MAUREEN CAVANAUGH (Host): I'm Maureen Cavanaugh, and you're listening to These Days on KPBS. When the tour of duty is over, some veterans find the battle to regain their normal lives has just begun. This morning, the KPBS series “War Comes Home,” focuses on the challenges that face veterans and their families as these former warriors transition into civilian life. Some vets are dealing with invisible wounds. Traumatic brain injury has been called the signature combat injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, post traumatic stress disorder, if not treated, can last for years and tear relationships apart. The good news is there is a lot of help available for returning veterans and their families. And, we're about to speak to several guests who know both the challenges and the support that exists for military families. I’d like to welcome my guests. Benjamin Karney is associate professor of psychology at UCLA, and an adjunct behavioral scientist at the Rand Corporation. Ben, welcome to These Days....>>>>rest of Audio Transcript found here of show in player below, also can be heard at site.
War Comes Home: San Diego Military Families
September 25, 2009, Above: KPBS Reporter Alison St John, who produced the series "War Comes Home", talks about special challenges faced by military families in San Diego. Transcript for Video.
If politicians want to protect marriage, they should work to support veterans and military families.
More than 13,000 military marriages ended last year, and mine came dangerously close to becoming one of them, but it wasn’t because of some gays getting hitched. Military marriages are at increasingly high risk of failure, and combat is the cause.
Most of the boots on the ground in Iraq are worn by Marines, active duty Army, or Army National Guard. They have served the most and longest deployments, seen the most combat, and suffered the most injuries, both physical and psychological. In 2008, the active-duty Army and Marines also had a higher percentage of failed marriages than the Navy or Air Force, whose rates held steady or decreased slightly.
Survivor Corps, Booz Allen Hamilton, and The Veterans' Coalition are co-hosting a Summit to convene a community of leaders from the public, private, and civil sectors. Together we can collaboratively address the reintegration of service members and veterans as they return home to their families, communities, schools, and jobs.
The Challenge
Over one and a half million service members have deployed in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001. Over thirty thousand have been physically wounded, with many more experiencing less visible, psychological wounds. Many returning veterans are facing family, employment, and other community reintegration issues. Recent reports suggest an increase in rates of suicide [1], alcohol and drug abuse [2], homelessness [3], and domestic violence [4]. These traumatic effects of war, left unaddressed, could have far-reaching negative consequences for the individuals affected, their families, and our nation.
Leaders of the public, private, and civil sectors have been doing substantial work to address the issues around reintegration-individually and through partnerships or coalitions. Clearly, the hard work of these organizations has improved the lives of returning service members and veterans, yet many challenges remain. Reintegration issues are complex, and the responsibility for dealing with them is shared among many organizations. Successful solutions to the issues may require a shift in leadership approach and a significant increase in collaborative action.
The Reintegration Summit
To continue the work accomplished at the Initiators Conference, Survivor Corps, Booz Allen Hamilton, and The Veterans' Coalition will host the Community Reintegration Summit on January 26-27, 2009, at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, DC. The goal is to convene a broader community of leaders from the public, private, and civil sectors to collaboratively address the issues of reintegration that affect how service members return to family, work, school, and community following their war time service. There are four key objectives for the Summit:
* Review themes, issues, and challenges faced by service members and veterans returning to civilian life * Develop a definition of successful community reintegration * Develop action plans to address specific issues of community reintegration that reach across sectors * Launch megacommunity workgroups to address specific issues of community reintegration
At the Summit, attendees will confront the toughest issues of community reintegration by participating in a dynamic simulation. Participants will be divided into various teams, whose assumptions, actions, and agreements will drive the simulation. Teams will work together, share information, and develop coordinated decisions and actions. As the simulation advances in time, participants will see the consequences and long-term impacts of their decisions on service members and veterans.
