Apr. 8 VCS Update: Winter Soldier Hearings – What You Might Have Missed

April 7 Update: Winter Soldier Hearings – What You Might Have Missed

The March 2008 Winter Soldier Hearings took place in a virtual vaccum from mainstream media. As with the original Winter Soldier Hearings in 1971, Pacifica Radio was one of the few media outlets to publicize the event. Returning veterans have information the American Public needs to hear.

Veterans for Common Sense wants the words of our returning veterans to echo and reverberate throughout the country, giving Americans a clear and unbiased picture of the true atrocities that are war.

Aside from Iraq Veterans Against the War, who sponsored the event, Veterans for Common Sense, Veterans for Peace, and the Vietnam Veterans Against the War were the only veterans groups who publicized the hearings that we are aware about.  We also thank Senator John Edwards for his leadership initiative, sending an accurate letter to the New York Times, published today, “Broken Soldiers and a Broken System.”

It is horrendous that our soldiers’ voices are being tuned out by our press. Please, make a contribution to Veterans for Common Sense so we can continue publicizing important stories such as The Winter Soldier Hearings and making Americans sit up and listen to what our veterans have to say.

Veterans travelled far and wide to attend the Winter Soldier Hearings, which took place from March 12-16 in Silver Spring, Maryland. Veterans gave raw accounts of the horrors they encountered in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Hearings were not simply a recollection of regrets, rather, they painted a chilling portrait of US policy in the war zone. Soldier after soldier shared their stories of orders given and obeyed. Former U.S. Marine Corps machine gunner John Michael Turner and Corporal Jason Washburn told their stories before the hundreds who gathered in Maryland to take part in the event.

Sadly, not all veterans were able to be present at the Winter Soldier Hearings. Joyce and Kevin Lucey told of their son, Jeff Lucey’s battle with PTSD and VA in emotionally wrenching testimony.

Veterans for Common Sense believes sharing these views and the scope of 300,000 veteran patients from Iraq and Afghanistan, are essential for a public understanding about the consequences of the wars.

Please, forward this e-mail to your friends and family and encourage them to join Veterans for Common Sense. VCS believes we need to ensure our veterans’ physical and mental health on their return home, not simply call for a quick withdrawal from Iraq.

Click here to support Veterans for Common Sense in our effort to raise awareness about our veterans’ plight.

Thank you,

Libby Creagh
Development Director

Veterans for Common Sense

VCS provides advocacy and publicity for issues related to veterans, national security, and civil liberties. VCS is registered with the IRS as a non-profit 501(c)(3) charity, and donations are tax deductible.

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6. Send a check to:
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P.O. Box 15514
Washington, DC 20003

 

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