WINTER SOLDIER:
Iraq and Afghanistan: Eyewitness Accounts of
the Occupations
By Iraq Veterans Against the War and AaronGlantz
with a Foreword by Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead
ccun.org, October 4, 2008
"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and
sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his
country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man
and woman."
--Thomas Paine, 1776
"It's high time this nation stopped and listened to those who risked
so much and asked for so little." --Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA),
Co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus
"As we enter the sixth year of the war in Iraq, more time than the
United States was involved in World War II, we should honor the veterans
of Iraq and Afghanistan--by listening to them." --Amy Goodman, host of
Democracy Now!
"The only way this war is going to end is if the American people truly
understand what we have done in their name."
--Kelly Dougherty, executive director of Iraq Veterans Against the War
"Honor the casualties of this war--the dead, injured, psychologically
altered, those who have already managed to heal--by refusing to forget
the elements and consequences of combat that our leaders would rather us
not know in the first place. Do not turn away from these stories. They
are yours, too."
--Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead, from the Foreword
IN THE SPRING of 2008, inspired by the Vietnam-era Winter Soldier
hearings, Iraq Veterans Against the War gathered outside Washington,
D.C., and testified to atrocities they personally committed or witnessed
while deployed in the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. In this
book are the powerful words, images, and documents of this historic
event.
The collective testimony of the dozens of veterans present at the
hearings showed that well-publicized cases of American brutality like
the Abu Ghraib prison scandal are not isolated incidents perpetrated by
"a few bad apples," as many politicians and military leaders have
claimed. As the testimony shows, such injustices are the logical outcome
of U.S. foreign policy. Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan preserves
and honors the participants' courageous contributions in order to ensure
that people around the world remember their stories and struggles.
Along with the moving testimonies of dozens of veterans and family
members of fallen soldiers, Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan
• Exposes the Department of Veterans Affairs' systematic
denial of mental health care and disability benefits to soldiers
returning from conflict zones and the devastating results of such
policy, including suicide rates among veterans that have risen to as
high as eighteen per day
• Uncovers the U.S. military's continual disregard for the
official Rules of Engagement in warfare, resulting in the targeting of
schools, hospitals, mosques, and a general disregard for civilian life
• Explains the culture of racism and dehumanization of the
enemy permeating the military occupations
• Shows the additional battle that women, gays, and
lesbians within the ranks are forced to fight, in order to combat the
severe discrimination and brutality directed at them during their
service
Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) was founded by Iraq war veterans in
July 2004 at the annual convention of Veterans for Peace (VFP) in Boston
to give a voice to active duty service people and veterans who are
against the war. Today, IVAW has over 1,200 members in 48 states,
Washington, D.C., and Canada, and on military bases overseas.
Aaron Glantz is an independent journalist whose work has appeared in the
Nation, The Progressive, San Francisco Chronicle, the American Prospect,
and on Democracy Now!. He is author of How America Lost Iraq (Tarcher/Penguin)
and the forthcoming The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle Against
America's Veterans (University of California Press). Glantz reported
extensively inside Iraq from 2003 to 2005 and has been covering
veterans' issues since his return to the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
The release of Winter Soldier will be accompanied by a series of events
featuring
Aaron Glantz and testifiers from Iraq Veterans Against the War, whose
members will also be available for interview, live and by phone.
For more information or to request an interview or review copy, contact:
Sarah Macaraeg, Haymarket Books, Publicity
sarah@haymarketbooks.org,
312-315-8476
WINTER SOLDIER: IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations
By Iraq Veterans Against the War and Aaron Glantz
with a Foreword from Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead
Publisher: Haymarket Books / Format: trade paper, 240 pages
Retail Price: $16.00 / ISBN 10: 1931859655 / ISBN 13: 978-1931859653
Publication date: September 22, 2008
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