Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan

Click here to watch the Winter Soldier hearings online.

Blog From Winter Soldier

Click here to read the blogs from Friday and Saturday.

Justin Cliburn of IVAW also blogged live from the hearings. (He did a much better job of catching the names, ranks and dates and locations of service of those testifying than I did.)

Sunday, March 16, 10:19 AM: Today's testimony focuses on the breakdown of the military and the future of GI resistance.

An Iraq veteran is testifying about the shortages of critical supplies and equipment that developed, and the frustration of seeing military contractors being paid four times' as much as they were, lacking nothing, showing up hung over for their shift, not being exposed to as much risk as the troops were, not having to leave the bases, and being able to quit and leave whenever they wanted.

He's describing how they would often act on bad intelligence, a tip from someone who had a conflict with someone else, performing numerous house raids and finding absolutely nothing. They would rarely discover any kind of proof of guilt.

As casualty rates increased, they would be sent out on operations with less personnel than necessary, making situations more dangerous. He urged that this occupation needs to end, because it's tearing the military apart.

10:33 AM: An Iraq veteran is testifying about lack of armor for their vehicles. Their missions and rules of engagement would change from day to day, depending on changing situations or who was riding with them, such as the media.

There were not allowed to give Iraqi children water or food. They were also told not to assist or coordinate with the poorly trained, paid and supplied third-party nationals, but they were required to provide for their safety, adding to the burden of their missions.

He said it was very difficult to watch how the stress of these terrible conditions would eventually break down the soldiers around you.

He said he enlisted after Sept. 11th to be part of the solution rather than be part of the problem, but he feels that he did just the opposite. He feels that his patriotism and that of those he served with was exploited by the Bush administration:  "They have betrayed our troops and betrayed our country."

10:42 AM: An Iraq veteran of the Army who served as a forward observer is describing the "stop-loss" policy as making the soldiers' who have been subjected to it, forced to serve numerous tours, encompassing 3 years and more, as prisoners of war.

He says the proud boy who enlisted just after Christmas 2003 died in Iraq. He thought the Middle East should be turned into a glass plate by nuclear weapons after Sept. 11th. He was 19 when he was deployed. He said he went there to kill people.

Instead of improving things for the Iraqi people, there is now 2-3 random hours of electricity per day, sewage running in the streets. The destroyed water treatment plant in Sadr City where he was stationed wasn't worked on at all the year he was deployed there.

Iraqi men driving their pregnant wives to the hospital would be stopped and have their car searched. He said that happened almost daily, and that it wasn't just his unit, but his whole battalion, his whole division. He said the 2.3 million people of Sadr City were prisoners of war.

He said he used to be a model soldier, but he is here today fighting for his fellow soldiers more than he ever could than when he wore a uniform.

We are watching a video he shot of Iraqis exhuming the bodies of Iraqis who had been tortured and killed. He was supposed to shoot this video and take pictures of their faces in order to possibly try to identify them, but nothing was ever done with them. The videos and photos soldiers took just became trophies of war. They weren't used as intelligence to help the Iraqis, they were used to build morale and to promote the sense that killing and death is right. He was told to take a photo of a body whose face had no skin left on it and couldn't possibly be identified because the person giving the order just wanted to see the picture.

When he returned, he became a severe alcoholic. He didn't go to the VA, because he knew that being labeled as suffering depression or PTSD would jeopardize his career.

All he had to look forward to was to get out of the military and go to college. That hope ended when Bush announced the "surge." His division was the fifth planned to go, and everyone was put on lockdown by "stop-loss." He was set to deploy the day his contract was supposed to end. He attempted suicide that day. He woke up handcuffed to a gurney in the mental health ward. He had previously been diagnosed with depression and PTSD, but was still set to deploy. After his suicide attempt, he was discharged, but the military tried to prosecute him from malingering. He was refused help to challenge it by the military attorneys, because the said fighting it would bring down the military.

Because of his general discharge, he was denied money for college, which he now can't afford to attend. He now delivers pizzas once a week, because that's the only job where he can call in and say that he's still stuck at the VA and can't get there.

1:39 PM: A veteran who started the first active-duty chapter of IVAW at Ft. Drum outside Syracuse, NY, is talking about the importance of the civilian anti-war movement as support and inspiration for the GI resistance movement. He is demanding unity on unconditional, complete, immediate withdrawal of all troops and contractors, fully funded care for veterans when they return, and reparations for the Iraqi people.

2:09 PM: An Iraq vet is reminding his brother and sister soldiers on active duty that they do have the right to dissent within the ranks and to serve with dignity while doing so.

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UFPJ is committed to providing major support to Iraq Veterans Against the War and the Winter Soldier hearings. We are helping local groups plan events that directly link to and amplify these historic proceedings. Click on the following links to see the events currently posted on the 5 Years Too Many and IVAW calendars.

The hearings will go from the evening of Thursday, March 13th, through to the afternoon of Sunday, March 16th. Click here for a detailed schedule. (This schedule is subject to change, so we advise you to keep checking it.)

The power of these hearings will increase exponentially if groups and individuals organize local gatherings where people in every corner of the country can witness it. Now is the time to plan a gathering (or perhaps several gatherings in your area) where people can collectively listen to the live broadcasts of the hearings. This will be an incredible opportunity to reach out and engage with people who have not yet become active in bringing the war to an end.

Click here for detailed information on how to access video and audio broadcasts of the hearings.

Please be sure to list any gatherings you are organizing on the 5 Years Too Many calendar and on the IVAW website.

Click here for more info on how to support Winter Soldier and resources, including flyers and pre-recorded PSAs.

More about Winter Soldier (from the IVAW website):

"Winter Soldiers, according to founding father Thomas Paine, are those who stand up for the soul of their country, even in its darkest hours. With this spirit in mind, IVAW members are standing up to make their experiences available to all who are concerned about the direction of our country."