The issues of community reintegration are complex and will likely take years to solve. Participants will leave the Summit with a greater understanding of these issues as informed by the perspectives of leaders from all sectors. They will also have the opportunity to engage in action-oriented workgroups to facilitate leader-to-leader collaboration between organizations moving beyond the Summit. We believe that by gaining commitments to action, developing measurable goals, and routinely checking our progress against them, together we can sustain progress toward helping service members make a healthy return to their families and communities.
According to reports, it took an average of nine years postdeployment for Vietnam vets to fall into homelessness. There’s concern that it’s happening much sooner for the recent vets, says Blecker.
Survivor Corps, Booz Allen Hamilton, and The Veterans' Coalition are co-hosting a Summit to convene a community of leaders from the public, private, and civil sectors. Together we can collaboratively address the reintegration of service members and veterans as they return home to their families, communities, schools, and jobs.
The Challenge
Over one and a half million service members have deployed in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001. Over thirty thousand have been physically wounded, with many more experiencing less visible, psychological wounds. Many returning veterans are facing family, employment, and other community reintegration issues. Recent reports suggest an increase in rates of suicide [1], alcohol and drug abuse [2], homelessness [3], and domestic violence [4]. These traumatic effects of war, left unaddressed, could have far-reaching negative consequences for the individuals affected, their families, and our nation.
Leaders of the public, private, and civil sectors have been doing substantial work to address the issues around reintegration-individually and through partnerships or coalitions. Clearly, the hard work of these organizations has improved the lives of returning service members and veterans, yet many challenges remain. Reintegration issues are complex, and the responsibility for dealing with them is shared among many organizations. Successful solutions to the issues may require a shift in leadership approach and a significant increase in collaborative action.
The Reintegration Summit
To continue the work accomplished at the Initiators Conference, Survivor Corps, Booz Allen Hamilton, and The Veterans' Coalition will host the Community Reintegration Summit on January 26-27, 2009, at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, DC. The goal is to convene a broader community of leaders from the public, private, and civil sectors to collaboratively address the issues of reintegration that affect how service members return to family, work, school, and community following their war time service. There are four key objectives for the Summit:
* Review themes, issues, and challenges faced by service members and veterans returning to civilian life * Develop a definition of successful community reintegration * Develop action plans to address specific issues of community reintegration that reach across sectors * Launch megacommunity workgroups to address specific issues of community reintegration
At the Summit, attendees will confront the toughest issues of community reintegration by participating in a dynamic simulation. Participants will be divided into various teams, whose assumptions, actions, and agreements will drive the simulation. Teams will work together, share information, and develop coordinated decisions and actions. As the simulation advances in time, participants will see the consequences and long-term impacts of their decisions on service members and veterans.
The issues of community reintegration are complex and will likely take years to solve. Participants will leave the Summit with a greater understanding of these issues as informed by the perspectives of leaders from all sectors. They will also have the opportunity to engage in action-oriented workgroups to facilitate leader-to-leader collaboration between organizations moving beyond the Summit. We believe that by gaining commitments to action, developing measurable goals, and routinely checking our progress against them, together we can sustain progress toward helping service members make a healthy return to their families and communities.
What: Complaint Filed—Vietnam Veterans of America, et al. v. CIA, et al.
Where: United States District Court, Northern District of California
SAN FRANCISCO (January 7, 2009) – Attorneys at Morrison & Foerster LLP have filed an unprecedented action against the Defense Department, the CIA, and other government institutions based upon failures to care for those veterans who “volunteered” in thousands of secret experiments to test toxic chemical and biological substances under code names such as MKULTRA. The new case comes on the heels of an earlier case the firm filed on behalf of veterans afflicted with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (“PTSD”), which is now pending in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The firm is handling both cases on a pro bono basis.
