Iraq Veterans Against the War

Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) "went public on July 28, 2004, during the Veterans For Peace annual convention in Boston, MA. The groundwork was laid when Mike Hoffman met Tim Goodrich in March, 2004 at the Dover to D.C. march, a protest of the war in Iraq and a memorial to the fallen soldiers."

Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan
Inspired by the Winter Soldier hearings of Vietnam Veterans Against the War in 1971, IVAW is organizing a national inquirty into the conduct of current wars, to be held near Washington, DC, March 13-16 2008 and called Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan.

Supporting Iraq war resisters
During the weekend of August 18-19, 2007, at its annual membership meeting, IVAW decided to "launch a campaign encouraging U.S. troops to refuse to fight," Aaron Glantz wrote in OneWorld US.

"To underscore that point," Glantz wrote, "the veterans group elected Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia chair of its board of directors. In the winter of 2003, Mejia was the first soldier to refuse to return to fight in Iraq after an initial tour in the war zone.

"When Mejia came home on leave after six months in Iraq, he went AWOL rather than return. Ultimately, he served nine months in prison after the military denied his demand to be discharged as a conscientious objector."

"Iraq Veterans Against the War has also begun organizing among active duty soldiers on military bases. Veterans have toured the country in busses holding barbeques outside the base gates. ... [and] also plans to step up efforts to undermine military recruiting efforts in the coming year," Glantz wrote.

September 15 Coalition: D.C. Chapter
The District of Columbia chapter of IVAW, which supports the September 15 Coalition&mdash;initiated by A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism)&mdash;will lead a "mass civil disobediance action" on September 15, 2007, in Washington, D.C.

"The September 15 March on Washington DC will be taking the anti-war movement to a new level," A.N.S.W.E.R. states on its website. "This will not be a typical demonstration. These will be Days of Decision as General David Petraeus issues the Pentagon and White House report on September 15 insisting that the war must drag on for years to come."

"Iraq war veterans and their families, as well as active duty U.S. servicemembers, will form a large front contingent of the demonstration. Following a permitted march they will lead a large scale Die-In of thousands of people who will dramatically symbolize all those who have fallen in the Iraq war. This part of the demonstration will be a civil disobedience action and those participating will be prepared to risk arrest. Everyone should be very clear: you do not need to participate in the civil disobedience action, and everyone will have the option of participating only in the permitted march and rally.

Mission
The mission of the IVAW is:


 * 1. Bring the troops home now.
 * 2. Support Iraqi reconstruction in whatever way possible.
 * 3. Support our veterans and our troops now and upon their return home.

Board of Directors
Past IVAW board of directors includes the following.


 * Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia, Chair, Sunny Isles, FL
 * Jabbar Magruder, Co-Chair, Los Angeles, CA
 * Phil Aliff, Secretary, Ft. Drum, NY
 * Margaret Stevens, Treasurer, Newark, NJ
 * Jose Vasquez, New York, NY.
 * Jennifer Hogg, Treasurer
 * Adam Kokesh, Washington DC
 * Anita C. Foster, Minneapolis, MN
 * Jason Lemieux, Los Angeles, CA
 * Liam Madden, Boston, MA

Staff
The IVAW staff includes the following.


 * Kelly Dougherty, Executive Director
 * Amadee Braxton, Administrative & Fundraising Coordinator
 * Lovella Calica, Program Coordinator
 * Salih Watts, Administrative & Development Associate

Founding members

 * Mike Hoffman, National Coordinator, East Coast Contact
 * Tim Goodrich, West Coast Contact
 * Kelly Dougherty
 * Diana Morrison
 * Alex Ryabov
 * Isaiah Pallos
 * Ivan Medina
 * Jimmy Massey
 * Rob Sarra

Contact details
IVAW This group has moved their headquarters to NYC.

Their new contact number there is 646-723-0989

P.O. Box 8296 Philadelphia, PA 19101 Phone: 215 241-7123 FAX: 215 241-7177 E-mail: ivaw AT ivaw.org Press requests: media AT ivaw.org Website: http://www.ivaw.net/

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Bring Them Home Now!
 * civil war in Iraq
 * Exit Strategy from Iraq
 * Freedom's Watch
 * Gathering of Eagles
 * Military Families Speak Out
 * Operation Iraqi Freedom
 * peace movement
 * pro-war lobby
 * stay the course
 * The Center for Vigilant Freedom
 * troop surge in Iraq
 * Vets for Freedom
 * violence in the Middle East
 * Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan

External articles
The Winter Soldiers], The Nation online, March 12, 2008
 * Karen Houppert, "The New Face of Protest?," The Nation, March 9, 2005.
 * Ann Scott Tyson, "Grass-Roots Group of Troops Petitions Congress for Pullout From Iraq," Washington Post, October 25, 2006: "The group, which aims to collect 2,000 signatures and deliver the message to Congress in January, is sponsored by antiwar activists including" Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans For Peace and Military Families Speak Out. re Call for the U.S. to Pullout from Iraq and Center on Conscience & War
 * John Stauber, "Bush's Pro-War Front Group, 'Vets for Freedom', Rallies with Republican Senators," PRWatch, July 17, 2007.
 * Chris Hill, "Sheehan continues to be protested by 'Win the War' supporters. She 'cuts-and-runs' after 5-minute speech," Old Dominion Blog Alliance, July 25, 2007.
 * John Stauber, "CMD's 'Coffee with the Troops' at Yearly Kos Features Iraq Veterans Against the War," PRWatch, July 25, 2007.
 * Michael Birnbaum, "After tour in Iraq, veteran speaks out against war," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 30, 2007.
 * John Stauber, "'Coffee with the Troops' at Yearly Kos Fuels Debate About the Netroots and the War," PRWatch, August 7, 2007 (contains links to video).
 * jimstaro, "Veterans For Peace Convention," Never In Our Names, August 18, 2007.
 * Jeff Paterson, "Bay Area activists join hundreds at St. Louis anti-war veterans march," Courage to Resist(web) (IndyBay), August 21, 2007.
 * Dave Johnson, "Powerful Iraq Veterans Against the War Video," The Huffington Post, August 22, 2007.
 * Editorial: "The Pentagon's problem," Workers World, August 23, 2007.
 * Aisha Sultan, "War is not a game. Anti-war veterans protest at Black Expo," St. Louis Today (GNN.TV), August 23, 2007.
 * Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez interview IVAW Chair Camilo Mejia, War Resister Camilo Mejia Elected to Chair Iraq Veterans Against the War, Group Encourages U.S. Troops to Refuse to Fight, Democracy Now, August 23, 2007
 * John Stauber, YouTube Wars - Freedom's Watch vs. IVAW. Which is Real Grassroots, Which is a Front Group?, PRWatch.org, August 23, 2007.
 * Ariel Leve Patriot missiles: Iraq Veterans Against the War, Times Online, March 2, 2008.
 * Iraq Vets Will Detail U.S. Atrocities in Winter Soldier Hearings, AlterNet, March 11, 2008.
 * Peter Rothberg, [http://www.thenation.com/blogs/actnow?bid=4&pid=297759 Posted 03/12/2008
 * News Release, Iraq Veterans Speak: Winter Soldier Hearings, Institute for Public Accuracy, March 12, 2008