally.

The things that the political leadership of this country are trying to do right now are neither legal nor moral.

The acceptance of torture, the belief that once Americans go beyond their borders, they no longer have to hold to the beliefs that shaped our nation, ‘baiting’ with weapons caches, and other such tactics at the very least skirt the fine line of legality: they are definitely not moral.

Claiming that it is okay to treat people dishonorably because they are not an organized force fighting against us is simply wrong, as is the argument that they are not citizens and therefore do not deserve the protections of the Constitution.
We are the good guys!

We do the right thing, even if others don’t, and if our leadership does not understand that, it needs to.

It needs to pull out of this war, and cease its immoral actions, to bring itself in line with the country’s beliefs and principles.

Personal Courage: Face fear, danger, or adversity (physical or moral)

It does not take physical courage to stand up and fight against injustice in this fashion.

Most members have not been physically attacked -- the cowards who attack people for their beliefs have gone after a father of a dead servicemember instead (Carlos Arredondo).

But it does take moral courage.

It takes moral courage to stand up for what you know to be true and right, moral courage to say that the country is steering in the wrong direction, and you are committed by your oath to turn it around.

It takes moral courage to resist a war that your leadership believes in, or to stand against your entire platoon and state that you will not treat a prisoner with anything less than full dignity.

And it takes moral courage to be counted, here, to let people insult you for perceived cowardice, when the truth is that you, like I, may not be against all wars, all places, all times.

But hopefully you, like I, like many committed and dedicated members of the military community, are against this one.

In the leadup to the present Winter Soldier we get words from one who participated in the one of the past.

Joe Bangert, Smedley Butler VFP, Star of "Winter Soldier" and "Sir! No Sir!" speaks at the Moonakis Cafe, Falmouth, Mass- 2/9/08- film by Paul Rifkin and David Souza:

Joe Bangert, a Vietnam Vet, of Vietnam Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace, who gave testimony at the 1971 Winter Soldier Hearings, lays the groundwork for Winter Soldier 2.

JOE BANGERT, WINTER SOLDIER


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