The current action was brought in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, on behalf of the Vietnam Veterans of America and six aging veterans with multiple diseases and ailments tied to a diabolical and secret testing program, whereby U.S. military personnel were deliberately exposed, by government and military agencies, to chemical and biological weapons and other toxins without informed consent. This multifaceted research program, which was launched in the early 1950s and continued through at least 1976, was conducted not only at the Edgewood Arsenal and Fort Detrick, Maryland, but also across America by universities and hospitals under contract to Defendants.
Defendants include the CIA, the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense (“DoD”), and various government officials responsible for these agencies. The CIA secretly provided financing, personnel, and direction for the experiments, which were mainly conducted or contracted by the Army.
I caught this report, 12-22-08, and thought I'd pass on, especially if someone missed the report and is or knows an OIF or OEF Vet that might be suffering from something diagnosed or undiagnosed, or might want to get checked. No matter where you were In-Theater I would suggest that All Veterans of Both Theaters get Tests and continue to do so, we had enough problems about Agent Orange and the Gulf War I Vets with 'Gulf War Syndrome', denial from the government and apathy from the country!
The military contractor Kellogg Brown and Root, known as KBR, has won more than $28 billion in U.S. military contracts since the beginning of the Iraq war. KBR may be facing a new scandal. First, accusations its then-parent company Halliburton was given the lucrative contract. And later, allegations of shoddy construction oversight that resulted in Americans getting electrocuted. Now, some other American soldiers say the company knowingly put their lives at risk, CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian exclusively reports.
The Guardsmen and civilian contractors who worked there have described walking on and sitting near the bright orange powder that was widely dispersed throughout the grounds of the water plant. The chemical was believed to have been left behind by forces loyal to Saddam Hussein.
Some of the Guardsmen already suffer from nasal tumors or respiratory system problems and other health problems, according to the lawsuit. One of the guardsmen may have died from the exposure, though the exact cause of his death earlier this year is still not clear.
Democracy Now: Indiana Guardsmen Sue KBR Over Chemical Exposure in Iraq Watch/Listen/Read
With other recent news on Veterans and still active Military Personal following this Shout Out for not only Veterans participation but for those not Sacrificing, civilian population, to get more involved with the issues, it's past your time, that face those who Serve You when serving in our Military and especially after Their Service is over!
But first you might want to take a visit to one of the MTV pages and read about just one of the issues facing the returning Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, many with multiple tours in these theaters. Its called Veterans Fight For An Alternative Justice System That Takes Their Trauma Into Account, everyone with feet on the ground in a combat theater, War and Occupation, is changed for life, not just those who are fighting but those Occupied as well, Everyone, and not enough Still has been done to understand not only the change but the mental suffering many go through, PTSD, as those memories of those days in Theaters keep returning over and over, sometimes triggered by that around them sometimes not, but for many they have the recurring nightmares in their sleep of what they've seen or done and those nightmares can and do invaded the mind when not sleeping.
"I would see their tattoos," he said. "Veterans are proud of their service, and a lot of them get these tattoos, so I would go up to them and ask about their service. I noticed a lot of them are doing what I call self-medicating. They come back from a combat zone, and they are not sure how to handle those feelings or what they are going through, or [how to] stop those dreams they are having. So they start using drugs or drinking alcohol real heavily. Nine times out of 10, that leads to some sort of criminal activity."
We worked closely with MTV on BRAVE, because there is a tremendous amount at stake for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in this election. BRAVE includes the following calls to action:
• Properly treat veterans' mental health issues. • Prevent homelessness among veterans. • Give disabled veterans the benefits they have earned in a timely manner. • Fully fund veterans' hospitals across the country. • Compensate troops who are made to serve longer via Stop Loss.
Paul has more, including information on a CNN show he will participate in to be aired on saturday and sunday, take a quick trip over to find out more.
Here's another video about MTV's Advocacy for Veterans:
And here's some recent news about Veterans, especially our most recent:
Veterans For America, a veterans advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., released a report on the Alaska Army National Guard Oct. 15 that stated the Guard does not adequately care for soldiers who return from deployment. The report accuses Gov. Sarah Palin of not taking action to address this issue.
