Winter Soldier (35 page)

MP: Military police

MRE: Meal Ready to Eat, dehydrated food for troops in a combat zone

NCO: Noncommissioned officer, e.g., a sergeant

Peshmerga: Kurdish militia

Platoon: A military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing about thirty to fifty soldiers

PTSD: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

R&R: Rest and recreation, a short vacation soldiers are sometimes allowed to take during a deployment

RPG: Rocket-propelled grenade

SAPI Plates: Small arms protective inserts, ceramic armor plates used in vests to repel fragmentation and small arms fire

SMAW: A Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon, a type of rocket launcher 

TBI: Traumatic brain injury, physical brain damage

TRICARE: The military’s health care plan

UCMJ: Uniformed Code of Military Justice, military law

The official Rules of Engagement card
issued to Sergeant Adam Kokesh by the U.S. Marine Corps

Jose Vasquez represented IVAW in the testimonial editing process for this book and led the verification team on the Winter Soldier organizing committee. He served fourteen years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve and was honorably discharged in May 2007 as a conscientious objector. Currently he is a PhD candidate in Cultural Anthropology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY), where he is conducting research on the politics of veteran status in contemporary American society.

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Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan was a grassroots effort in the truest sense of the word. Hundreds of family members, friends, and allies donated their time, energy, and money to ensure the voices of veterans were heard during four historic days in March 2008. On behalf of Iraq Veterans Against the War, I want to thank everyone that contributed to getting testifiers to the event and ensuring they were supported throughout the process. Your dedication made all the difference in this important endeavor.

To our family in Vietnam Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace, we are truly honored to stand on your shoulders. You all started a tradition in 1971 of veterans coming home and telling the truth about war; we thought it was important to continue that tradition. You are all warriors for peace. To our loved ones in Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families for Peace, and Gold Star Families Speak Out, we thank you for walking with us as we bear the burden of war together.

Many, many allies offered their skills and expertise toward this momentous effort. To our co-author Aaron Glantz, thank you for your tenacity and deep understanding of our experiences. We’ve learned as much from you as you have from us. It’s been a journey, my friend. Thanks to Ngoc for letting us steal you for weeks at a time.

Thanks to John Stauber for helping to make the right connections. Anthony Arnove, thanks for having the vision to publish these testimonies and the patience to put up with our drama. Julie Fain, thank you for your attention to detail. Jared Rodriguez, thanks for capturing us in the best possible light. And Tony Swofford, your words and empathetic ear are greatly appreciated. Thanks to Gerald Nicosia for your enthusiastic support. Ron Kovic, thank you for your powerful statement of support.

To the Winter Soldier organizing committee, your professionalism and dedication are immeasurable. For those of us in IVAW who know the humble beginnings of this whole process, we can read these lines and smile. Thanks to Fernando Braga, Aaron Hughes, and Liam Madden for their vision and infectious motivation. Thank you, gentlemen, for getting the ball rolling and giving the strategy team a boot in the ass.

Ally team: Jethro Heiko, Susie Husted, Matt Daloisio, Matt Smucker, Lori Hurlebaus, Joseph Gainza, Saif Rahman, Ward Reilly, and Nico Amador managed our numerous relationships with allies that were our “force-multipliers.”

A/V and Web team: Danya Abt, Nick Jehlen, and Dan Summer helped make us presentable in audio, video, and digital formats. I can only imagine the hours you all put in.

Fundraising team: Amadee Braxton kept her watchful eye on the bottom line and fundraised like a champion.

Logistics team: Lily Hughes, Catherine Miller, Amy Meyer, and Lynn Phares did an amazing job making sure we had everything we needed and handled angry veterans with grace. Thanks to Lori Hurlebaus for maintaining order behind the scenes. Special thanks goes to Barry Romo, Ken Nielsen, and Bill Branson of our security detail; your efforts were instrumental in maintaining the “safe space” that we promised our testifiers. Thanks to Ryan Harvey and all the musicians, especially The Nightwatchman!

Media team: Emilie Surrusco and the whole media team took on a tremendous task and reached our strategic goal of coverage in the military media. Thanks to Francesca Lo Basso, Doyle Canning, Susie Husted, Ward Reilly, Geoff Millard, Matt Smucker, Vida Mia Ruiz, Lisa Cantu, Jane Song, Selena Coppa, Matt Daloisio, Nan Levinson, Nick Martin, Sarah Hirsch, Uruj Sheikh, Becca Rast, Saif Rahman, Adam Navarro-Lowery, Alain Jehlen, Charlie Anderson, Michael Applegate, and Suren Moodliar.

