From tomorrow through Saturday the Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan hearings in Washington, DC will feature testimony from US veterans detailing what’s really happening on the ground in these occupations.
They’ll present photographs and videos, recorded with mobile phones and digital cameras, to back up their allegations of brutality, torture and murder. The event is inspired by the Winter Solider tribunal held in 1971 by Vietnam War vets, including, famously, John Kerry.
Winter Soldiers, according to Thomas Paine, are patriots who stand up for the soul of their country, even in its darkest hours. With this spirit in mind, the current generation of Winter Soldiers are standing up to make their experiences available to all who are concerned about the direction of our country. To provide a preview, the Iraq Veterans Against War have created a short film featuring three vets who will be testifying this week. The film includes sometimes graphic videos and photographs of Iraq from their deployments. Watch it below.
You can go here at YouTube to view part two of this harrowing video.
The hearings themselves start tomorrow. While the event itself is closed to the general public you can both watch and listen to the proceedings live online.
There are many ways you can help support Winter Soldier.
Help IVAW spread these eyewitness accounts across the country and the world by organizing a viewing event. Some local television and radio stations will pick up the broadcasts, and the entire weekend of panels will be shown live and archived online at the IVAW website. Any location with a broadband internet connection and a projector can be set up for public viewing of the broadcasts, and for higher quality video, the event will be broadcast by satellite on March 14th and 15th. (Winter Soldier viewing events can be posted on the IVAW’s events map.)
Sign the Statement of Support and encourage your friends, family and colleagues to sign on as well.
Donate now. Besides the logistical costs of paying for the event’s location and live broadcast of the testimony, the majority of Winter Soldier’s budget is dedicated to covering the travel and lodging costs for all testifying vets. Help us make sure their voices are heard by clicking here and donating what you can. And consider holding a Winter Soldier fundraiser. Check out IVAW’s Winter Soldier House Party guide for instructions on how to hold a fundraiser.
What’s next for Winter Solider? Listen to a recent interview on RadioNation with Laura Flanders for details. In the months following this week’s hearings, the group will continue collecting and producing resources and documentation, including videos, a book and other written materials, detailing the barbarity of the US occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. Sign up to receive the Winter Soldier newsletter to keep informed.