The Veterans For America writeup can be found here along with the report in PDF.
The citizen Soldiers of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard have borne a disproportionate share of the burden of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Veterans for America (VFA) has found.
Between now and November 4th, it is essential that every presidential and congressional candidate and their surrogates campaigning in Pennsylvania address how they will relieve the great strain placed on the Pennsylvania National Guard.
Now lets see what former Military Personal, now Veterans, and also Union Members, have to say about the upcoming Presidential Election.
More than 2 million union members and thousands of union retirees around the country have served their country in the armed forces, and through the AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council, union vets are reaching out to other union vets to talk about what’s at stake for them this election—as veterans and as workers.
This next report is Extremely Troubling, as it's been report before, a number of times. Apparently because this administration and country seems to want to continue these Occupations, especially in Iraq, it seems the past reports are being Ignored and what the military was doing has been ramped up putting our soldiers and their comrades in even more danger, self danger and extreme danger while on patrols!
This was reported last night on ABC World News: Mentally Unstable Soldiers Redeployed to Iraq by Bob Woodruff, Stretched Thin, the Army Puts the Vulnerable Back on the Frontlines. If you missed this report visit the link, and try to understand what this means, for the individual soldier who already had developed PTSD and possible TBI, from explosives devices, being sent back into the theaters that have caused their mental anguish, not only sent but sent with prescription drugs to help them coop with their depression and trauma while doing the same thing that caused it in the first place. They also greatly endanger their fellow soldiers, as one put it in the report:
Two weeks before his second deployment to Iraq last September, Army Specialist Michael DeVlieger broke down.
"At first, I thought it was something that everybody experienced," DeVlieger told ABC's Bob Woodruff, "and just through time and perseverance I guess it would pass." It didn't pass.
After an 11-day hospitalization, DeVlieger was given a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, three psychiatric prescriptions -- and deployment orders.
"Eighteen hours after he got out of the hospital, he deployed to Iraq," DeVlieger's wife, Christine DeVlieger, recalled. He left for Iraq despite Pentagon policy requiring that service members establish three months of "stability without significant symptoms" before deploying.
"I was a ticking time bomb," Michael DeVlieger said.
And the Military experts? are Spinning what they are doing, No Concern For The Soldier, seems just for the War Politicians and Profiteers, and the 'chickenhawks' who support them!
that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic
The ABC News Anchor Returns With a Candid Look at Brain Injuries and Veteran Care
They just had this on ABC News about Woodruffs injuries and comeback, along with a short report on a soldier who also lost an arm an had TBI, Tramatic Brain Injury.
He will be reporting on his story along with military personals similar stories, tomorrow and in coming months!!
With All that's been coming out, Finally, and my respect for his past reporting, my Hope Is That They Don't Constrain Him and Allow the Truth!!!!!
Army officials toured Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Wednesday to inspect and monitor repairs at the facility, which has been criticized for poor conditions and patient care. The Army's surgeon general and a veterans advocate debate the medical center's future.
Officials opened Building 18 of the Walter Reed medical center to the media after reports described mold-covered walls and mice at the outpatient facility. Two former patients discuss their treatment, then Reps. Bob Filner and Christopher Shays react to the situation.
This is a day late, but important, especially for those in the state of Wisconsin and may not have known about it. I want to thank Ilona Meagher, of PTSD Combat : Winning the War Within for pointing me over to a radio show, on a day I'm getting Iced out of work, that actually aired yesterday:
WGTD Morning Show: A Discussion with Dr. Edward Tick on Combat PTSD Posted: 16 Jan 2007 11:38 PM CST Thanks to new media, you don't have to be in Kenosha, WI Wednesday morning to catch an informative program on combat PTSD. Just tune into WGTD's online stream at 8:10 am CST/9:10 am EST (or check show archives following its airing). Click on 'Article Link' below tags for more...
in her postings that are sent out.