To the many journalists and filmmakers who took the time to listen, we say thanks. Thanks to Ariel Leve and Nina Berman for their story in the Sunday New York Times Magazine. For extended live, international coverage, special thanks to Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!); Aaron Glantz, Aimee Allison, and Esther Manilla (Pacifica—KPFA); Brian Drolet (Deep Dish TV); and everyone at Free Speech TV. For filming our forthcoming official documentary, thanks to Dave Zeiger (Displaced Films), Lenny Rotman (Northern Lights Productions), and their production teams. Thanks to Ric Rowley and Jacquie Soohen (Big Noise Films); and Matt Renner and Maya Schenwar (Truthout.org) for their coverage and support. And many, many more.

Outreach team: Aaron Hughes, Adrienne Kinne, Lovella Calica, Selena Coppa, Robert Clack, and all the regional coordinators were instrumental in reaching veterans and GIs with stories to tell.

Testimonial team: Perry O’Brien led the team with passion and focus. He had the unenviable task of selecting who would testify onstage.

Civilian testimony: Fernando Braga helped bring the stories of Iraqi and Afghan civilians to the table. Thanks to Alive in Baghdad (Brian Conley, Steve Wyshywaniuk, Omar Abdullah, Hayder Fahad, Isam Rasheed, Ahmad Muhammad, Firas Ekal) and Joan Seckler for risking your lives to collect and translate the Iraqi testimony. Also thanks to Dave Enders and Alaa Majeed for help with the translations.

Legal team: Kathy Gilberd, Michael Siegel, and Jeff Lake ensured our testifiers had the legal support they needed. Thanks to James Branum, J.E. McNeil, Dan O’Connor, and Jim Klimaski.

Mental health: Nancy Goldner, Ginny Hughes, Johanna (Hans) Buwalda, and Ray Parrish provided and organized professional mental health support.

Peer support: Adam Kokesh, Jeff Key, Tina Richards, Eric Estenzo, Resistance, and the whole peer support team kept us sane. Thanks to all the team coordinators, Bill Main, T.J. Buonomo, Toby Hartbarger, Rick Duncan, Mike Totten, Mike Marceau, and Frank Radosin; and to the Vietnam vets whose presence kept the lid on things for all their brothers and sisters in the audience, Bill Perry, Thomas Brinson, Elliot Adams, and Doug Ryder.

Ally panels: Martin Smith organized our ally panels, which helped provide context for our stories. Adrienne Kinne helped secure speakers as well. Jen Hogg and Patty McCann took the lead on the gender and sexuality panel. Our deepest gratitude goes to all our excellent panelists for their insights and unwavering support.

Verification team: Thanks to all our volunteers that did legwork on the verification process: Chere Krakovsky, Hannah Wolfe, Carlos Harris, Fabian Bouthillette, Luis C. Montalvan, Al Stolzer, Aimara Lin, Chris Lombardi, Elaine Brower, Kevin Huyge, Melissa Morrone, and Uruj Sheikh. Nick Martin was a real trooper interning with me on the verification team. Selena Coppa, Brandon Day, Ryan Johnson, Adam Kokesh, Patty McCann, Ryan McCarthy, Kenyon Ralph, Jim Reddin, and Hart Viges helped collect testimony. Special thanks go to Tanya Austin and Jason Wallace for taking up the slack in collecting on-site testimony.

Most importantly, to our brothers and sisters who offered testimony. Your bravery and sincerity are commendable. You trusted us with the deepest parts of your souls. You are all true patriots and our world is a better place because of the work you do. Let’s continue to struggle together to end the suffering these wars and occupations have caused.

I am very grateful to all the brave veterans who shared their stories at Winter Soldier. Special thanks to former staff sergeant and IVAW board member Jose Vasquez, who spearheaded the difficult three-way negotiations between myself, Haymarket Books, and IVAW to make this book happen and then worked long and hard with little compensation both on the Winter Soldier verification team and on the nuts and bolts of this book. I’m also grateful to Jose and his wife Emi who allowed me to set up shop in their spare room for weeks on end while we cranked the book out. I’ll try not to make such a mess next time. Thanks also to Perry O’Brien, Aaron Hughes, and Luis Carlos Montalvan. Thanks to Julie Fain and Anthony Arnove at Haymarket for rushing to get this book out before the November 2008 election. Thanks to my agent Michael Bourret at Dystel and Goderich Literary Management for understanding that we have do work sometimes even though it doesn’t make the most money. Thanks to Gerald Nicosia, Penny Coleman, and John Stauber for their inspiration and support and to photographers Jared Rodriguez and Mike Hastie for their arresting images.

Thanks to Sasha Lilley at KPFA for green-lighting Pacifica Radio’s historic, three-day live broadcast of Winter Soldier, which laid the groundwork for this book. Thanks to the rest of my broadcast team: Aimee Allison, Esther Manilla, and Jon Almielah, with whom I shared this most important experience. Your professionalism, dedication, intelligence, and compassion are unmatched. In addition to your great work, I am grateful for your friendship and support. Thanks for helping me cry over this material and keeping me from quitting this difficult but important task. Thanks to therapist Rachel Erwin for donating her services.