Winter Soldier: Domingo Rosas

(Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from the book Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan, Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations, by Iraq Veterans Against the War and Aaron Glantz. For more about the Winter Soldier hearings, read this FPIF commentary by Glantz, an FPIF contributor. You can also watch Rosas’ testimony.) We occupied a local train … Continue reading “Winter Soldier: Domingo Rosas”

Peace Activists Welcome Obama, Will Push Him

An organization that has made headlines heckling George W. Bush and other prominent politicians for their support of the Iraq war has declared "victory" after Barack Obama’s election as president of the United States. "After almost eight years standing outside the White House with a bullhorn and screaming at someone who wouldn’t listen who’s totally … Continue reading “Peace Activists Welcome Obama, Will Push Him”

Calling Gitmo What It Is

The following is an excerpt from Winter Soldier Iraq and Afghanistan: Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations by Iraq Veterans Against the War and Aaron Glantz. From March 13-16, hundreds of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans gathered in Silver Spring, Md., to testify about atrocities they had personally committed or witnessed while deployed. Among those who … Continue reading “Calling Gitmo What It Is”

These Are the
Consequences of War

The following is an excerpt from Winter Soldier Iraq and Afghanistan: Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations by Iraq Veterans Against the War and Aaron Glantz. From March 13-16, hundreds of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans gathered in Silver Spring, Md., to testify about atrocities they had personally committed or witnessed while deployed. Among those who … Continue reading “These Are the
Consequences of War”

McCain Should Know Better

John McCain seems to be running for president on the basis of his status as a former North Vietnamese prisoner of war. Rudy Giuliani said in his speech at the Republican National Convention that McCain’s refusal to accept early release showed he’s a man “who believes in serving a cause greater than self-interest.” In his … Continue reading “McCain Should Know Better”

Revelations of an Abu Ghraib Interrogator

Few people have thought as much about the morality of the US occupation of Iraq than Joshua Casteel, a former US Army interrogator who served at Abu Ghraib prison in the wake of the detainee abuse scandal there. Once a cadet at the US Military Academy at West Point and raised in an evangelical Christian … Continue reading “Revelations of an Abu Ghraib Interrogator”

Fallujah Fall Guy

As a journalist who has reported extensively on the death and destruction that is U.S.- occupied Iraq, perhaps I should be happy about the prosecution of former Marine Corps Sergeant Jose Luis Nazario Jr. Standing accused of killing unarmed four detainees in Fallujah in 2004, Nazario is the first Iraq War veteran to be tried … Continue reading “Fallujah Fall Guy”

Soldier Refuses Iraq Tour, Citing ‘Stomach-Churning Horrors’

A US Army soldier who served as a military journalist in Afghanistan, Japan, Europe and the Philippines announced Thursday his intent to refuse orders to deploy to Iraq. "As an Army journalist whose job it was to collect and filter service members’ stories, I heard many stomach-churning testimonies of the horrors of the crimes taking … Continue reading “Soldier Refuses Iraq Tour, Citing ‘Stomach-Churning Horrors’”

Iraq Veterans Describe Atrocities to Lawmakers

Antiwar veterans of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan took their case to Capitol Hill Thursday, baring their souls with stories of killings of innocent civilians, torture and wrongful detentions. "On several occasions our convoys came upon bodies that had been lying on the road, sometimes for weeks," said Marine Corps veteran Vincent Emanuele, … Continue reading “Iraq Veterans Describe Atrocities to Lawmakers”

Vets’ Lawsuit Opens Door on Suicides, Poor Care

The United States government does such a bad job of caring for wounded war veterans, advocates told a federal judge in San Francisco Monday, that 18 veterans commit suicide every week. "The suicide problem is out of control," said Gordon Erspamer, an attorney representing the groups Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth … Continue reading “Vets’ Lawsuit Opens Door on Suicides, Poor Care”