I visited to see if it was archived, it wasn't yet, the most recent on that list is from the 12th, looks like they let the week run out before posting those shows. So I decided to listen to the live feed. On their local and state news section a report came up about 'Gulf War Syndrom', so in searching to see if I could find a link to it, or a printed report I found a link to the Wisconsin Veterans Section with 'Gulf War Syndrom' listed which led me to what's posted below.
Kicking off the day's conference will be a proclamation issued by Governor Jim Doyle, remarks by WDVA Secretary John A. Scocos on the significance of the day, comments by various dignitaries, and a presentation on Gulf War veterans' service-connected disability claims that will be of particular interest to Gulf War veterans and their advocates.
In public recognition of the continuing sacrifice by members of the U.S. armed forces who develop illnesses from exposure to Gulf War-related risk-substances,2005 Wisconsin Act 37designates January 17th of each year as"Gulf War Illnesses Recognition Day."
THE STATE OF WISCONSIN _________________________ OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR A PROCLAMATION WHEREAS, in response to the August 2, 1990 invasion of the State of Kuwait by the Republic of Iraq, a coalition of approximately 30 nations including the United States of America launched Operation Desert Storm at 3:00 a.m. local time on January 17, 1991 in order to enforce United Nations resolutions for Iraq to end its occupation of Kuwait; and WHEREAS, about 10,400 Wisconsin service members served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, with 11 losing their lives; and WHEREAS, during the course of their Persian Gulf War service, these service men and women were exposed to endemic diseases, anti-nerve agent pills and biological warfare agent vaccinations administered without informed consent, and a veritable toxic soup of burning oil well fires, depleted uranium, low-level exposures to chemical warfare agents, pesticides, and petroleum products; and WHEREAS, nearly one-third of the approximately 697,000 U.S. service men and women who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War have been granted federal service-connection for a myriad of illnesses and injuries, including chronic multi-symptom illnesses, neurological disorders, and an array of disabling health conditions; and WHEREAS, elevated rates of life-threatening diseases including Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), brain cancer, and testicular cancer have been documented among Gulf War veterans in peer-reviewed medical studies; and WHEREAS, as a public expression in recognition of the continuing sacrifice by members of the U.S. armed forces who develop illnesses from exposure to Gulf War-related risk-substances, the State of Wisconsin, by 2005 Wisconsin Act 37 enacted on August 17, 2005, designated January 17 of each year as "Gulf War Illnesses Recognition Day"; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Jim Doyle, Governor of the State of Wisconsin, do hereby proclaim January 17, 2007, as GULF WAR ILLNESSES RECOGNITION DAY throughout the state and encourage all Wisconsinites to honor and recognize those members of the United States armed forces who served in Operation Desert Storm ? the Gulf War ? for their dedicated service, and courage in protecting and defending the United States, and request that part of the day be used for quiet contemplation to honor those brave members of the U.S. armed forces who suffer illnesses as the result of their service to our nation. IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin to be affixed. Done at the Capitol in the City of Madison this tenth day of January in the year two thousand seven.
By the Governor DOUGLAS LA FOLLETTE Secretary of State
Fifteen years ago, as the nation sat down to dinner, President George H.W. Bush announced to a hushed nation, “ Just two hours ago, allied air forces began an attack on military targets in Iraq and Kuwait.” After months of deploying military forces from dozens of nations in a massive coalition troop buildup, so began the Persian Gulf War on January 17, 1991 at 3:00 a.m. local time.
