Recognizing that GI resistance is crucial to their struggle to end the war,, Iraq Veterans Against the War embarked on Saturday on a bus tour designed to recruit active duty members for IVAW membership and educate the general public about what these war veterans experienced themselves in Iraq. The tour is scheduled through the southern Atlantic states with stops in several cities that have military installations.
Speaking during a cook out in a park in Maryland to kick off the tour, IVAW Chairman, Garett Reppenhagen said, "We need our politicians to know that the way they are voting today is going to effect their elections tomorrow and that we're keeping a scoreboard, we're keeping a tally and we're keeping a watch. They better start representing Americans, because a majority of Americans want the troops home now, a majority of Iraqis want the occupation gone from their country and a majority of soldiers don't want to fight this war. So we fail to have a representative government that truly reflects the will of the people. That's a problem and that's one of the reasons I'm speaking out."
Fellow veteran and IVAW co-founder, Kelly Dougherty said, "[In] my personal experience I was opposed to the war before it started. I was actually serving as a medic in a medical unit and in January of 2003, a couple of months before the war started I was informed that I had been involuntarily transfered to a military police unit, my job had been changed from medic to military police, I was to report the following day and they were being deployed. For me of course that was a shock and that was unexpected, but when I got to the unit and saw people that I had known before, from being in the National Guard at that point for 7 years, I really felt like there weren't a lot of options but to go. And that's how I found myself in Iraq."
Standing not too far away was a veteran of the Iraq war from Binghampton, N.Y. who had been honorably discharged as a conscientious objector after serving a tour of duty 40 miles west of Baghdad. When asked if there was anything he'd like to add about his service, he said, "I had a friend who was an IVAW member who was vehemently opposed to the war. We served together on our first tour of Iraq. He had to go back for a second tour. He was killed in Taji, Iraq, last February. So I just want people to know that there is a member of Iraq Veterans Against War, an organization that's solidly opposed to the war, who was killed in Iraq. So when people say they're supporting the war because soldiers support it, they don't represent the viewpoint of all soldiers and they don't know those viewpoints."
In the course of an afternoon at a picnic in the woods with friends, family and most importantly to all of them, other veterans, 4 new members joined IVAW. One of them mentioned that he had heard of the organization while he was on active duty and had gone along with the dissing it received from his fellow soldiers at the time. He spoke with the sure, straight no nonsense one comes to expect of people who have witnessed things most of their countrymen will be spared experiencing. There was a long, uneasy pause when he relayed that the people he talked to said, 'Don't even bother with them.' There it was. The point where judgement is made. "And from what I experienced today?" he looked around at all the faces listening, then broke into a grin. "I'm glad I didn't listen to them."
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Iraq Veterans Embark on New Mission (Part 4)by taintmando1,706 views
@ItaiLevinVideos
You bought a Lie 6 Million no!
Zionist needed more cash.. because they never have enough!
Never enough..!
By the way many Others died in the wars AND they weren't Jewish..!
Truth videO: US MILITARY KNOWS ISRAEL DID 911
CheckinGagaiNagain 10 months ago
VdeO: 19 Jul 2007
What happened?
CheckinGagaiNagain 10 months ago
I LOVE THESE VETS, PRO OR CON, LOVE EM!
MrWolf666 1 year ago
My family came from belgium. I'm sure glad the GI's back then werent COWARDS like these punks or millions of people would not have been born in freedom.
WAPAISHONE 4 years ago
I think you meant 6 Million Jews, but what the hell does the Holocaust have to do with Iraq? Israel had nothing to do with this war. The war has only strengthen terrorists and weaken U.S. homeland security. As an American Jew I'm offended twice by your comment! What gives you the right to use the murder of 6 million Jews to justify the unjustified death of others? You're playing to the hands of anti-Semites. It's your right to support the war, but, please, don't use the Holocaust!
ItaiLevinVideos 4 years ago
Voate For Ron Paul. End this Madness
Free Hugs From TX
RundoeTX
rundoetx 4 years ago
wtf is mcbeth the fraud????
are we talking shakespeare cause that'd be "macbeth"....
More on the hippie....seriously folks, he is not selling your cause
nodysseus 4 years ago
That better not be McBeth the Fraud.
Now thats funny!
If your scared say your scared!
No war is just,
you must be on Hitler's myspace friend list.......
3 million Jews must be wrong
fishboyf51 4 years ago
That better not be McBeth the Fraud.
grazon 4 years ago