 Next, we are going to have, I'm going to introduce two of our guests at once, that we are having Pat Alviso and she is the national coordinator of MFSO, Military Families Speak Out. And Mary Latke, she has served as on the administration committee for United for Peace and Justice since 2012. Both Pat and Mary have been longtime leaders in MFSO and have sons who were deployed in Afghanistan. Pat and then Mary, thank you. Thank you, Rachel, Massachusetts Peace Action and Code Pink and everybody that's joining us today. We are very thankful to all of you for planning this event on this important day and for inviting us to join you. For those of you that don't know us, Military Families Speak Out has been around since 2002. We are a national organization of families that have had loved ones in the military since 9-11 or still have. There are about 4,000 of us across the U.S. and Mexico and most importantly, we support our troops. We want them home now. We work hard every day to make sure that they are taken and cared of when they get home. If you have more information about us, we'll put it in the chat. You can find us at MFSO.org. Today we're here to talk about the human costivore and specifically because who we are, military families and those troops. Military families in the U.S., Afghanistan and Iraq have all been devastated by these wars. And I just can't adequately explain or describe how isolated and anxious the families of those of our troops that were exiting Afghanistan are feeling right now. Because of course, their loved ones aren't really coming home, but are still in harm's way and most likely will not be coming home. But we deployed somewhere else in the Middle East until their time is up. But after 20 years of broken promises and after a pretty, harrowing, intense final day during the withdrawal, we can finally say we are out of Afghanistan at least. Now at last, the process of healing can begin for those that served in Afghanistan, but for military families like us, our work is just beginning. So while the blame game and in this chatter about how the war was conducted still goes on these past two weeks for our troops, what they've been going through has been a special kind of hell. It has triggered them, even those who have been speaking out against the war for quite some time. They're still asking themselves, themselves, what was it all for? So we ask everyone to take this moment and think about the troops. They've been coming home for a while now, but the finality of all of them out of Afghanistan is hitting them pretty hard, especially today on 9-11. Right now, my son can't even talk about it. He's been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan six times and he struggles every day with the signature wounds of these wars, the traumatic brain injury, PTSD, of course, and a hearing loss that he will carry with him the rest of his life. The worst of it for our family and so many others is seeing this once fresh-faced teenager straight out of high school turn into the passive shell of the person he was never meant to be. Before his first deployment, he packed soccer balls and candy, hoping he'd be able to play soccer with the kids there, and instead he returned like so many others completely demoralized because he ended up knocking down the doors to the homes of terrorized families, mostly women and children, and getting flipped off by those very same children he once thought he could be friends and help. Over 30,100 activity troops and veterans died by suicide while or after serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other fronts since 2001. That's more than four times the number who died in combat. So our families, of course, are scared every day that our sons and daughters will be in that statistic. And it's for that reason that MFSO is starting a yellow ribbon campaign to find ways to build public awareness even amongst the peace community that we need to lift the spirits of our returning troops. After all, it wasn't the troops' decision or responsibility to decide on how the war was conducted or to stay there for 20 years. And they need to hear that. It was the politicians and the Pentagon who decided that. Really, we have no idea what our troops are going through right now. They lived it, and it was a nightmare. We need to publicly reach out, listen, and validate their truth without judgment, and be that warm place that we want them home safe and for good. And the difficult, once again, we ask you to reach out to our returning troops yourselves and help put an end to the national disgrace of 17 suicides a day. Of course, we have so much more to do to make sure, and this work never happens again as Mary is about to point out next. So we invite you to also help us, military families, speak out, join our campaign to help put an end to the authorization for the use of military force, the AUMF. And now, Mary. Thanks, Pat. I'm Mary Ladki, and I'm comforted in being around so many good people on this 9-11 anniversary. Even though my talk will focus on our military in Afghanistan, I can't forget the devastating loss and suffering of 9-11 families, first responders, their families, and all the victims of war. My son, Ryan, was an Army Infantry Officer who served 13 months at the height of President Obama's Afghanistan Surge in Sari District, Kandahar Province, considered the spiritual home of the Taliban. When my son would ask his men, why are you here, the typical response was, I needed a job, not I'm fighting for democracy and freedom. They were doing a job, but soon found out that job was less than honorable. There are no illusions after boots hit the ground in a place like Afghanistan, so much death and destruction which can't be justified. My son fought in a war that could never be won, based on governmental and military lives. His unit was under attack daily. Ryan is just one of hundreds of thousands of Americans who have had their lives forever changed by this pointless and tragic war. On Ryan's mid-deployment leave, there was a major network reporting from his base talking about great progress. My son simply said, that's a lie. The Taliban fully control the area and the people and walked out of the room. You can't fool the troops with media spin because they have lived it. Upon returning home, I saw that my son had a large tattoo on his forearm which reads, So here I stand with dead eyes and a fake smile, searching. A searing commentary about his time in Afghanistan, one that speaks of mental anguish, suffering and pain. Ryan also wears a metal braces, one that he never moves. Remembering Jesse, a soldier in his unit killed an action on August 25th, 2011. Jesse was 20. His father was informed of his death while serving in Iraq. Our troops gave their lives, limbs and emotional well-being for this futile 20-year war. The Afghan people have suffered even more. Their country has been destroyed. Life in Afghanistan has been and will be for a long time a living hell. One of the ever-changing missions we waged in Afghanistan intended to win over the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. While the words that we spoke may have promised a hopeful, cooperative future. Our bombs, drones and night raids drowned out those words. Our commitment to violence buried Afghan hearts and minds beneath paralyzing fear and the crushing emotions of human pain. In reality, it is Americans' hearts and minds that need to change. And until we get that, until we reflect upon our mistakes, until we seek to understand and value the humanity of others, until we reassess our foreign policy and choose to solve conflicts through diplomacy and negotiations, instead of domination and violence, nothing will change. Our duty now is to tell the true story of this war, finding a way to hold those in charge accountable. We cannot allow the story of the Afghanistan War to be whitewashed, to be told as anything less than a lesson, a devastating loss, an international tragedy that could have been avoided. We must never again send troops to fight illegal and immoral wars. Thank you for your service. We'll never erase or be enough for what has been lost. We must ensure those who served receive appropriate medical care. Military families are just some of the many unheard voices of war. Thank you for the opportunity to be heard. Thank you. Thank you so much, Mary and Pat. It was great to hear you speak.