In all, nearly 697,000 Americans served in theater during the 1991 Gulf War, including an estimated 10,400 from Wisconsin. Eleven of our brave Wisconsin service members never came home. For those who did return home, some had been wounded – physically, psychologically, morally. For others, the host of strange symptoms they were experiencing came to be known collectively as Gulf War Related Illnesses or Gulf War Syndrome. Of those who were deployed to the Persian Gulf between Aug. of 1990 and Jul. 1991, more than one of every three have now filed claims for service-connected disability compensation, including nearly half of those identified as having been exposed to low levels of Sarin nerve agent when a bunker filled with chemical munitions was detonated near Khamisiyah, Iraq shortly after the Feb. 1991 ceasefire. Veterans identified by the Department of Defense as included in the Khamisiyah group received a letter in December informing them of the elevated rate of brain cancer among their group. Researchers have also found doubled rates of Lou Gherig’s Disease (ALS) among Gulf War veterans. This year, our “Year of the Disabled Veteran,” we must do better at effectively helping our disabled veterans to gain effective treatment. And this January 17, Wisconsin is the first state in the nation to recognized Gulf War Illnesses Recognition Day, a day statutorily designated for recognition of those who still suffer from post-deployment health issues. In order to protect our current troops, we must learn the lessons of the 1991 Persian Gulf War to ensure that we will one day be able to treat and prevent the lingering health effects experienced by those who waged the war for the liberation of Kuwait amidst a battlefield filled with burning oil well fires, low levels of chemical warfare agents and other toxins, and exposure to a host of experimental drugs and vaccines. And, through “Mission: Welcome Home” and related efforts, we must ensure that our newest returning veterans are warmly reintegrated into the society that caused them to be sent to war, while ensuring that they are made fully aware of the range of programs and services available to them.
When was the last time you heard about 'Gulf War Syndrom' and the Thousands of Veterans, of the first gulf war, who are suffering from? Why is this just a Single State Action, and still not being covered by the Media, as it should, nor given the recognition by the Federal Government of whom these Military Personal Served Their Duty to, Us, when being sent into a War Theater? This is something that Should Not Be left to the individual states, not only to recognized but fund, this is a Federal Government Issue, as are All Issues related to what the Federal Government does concerning our Military Personal, Period!! I'll give you the quick but most important reason that issues such as this are pushed off the public radar, as they always are concerning our Military Personal and the results of the Conflicts they are sent into, M*O*N*E*Y!! I don't care what political party one belongs to No One Wants To Pony Up The Costs Needed, but Many are more than Willing to Spend Multi-Billions to Wage Senseless Wars on others, have No Questions about where the Billions upon Billions are going as to the Defense Department or the Military Industrial Complex thinking they are being Tough on National Security. Hell we don't even want to Rebuild the Countries We Destroy, we call the people our Enemies after Destroying them and their Countries!!! Human 'Animal' Nature, Disgusting!!! Just ask a 'Nam Vet how Country treats you if you had developed illnesses from Defoliants. or PTSD, hell ask any Conflict Vet about what some have and are going through. And just watch what happens to our Present War Theater Veterans, hell it's been happening already!!
No matter what branch of service one joins, in the service of this Country, they have an Obligation to Stand Up to the Oath taken, against what they may feel are Unlawful Orders, No Matter Who Gives Them. And especially as NCO's and Officers, if those Orders put their personal into extreme danger, against the Oath to Defend Country and Constitution, it is their Duty to Question those orders. Military personal have few options to be heard, outside of ranks, but the Appeal For Redress gives them an Avenue to discuss their grievances with their Elected Representative in Congress who Work For Them and Us Civilians. The Military Personal need our Real Support, just speaking the Words is not the support wanted nor needed!
From the Daily Press-Hampton Roads Virginia Warriors rally against Iraq war Active-duty personnel join activists in Norfolk to ask for an end to the conflict.
Now a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, he joined other active-duty personnel and peace activists at a Norfolk church Monday to promote an "Appeal for Redress" that asks Congress to bring the war to an end.
More than 1,030 soldiers, sailors and airmen have signed the petition, which is to be presented to Congress today.
"We've served in combat, and we've seen the futility of this war," said Magruder, who serves in an Army National Guard unit based in California. "The soldiers want to resist. The soldiers want to come home. We need the citizens to back us up."
