Iraq Veterans Against the War

Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) is an advocacy group of active duty military personnel, Iraq War veterans, Afghanistan War veterans, and other veterans who have served since 9/11 who are opposed to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. The organization advocates immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces in Iraq, reparations to Iraq, and full benefits, more healthcare benefits (including mental health), and other support for returning servicemen and women.

Membership

The membership is made up of recent veterans, active duty servicemen and women from all branches of military service, National Guard members and reservists, who have served since September 11, 2001. [ [http://www.libertytreefdr.org/journal.php?article_id=75 "Nothing Short of Criminal"] , Sarah Manski, Liberty Tree Journal, Volume 2, Issue 3, page 6.] Prospective members are required to provide proof of service. [ [http://ivaw.org/verificationofservice Verification of Service | Iraq Veterans Against the War ] ]

The group was founded in July 2004, at the annual Veterans for Peace convention in Boston. The founders were current Executive Director Kelly Dougherty (US Army), Tim Goodrich (US Air Force), Mike Hoffman (USMC), Alex Ryabov (USMC), Jimmy Massey (USMC), Isaiah Pallos (USMC), and Diana Morrison (US Army), all Iraq veterans. [ [http://www.ivaw.org/founders Founders | Iraq Veterans Against the War ] ] In August 2007 the group elected Camilo Mejia as the chairperson of its board of directors. [ [http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/23/1333255 Democracy Now! | War Resister Camilo Mejia Elected to Chair Iraq Veterans Against the War, Group Encouraging War Resistance ] ]

IVAW currently has 53 chapters around the United States and in Canada, 4 of which are on active duty Army bases. The five active duty chapters are on Fort Drum, New York; Fort Meade, Maryland; Fort Hood, Texas; Lawton-Fort Sill, Oklahoma; and Camp Lejeune & MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. [ [http://ivaw.org/chaptersandregions Chapters and Regions | Iraq Veterans Against the War ] ] Members of the organization reside in 48 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Canada, and on numerous bases overseas, including in Iraq itself. Membership is currently over 1,200 persons. [ [http://www.ivaw.org Iraq Veterans Against the War ] ]

Truth in Recruiting

IVAW has actively begun participation in the nationwide Truth in Recruiting campaign aimed at countering alleged misconceptions of military service propagated by recruiters. Currently many IVAW members are involved in "equal access" policies at high schools across the country. [ [http://www.libertytreefdr.org/journal.php?article_id=75 "Nothing Short of Criminal"] , Sarah Manski, Liberty Tree Journal, Volume 2, Issue 3, page 6.]

top-loss policy

IVAW has protested the military's stop-loss policy, which is an extension of soldiers' contracts by the Department of Defense which requires selected soldiers to stay in the service longer even after their contract is up. Several tower-guard vigils against the stop-loss have been held in various places including Colorado Springs, Colorado; Bellingham, Washington; and Washington D.C.

Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan

was an event in Washington, D.C. in March 2008, run by IVAW, at which U.S. veterans spoke about their experiences during the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan (2001–present). It was inspired by the similar 1971 event put on by Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

Controversy

Jesse Macbeth, formerly affliated with IVAW, [ [http://www.ivaw.net/index.php?id=219 "Statement on Macbeth Video",] Iraq Veterans Against the War, retrieved June 2, 2006] falsely claimed to have committed atrocities in Iraq. In fact, he never completed Army basic training, and was never deployed outside the U.S. He was convicted of falsely claiming veteran's disability benefits. Afterward, Macbeth's actions were disavowed by IVAW and his membership was revoked. All members of IVAW have since been required to submit documentation of military service. [ [http://www.ivaw.org/membership Membership Information | Iraq Veterans Against the War ] ]

ee also

*Winter Soldier Investigation
*List of veterans against the Iraq War
*Gold Star Families for Peace
*Vietnam Veterans Against the War
*The Ground Truth
*Individual augmentee policy

External links

* [http://ivaw.org/ Iraq Veterans Against the War website]
* [http://www.motherjones.com/news/qa/2004/10/09_400.html An interview with Mike Hoffman, co-founder of Iraq Veterans Against the War] .
* [http://zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1075 U.S. Troops in Iraq: 72% Say End War in 2006]
* [http://www.wartribunal.net/ Citizens' Hearing on the Legality of U.S. Actions in Iraq: The Case of Lt. Ehren Watada, Tacoma, WA, Jan. 20-21, 2007]
* [http://www.sptimes.com/2005/02/13/Hernando/_Over_my_dead_body_.shtml "Over my dead body" by Mary Spicuzza, St. Petersburg Times]
* [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heart/ A Soldier's Heart, PBS Frontline]

References