Blogs

Iraq, Afghan Veterans Call For Respect For Muslims: 'America, You Gotta Have Our Back'

The push by some in the media against rising anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States gained valuable voices of support over the weekend -- and now joining that chorus are veterans who fought alongside U.S. servicemembers of Islamic faith in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read more »

Is the U.S. Pulling the Plug on Iraqi Workers?

Early in the morning of July 21, police stormed the offices of the Iraqi Electrical Utility Workers Union in Basra, the poverty-stricken capital of Iraq’s oil-rich south. A shamefaced officer told Hashmeya Muhsin, the first woman to head a national union in Iraq, that they’d come to carry out the orders of Electricity Minister Hussain al-Shahristani to shut the union down. Read more »

IVAW Calls for Prosecution of Bush Officials

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 9 August 2010

CONTACT: T.J. Buonomo, tj [at] ivaw [dot] org

New York, NY – At its seventh annual national convention in Austin, Texas, IVAW called for the prosecution of senior Bush administration officials for allegedly conspiring to manipulate intelligence in order to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Read more »

Second Soldier Alleges Former Tillman Commander Ordered "360 Rotational Fire" in Iraq

Another former soldier of Bravo Company 2-16 (2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment) has said in a radio interview that a controversial battalion commander ordered soldiers to open fire on civilians in an indiscriminate pattern of "360 rotational fire," upon being hit by an improvised explosive device (IED). The interview took place last month with Scott Horton of AntiWar.com Radio. Read more »

Never Forget

Nine years ago today, I knelt and prayed to a god that I no longer believe in for protection against Muslim terrorists. Today I know that the world's biggest terrorists are the those who will stop at nothing to control land, resources, markets, and people. They are the capitalist ruling class, whose lust for profit cannot be satisfied. The world's people are not safe from poverty, hunger, war, and environmental destruction until that class is overthrown. Never forget.

Iraq vet: Wounds outlast combat

As President Obama told the nation that combat had ended in Iraq on Tuesday night, a couple of veterans stood in the Wichita Central Library telling a few dozen people the war was not over, and speaking of the hidden wounds carried by its soldiers.

"They say the war is over, that's why 3,000 combat troops just deployed from Fort Hood to Iraq," Ethan McCord said Tuesday.

Read more »

Remembering September 11th in the Context of War

When September 11th, 2001 came, I had been out of AIT for only a month. New York City was not just a place I'd lived, but a best beloved home I had left behind only a few short weeks ago, for the start of my work at a military intelligence facility. One of my friends from training had come with me to my new post, and it was he that was banging on my barracks door that morning, while I, with a brown t-shirt and one black boot sock on, peeked around the door. I don't remember what he told me, other than that it was important, I threw on my BDU bottoms and went next door. Read more »

Shaping the Long Term US-Iraq Relationship

While mainstream media outlets have focused on President Obama’s announcement of the withdrawal of all but 50,000 troops from Iraq, many critical foreign policy questions remain regarding the U.S.-Iraq relationship. First, who will be responsible for oversight of the private security contractors surging into Iraq? Will they be held to the standards of international human rights law or will they be a law unto themselves? Read more »

IVAW's Resolution on Non-Violence


Resolution proposing that IVAW only use, supports or endorses, non-violent and peaceful actions

Whereas there is no official statement regarding Iraq Veterans Against the War’s stand on methodology for achieving our goals; namely, ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, ensuring all returning veterans have adequate health care, and repairing the damage done in Iraq and Afghanistan by the occupations;
Read more »

There Are No Heroes In Illegal And Immoral Wars

August 28, 2010 By Robert Jensen


When the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division rolled out of Iraq last week, the colonel commanding the brigade told a reporter that his soldiers were “leaving as heroes.” Read more »

Lies and the Iraq War: Then and Now

The last American combat troops have left Iraq. Yet questions remain about how the war began. Were we lied to? Did some of the leaders who warned us about Saddam Hussein having weapons of mass destruction know that he didn’t?

It’s a bit late in the game to consider these questions. Yet, as we recall how the war began seven and a half years ago, inevitably these issues come to the fore. Read more »

Help me get home

Army Reserve members facing imminent deployment to Afghanistan are publicly charging that their company is not properly trained or mentally fit for battle. Several members of the Indiana-based 656th Transportation Company, which is due to activate August 22nd, are requesting a Congressional inquiry into the unit’s lack of readiness. Alejandro Villatoro, a sergeant in the company, is amongst those coming forward.

Testimony cited in military journal

The author cites four IVAW members who testified at WS (Viges, Washburn, Lemiuex, and Rosas) using Democracy Now as the source. See page 28 of the journal (page 9 of the pdf). 

Thanks to Jason Lemiuex for passing this along.

Unethical_Leadership_and_PTSD_CAJ_Vol11.3_06_e.pdf

Wikileaks & the American Legion

IVAW represents members with divergent views based upon political, spiritual, and many other world-views. Our three points of unity are linked only to those who they intend to serve and benefit. Read more »

Register for convention today!!

Go to www.ivawconvention.org for all the details about convention and to register today! The deadline is Tuesday, June 8th.

All members of Iraq Veterans Against the War are highly encouraged to attend convention. In addition to building relationships with other members, we will be discussing the most important issues facing our GI and veterans movement.

WHERE:

Huston-Tillotson University
900 Chicon Street
Austin, Texas 78702-2795
Phone: (512) 505-3000

WHEN: Read more »

Web portal Warrior Gateway helps digital-age vets

For young veterans returning from duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, the process of re-entering society can be daunting, especially if they have been injured or have struggled with mental health problems.

A new, free Web portal wants to help these warriors find the services they need in an environment they are comfortable in: the Internet.

Read more »

IVAW at the DNC 2008

The DNC of 2009 was an event I will never forget. The small triumphs that were achieved through peaceful protest, brought many to tears and I can proudly say I was one of them. I have long been interested in politics, and social justice, and with the infinite platforms the internet has to offer I feel we are at a point where everyones voice can truly be heard. My effort as a photographer is to bring those stories that need to be told, to those that need to hear them.
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Non-Combat PTSD

There are no easy answers for questions about treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The Department of Defense has put a lot of money into brain research. But across the country Marines and soldiers are coming home from war with psychological troubles. The former Marine Jeremy Berggren has been diagnosed with the disorder, even though he didn't serve in a combat situation. He had all the training to prepare him to kill, and in his case, to clean up dead bodies, but he was never sent to Iraq or Afghanistan. Read more »

More vets eligible for service dog benefits

Disabled veterans with sight, hearing and mobility limitations who might benefit from having a service dog at their side are being encouraged by a major veterans service organization to apply for government reimbursement of some dog-related expenses. Read more »

Human cost of OIF & OEF

As IVAW continues to end the current occupations called OIF and OEF, the human cost continues to rise in the illusive name of "freedom."

Coalition fatalities: Iraq 4711 Afghanistan 1736      http://www.icasualties.org/

icasualties_ivaw_beta_test_upload.pdf