More than 100 people attended the protest. Roughly one-third of the crowd were active-duty service members.
One message was repeated at Monday's protest: Dissent is not disloyalty, and those who object to the war are not traitors.
"It is not political, despite how others try to label us," said Liam Madden, a Marine who served seven months in Iraq. "Veterans often say, 'Not one more of my brothers should die for a lie.' This is not political. It is a call to conscience."
Active-duty war objectors face ostracism among their peers and potential retaliation from their superior officers, said Fabian Bouthillette, a former Navy officer who joined Iraq Veterans Against the War.
"Supporting the troops means more than slapping a bumper sticker on a car," he said. "I think it is very difficult for active-duty men and women to protest, to speak out. They have that right. We're all in this together."
A soldier based in Fort Lewis, Wash., 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, is awaiting court-martial for refusing to be deployed to the war, to which he publicly objected.
Magruder said he will go back to Iraq if his unit is redeployed there. But, he said, he'll do it only to support his brothers and sisters in arms.
From the Washington Post Why They Fight -- From Within Two Navy Men Create an Outlet For Military Protests on the Web
For Jonathan Hutto and David Rogers, life has become something of a surreality show. The two Navy men, comrades in arms, are waging a war against a war.
Jonathan Hutto, left, and David Rogers, who serve in the Navy, put together a Web site with names of active troops who are against the war in Iraq. (By Jay Paul For The Washington Post)
Working from within, Hutto, Rogers and others have established AppealforRedress.org , a Web site that enables active-duty, reserve and National Guard troops to appeal directly to Congress to withdraw military personnel from Iraq. On Monday, the group held its coming-out news conference in Norfolk, announcing that more than 1,000 people have signed appeals. On Tuesday, the pleas will be presented to Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) on Capitol Hill.
"Just because you joined the military doesn't mean your constitutional rights are suspended," said Hutto, a petty officer third class and 1999 Howard University graduate. "True patriotism is having a questioning attitude about the government." Redress in this situation means relief, he said. "Relief from this war."
Some, however, are reticent to appear in public. Organizers estimated that about two dozen active-duty members showed up at the Norfolk event, in a church near the naval base here. They were expecting 50. Hutto pointed out that many of the signers do not live in the Norfolk area.
The idea for the within-the-ranks antiwar group came after Hutto read "Soldiers in Revolt: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War" by David Cortright. Hutto showed the book to Rogers. They invited Cortright to come to Norfolk. "I was so impressed by the seriousness of the discussion," said Cortright, who teaches peace studies at the University of Notre Dame. He said it takes guts for active military members to speak out. "But they do it respectfully."
A specialist 4 during Vietnam, Cortright said there were hundreds of active-military antiwar groups by 1970. "They published underground newspapers, ran coffeehouses, organized demonstrations and protests," he said. He recalled that in 1969, a petition signed by more than 1,300 active-duty military people -- calling for a national protest against the Vietnam War -- ran in the New York Times. A widely circulated appeal for redress is a new wrinkle made possible by the Internet. The plea is simply stated. Here is the nut: I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq. Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. The site is also sponsored by Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out.
Signers include: Kevin Torres, 23, from Brooklyn, a sergeant in the 101st Airborne who has served two tours in Iraq. "I felt like with our being there, we were making more enemies," he said. "The people hated us. They wanted us out of the city." And Liam Madden, 22, a Marine sergeant from Vermont. He spent seven months on the ground in Iraq. "I saw Iraq struggling to get on its feet and failing to do so -- despite the best efforts of American military," he said. "I have nothing against the military or my experience. It's the policy I oppose."
He said warriors have the right to question their mission and not be like the cavalry in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade": Theirs not to reason why /Theirs but to do and die.
