Winter Soldier - Support The Troops

- Washington D.C., March 13 -16, 2008 - Iraq Veterans Against The War, inspired by the actions taken by Vietnam Veterans 37 years ago, will gather in our in our nation's capitol "to expose the truth and consequences of the War on Terror to the nation and the world". Please click on the button above for more information and a video preview.

(Note- The video preview is a beautifully accomplished, honest piece of work. Considering its subject matter it is thoughtful and respectful however, it contains some disturbing images that depict the nature of war - caution - if you are a combat vet and / or suffer PTSD)

Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan will involve hundreds of support staff, social workers, veteran advocates, and members of the media as well as between two to three hundred Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans who will testify in 12 different categories. The categories and expert panels will include "all things war" like racism, the killing and wounding of noncombatants, the destruction of civilian property, torture and abuse, human rights violations, the mishandling of the dead, military waste and the destruction of the environment in Iraq, sexual harassment and assault, GI and veterans issues, and more.

Veterans For Peace and Vietnam Veterans Against The War have been working closely with the IVAW Winter Soldiers. Individual chapters have donated funds and raised even more by throwing house parties. San Diego's VFP Hugh Thompson Memorial Chapter 91 has been hard at work to support Chapter 21, of our local Iraq Veterans Against The War as well as the IVAW national organization.

A house party last weekend was held by a Vietnam Veteran who is a member of Veterans For Peace and the VVAW. The gathering brought together members of the peace community and many veterans including two Marines, who after fighting wars a generation apart, are both going to attend Winter Soldier 2008 in D.C. One will testify, the other will report from the event and lend support.


Once a sergeant, Kenyon Ralph, the young veteran in the above photo, is now the President of the San Diego IVAW Chapter. "Even though my enlistment is over, I still want to serve my country.... Americans need to hear the truth", Ralph told us. He served six years which included two tours in Iraq with the Marines and will soon leave to attend the second Winter Soldier . This quiet young man is going to testify along with many veterans of the current occupations who will demonstrate their patriotism "by speaking out with honor and integrity instead of blindly following failed policy. Winter Soldier is a difficult but essential service to our country."

These testimonies will not be taken lightly as our well-trained, experienced young veterans have spent months planning this, the most patriotic operation they have ever embarked upon. The Winter Soldiers of the Twenty-First Century need our support to accomplish their mission.

There are many ways to help the Winter Soldier Patriots - donate to Winter Soldier - place a Winter Soldier banner on your web page - advertise - BLOG Winter Soldier - call your local news stations, CNN, C-Span and ask if they are televising Winter Soldier - write letters to the editor - e-mail your friend and relatives - and more here.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THE HISTORY OF WINTER SOLDIER ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

- New Jersey, December 23, 1776 - General George Washington ordered that "Crisis" a pamphlet penned by Thomas Paine, be read aloud to the dispirited soldiers under his command just prior to the crossing of the Delaware River. Inspired by the following words, twenty-four hundred of Washington's Continental soldiers marched on to a Christmas victory at Trenton:

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman."

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- Detroit, Michigan, January 31 to February 2, 1971 - Vietnam Veterans Against the War held the first Winter Soldier Investigation at a Howard Johnson's Motel on a cold winter weekend. They gathered to clear "the fog of war" with a blast of truth fresh from the battlefield.

The prosecution of Lt. William Calley for the My Lai Massacre was the catalyst that inspired over one hundred battle-scarred veterans to take unprecedented public action. The Nuremberg Trial had established the principal of culpability meaning that if Lt. Calley was responsible for his actions, so too, were his superiors all the way up the chain of command. The courageous veterans testified about the reality of war, the systematic dehumanization of the Vietnamese people, and described the training and governmental policies that led to daily incidents like My Lai. The three days of painful compelling testimony proved to be an eye-opener for the American public and hastened the end of what the Vietnamese refer to as the American War.

The Winter Soldier Investigation of 1971 was filmed in its entirety and is available at Amazon. It is a riveting historical film that showcases the courage of a generation who spoke truth to power and stood the war machine down.
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I remember the "Winter Soldier Investigation" back in 1971. Finally, I thought, Americans will learn the truth about the war in Vietnam. The entire nation would hear from our veteran soldiers what we, who were stationed at or lived on the stateside bases, heard continually. The public was blissfully ignorant to the violent and inhumane realities of war. Once people were exposed to the horror and depravity that defined the war against Vietnam, they would, I believed, unite to bring it to an end. And the bloody leeches who had profited politically and financially from the waging of war and the manufacture of its accessories, would stand revealed and reviled.

Although The Winter Soldier Investigations were largely ignored by the press at the time, many across the country, followed the three days of testimony as best they could. The testimonies succeeded in shining a light on the dark war far away in Vietnam, and had the immediate effect of humanizing once again, both the the Vietnamese people (who were referred to as gooks) and the "killing machines" that our soldiers, through training and policy, had become. I was inspired and thankful that my courageous brothers chose to serve their country "above and beyond" by speaking the truth and gifting all of us with hope.

We need our Winter Soldiers again. Please support them - KWW

935 LIES - OVER ONE MILLION DEAD - A TWO TRILLION DOLLAR WAR
...........................WE MUST LIBERATE THE TRUTH...................
...............................Kitchen Window Woman....................
...................Resident Scholar, American Patriot Institute.................