By Chelsea Hover, News 8 Austin
A growing number of active duty soldiers or recent Iraq war veterans are speaking up about the war in Iraq.
And with the number of soldiers speaking up about their experiences in Iraq via online forums, blogs and pamphlets, some vets feel it's their duty to let the American public know the truth.
"The honest truth is that if the American people knew what was going on over there everyday, they would be raising their voices too. They would be saying, 'Hey, bring those guys home," Sgt. Selena Coppa said.
Coppa blames lawmakers in Washington for filtering the facts on the war in Iraq. She said there's no real end in sight.
"There is a cost to this war. This war is being paid in American blood, in my soldier's blood. And that is not okay," Coppa said.
"We lost really good friends, really good leaders who died in Iraq. From my perspective, it didn't make any sense, we didn't
accomplish anything, and I talked to a lot of other soldiers who feel the same way," Fort Hood soldier Casey Porter said.
He started the local branch of IVAW at Fort Hood.
Porter is spending his numbered days in the U.S. passing out pamphlets before he is redeployed this summer.
He said he feels it's his obligation to his fallen brothers to take action. Local IVAW members are trying to let other soldiers know it's okay to do the same.
"This is well within the rights that service members have, but not many soldiers know that they do have," Fort Hood soldier Ronn Cantu said.
He's also home between deployments to Iraq.
"I honestly thought I might not live through my second tour, so I
thought, you know if I'm going to die anyway, I need to say the
things I need to say," Cantu said.
Those things are now being said loud and clear.
Sunday, a group took part in what they call a blitz, plastering busy areas of Killeen with informational pamphlets about their mission, and soldiers' rights.
Chelsea Hover
I think as time goes by more and more of our rank and file G I's are going to speak out factually about "some of" the things they personally experienced "over there" just as my generation's combat veterans eventually did after returning from Southeast Asia and "that war."
To myself what these people cited above said are faint echoes that barely scratch the surface of Iraqi war actuality. Many will never relate in detail the things they saw and did due to self imposed guilt they will carry to their graves. Many others will say little about their experiences out of a sense of duty and loyalty to their service branches. Even more will say nothing due to orders and perhaps threats of punishment even after they are discharged should they divulge negative information. I know from personal experience that such goes on and done under the pretense of "national security interests;" orders and threats made verbally by superiors in the officer corps where no records or proof of same of any kind appear.
There used to be and maybe there still is what is known as an SPN, aka "Separation Papers Number" on an exiting serviceman's DD-214 that could mean anything from superior to troublemaker and there were over 400 different numbers the military could draw from. And more than one exserviceman had their lives and careers ruined by the negative SPN's on their DD-214's when trying to get a job and even when they neared retirement from work...termination from job for the flimsiest reasons, loss of retirement benefits, loss of GI benefits, smeared in their communities many forced to relocate their families. This was all over the national news about two and one half to three of decades ago. Then like many other things the government buried it.
This is what happens when our government and military leadership become corrupt and without shame become the enemy of the people that served our nation's military.
Returning GI's from Iraq and Afghanistan with the scars of war, seen and unseen. are at best being short changed again. And once again our government is trying to cover its ass with fiction over fact, motion over substance.
If promises for "change, hope, and prosperity" are benefits due, our GI's that were sent to war and their families that stayed behind suffering for unending years currently and recently are among the most deserving in this nation to receive those benefits. Action, not more undetailed empty promises by socalled current government leaders and office candidates to get these things done with immediate haste are paramount; action up to and including the most immediately as possible end to this latest fruitless unwinable two front war.
TP
The political party I belong to is the entire body politic of the United States of America and our Constitution that I support without bias which neither states or implies any allegiance with any other socalled organized political party.
Meanwhile "Anthrax Leak" Reporter Refusing To Break Silence . .
Meanwhile "Anthrax Leak" Reporter refusing to break silence . . .
. . . and held in contempt . . .;-)
(clipped headline and article from USA TODAY)
"Judge holds reporter in contempt in anthrax case - WASHINGTON — A federal judge held a former USA TODAY reporter in contempt of court on Tuesday for failing to identify sources who named former Army scientist Steven Hatfill as a possible suspect in the 2001 anthrax attacks that killed five people.
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said he would begin fining Toni Locy $500 per day, escalating to $5,000 per day, until she identifies the sources."
(full story)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-02-19-reporter-anthrax_N.htm
Psst, hey Judge Walton .. . my CLUE guess would be . . . Dr. Barbara Hatch Rosenberg . ..in the Laboratory . . . with the Candlestick . . .;-)
(2001 anthrax attacks)
"Dr. Barbara Hatch Rosenberg has been a major figure outside the official investigation. A few months after the anthrax attack, Rosenberg started a campaign to get the FBI to investigate Dr. Steven Hatfill."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_anthrax_attacks
. . . but who you REALLY are looking for is good old PNAC Zionist Jerome "Answer Man" Hauer's buddy . . . Dr. Philip "Camel Club" Zack . . ;-)
"THE HIDDEN ANTHRAX LETTERS SUSPECT"
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/anthraxsuspect.html
Yup, BushCo and PNAC chose the WRONG AMERICAN to set up for a Patsy when they messed with brother Steven Hatfill . . .he's still kickin' ass, kidz!! . . .;-)
"Now don't you run,
Don't you hide while I'm with you
And I can't keep it in
I can't keep it in,
I've gotta let it out.
I've got to show the world
The World's got to see
See all the love
The love that's in me"
- Can't Keep It In by Cat Stevens
peace.