In an hour-long event that paid homage to the anti-war teachings of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the notion that dissent can be patriotic, the group claimed support from hundreds of actively serving personnel. Speakers said they will be in Washington today to present members of Congress with the names of 1,031 actively serving members of the military who have signed an Internet document calling for the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. "It is respectful," said Liam Madden, a U.S.Marine Corps sergeant based at Quantico. "This is not politics. It's our generation's call to conscience."
"I don't have the capacity to be silent and complain [about] things I find to be immoral," Hutto said yesterday. Hutto said about 25 personnel were present, including a number who are now in the reserves. None of the service personnel was in uniform, in accordance with federal law governing dissent by military members. He and others who spoke at the news conference said they have experienced no reprisals for their activities. The group has been coached by legal advisers that the law permits them to speak out if they direct their speech at members of Congress.
Madden said after the news conference that serving as a leader of an anti-war movement does not conflict with his role as a Marine sergeant. "In my heart, I'm doing what a sergeant should do, which is serving as an example," he said.
Cortright is also president of the Fourth Freedom Forum, which has provided help and raised some money for Hutto and Madden's campaign. Cortright said 60 percent of those who signed the Appeal for Redress have served in Iraq, and all of them are brave: "It's an extraordinary expression of conviction and courage."
“I am grateful for your courage,” he said to the service members and crowd of family, friends and peace activists who were present at a Capitol Hill press conference. The effort by the service members did grab attention. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., issued a statement saying he has deep respect for service members willing to stand up for what they believe. “They have exercised their constitutional right to free speech, and they have questioned an unjust war,” he said.
A couple of the group of Active Military Personal, and one must be Active or very recenly Discharged to sign on to the appeal, with the Appeal For Redress were interviewed on Sunday on the Air America Phoenix - 1480 KPHX - Phoenix's ONLY Progressive Talk Radio show About Face which is hosted by members of the local Phoenix Veterans For Peace Chapter. Those shows are not archived but the "About Face" show, though not live, airs also on The Progressive Radio Network a streaming online Radio Network. The About Face program airs on Saturdays, at 3pm PT 6pm ET. The show, described above, was taped and will be aired this coming Saturday, on the Appeal For Redress. It will also be archived at the 'About Face' link above after it's aired. Now last saturday it aired at 5pm ET don't know why so you might want to check it earlier if you are interested in hearing this interview. If you know any Active Military Personal who might be interested, send the link to them, they can tune in anywhere in the world. There is an archived show on PTSD with Ilona Meagher and guests already on the board at the left.
Just keep in mind these recent comments:
"I think the Iraqi people owe the American people a huge debt of gratitude" - The pResident
Yep up to 655,000 are really Grateful, many in their Mass Graves, as are their Survivors!
"I think once they get in harm's way, Congress's tradition is to support those troops," Mr. Hadley said.
Harms Way, shows what the administration thinks of the Troops, it's called a Strong Defense!
The Failed Policies will Haunt Us and the World for Decades!
WHAT: Public Press Conference by Active Duty, Reserve and Guard, US military personnel and Appeal For Redress to raise community awareness about the urgency of ending the war in Iraq, bringing the troops home now and taking care of them when they get here. A second event is being planned in Washington, DC after Jan. 15 in order for military personnel to respectfully present the signed petitions to Congress.
WHERE: Unitarian Universalist Church of Norfolk, 739 Yarmouth Street, Norfolk, Va 23510 on the Hague in Ghent.
WHEN: January 15, 2007 at 5:00 pm., national ML King Holiday
WHY: To generate support by raising public awareness and active Congressional support for the mission of conscience to bring the troops home as soon as possible and end the Iraq war before more irreparable damage is done and more US troops and innocent civilians perish.
PRESS: All media contacts radio, TV & print will be professionally handled by FENTON COMMUNICATIONS of Washington, DC.
September 25, 2009, Above: KPBS Reporter Alison St John, who produced the series "War Comes Home", talks about special challenges faced by military families in San Diego. Transcript for Video.
MTV's 
