Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
{{Short description|Testimony from veterans against U.S. deployment in the Middle East}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2012}}
Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan was an event at which more than 200 U.S. military veterans and active duty soldiers,{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/03/14/ST2008031403909.html | newspaper=The Washington Post | title=War Stories Echo an Earlier Winter | first=Steve | last=Vogel | date=March 15, 2008}} as well as Iraqi and Afghan civilians,[http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/30/5538/ "US War Vets to Speak Publicly About War Crimes"], by Aaron Glantz, November 30, 2007 provided accounts of their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. The event was inspired by the Winter Soldier Investigation of 1971. It was organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War, and held from March 13 to March 16, 2008, timed for the fifth anniversary of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Media coverage
The event was covered by The Washington Post, The Boston Globe,{{cite news| url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/03/16/veterans_recall_horrors_of_war_in_live_broadcast/ | work=The Boston Globe | title=Veterans recall horrors of war in live broadcast | first=Anna | last=Badkhen | date=March 16, 2008}} the Boston Herald,{{cite web |url=http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1080667&srvc=home&position=3 |title=Testimony from vets in D.C. fires up local protesters - BostonHerald.com |website=news.bostonherald.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321031719/http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1080667&srvc=home&position=3 |archive-date=2008-03-21}} BBC World, Newsday,"Local veteran against war", by Rhoda Amon, Newsday (New York), March 13, 2008, p. A21 (available from Lexis-Nexis). Democracy Now!,[http://www.democracynow.org/shows/2008/3/17 Democracy Now! {{!}} March 17, 2008][http://www.democracynow.org/shows/2008/3/18 Democracy Now! {{!}} March 18, 2008][http://www.democracynow.org/shows/2008/3/19 Democracy Now! {{!}} March 19, 2008] Stars and Stripes,[http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60690&archive=true Veterans groups offer different views of conflict {{!}} Stars and Stripes] The Real News,{{Cite web|url=http://therealnews.com/web/index.php?thisid=1122&thisview=item|title = Web of secret money hides one mega-donor funding conservative court|date = November 23, 2017}} Slate,Anthony Swofford, [http://www.slate.com/id/2186755/ "Iraq Veterans Against the War"], Slate Magazine and Salon.com.[http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/03/13/winter_soldier/ "Will American war crimes be revealed?"] Salon News
The Pacifica Radio network suspended regular programming for three days in order to air a live broadcast of the proceedings from March 14 through March 16, 2008, co-anchored by journalist Aaron Glantz, who has reported extensively on the Iraq War and its effects on veterans.[http://warcomeshome.org/wintersoldier2008 "Pacifica Radio to Broadcast the Historic Winter Soldier Gathering"] Haymarket Books published a book of testimony from the event, Winter Soldier Iraq and Afghanistan: Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations, co-authored by Glantz.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080417222614/http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=7ce0ec18968710f72c995319fe68d3b4 Winter Soldiers Tell Tales of Dehumanization – NAM]}}
Aside from alternative media, coverage outside the United States was much greater than within the United States. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting criticized the U.S. media, particularly the New York Times, for its lack of coverage, writing that, "given the common media rhetoric of 'supporting the troops'...to ignore these same troops when they speak out about the horrors of the war is unconscionable".[http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3318 Why Are Winter Soldiers Not News?] New York Times public editor Clark Hoyt responded that the paper "had not been aware of the group or its meeting", but that even if it had been, it would not have reported on "charges and counter-charges at home by organizations with strongly held political viewpoints about the war".[http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3340 "New York Times Explains Winter Soldier Blackout"]
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://ivawarchive.org.php53-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/wintersoldier Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan]. Iraq Veterans Against the War.
- {{cite news |first= Dahr |last= Jamail |authorlink= Dahr Jamail |title=We blew her to pieces |url= http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JI20Ak01.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081121213021/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JI20Ak01.html |url-status= unfit |archive-date= November 21, 2008 |work= Asia Times Online |date=September 19, 2008 |access-date=September 20, 2008 }} (A book review of Winter soldier, Iraq and Afghanistan: eyewitness accounts of the occupations by Aaron Glantz and Iraq Veterans Against the War.)
- Bica, Camillo Mac. [http://www.truthout.org/article/camillo-mac-bica-when-morality-demands-winter-soldiers When Morality Demands Winter Soldiers]. An argument for the Winter Soldier hearings. Truth-out.org, February 4, 2008.
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjQxMBacLBE Winter soldier testimonials] on YouTube.
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMLMfULobE4 Mike Prysner testimony] on YouTube.
- [http://hennessymedia.com/#/warriors-againstwar/ Warriors Against War, a 12-minute documentary film by Matthew Hennessy]
- [http://www.brooklynrail.org/2008/04/express/as-vets-testifydemocrats-and-big-media-are-nowhere-to-be-found As Vets Testify — Democrats and Big Media are Nowhere to be Found, by Matthew Hennessy]
{{Protests against the Iraq War}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan}}
Category:Protests against the Iraq War