[Thanks to Mark Shapiro, who sent this in.]

96 U.S. Troops Killed So Far In October:
U.S. Death Toll In Iraq Worst In A Year

[Thanks to Mark Shapiro, who sent this in.]

10.26.06 By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer

The number of American troops killed in Iraq in October reached the highest monthly total in a year Thursday after four Marines and a sailor died of wounds suffered while fighting in the same Sunni insurgent stronghold.

The U.S. military said 96 U.S. troops have died so far in October, the most in one month since October 2005, when the same number was killed. The spike in deaths has been a major factor behind rising anti-war sentiment in the United States, fueling calls for President Bush to change tactics.

The deadliest month for U.S. forces in Iraq was November 2004, when military offenses primarily in the then-insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad, left 137 troops dead, 126 of them in combat. In January 2005, 107 U.S. troops were killed.

MORE:

Native Sons

From: Dennis Serdel
To: GI Special
Sent: October 26, 2006
Subject: Native Sons

By Dennis Serdel, Vietnam 1967-68 (one tour) Light Infantry, Americal Div. 11th Brigade, purple heart, Veterans For Peace, Vietnam Veterans Against The War, United Auto Workers GM Retiree, in Perry, Michigan

********************************************

Native Sons

Their names are Rodreguez, Smitty and Jones
Mortillo and Toby and Nick.
All are our native sons all caught up in the war
that they say will never end.
Only flag draped flights back to their homes
or in hospitals laying in beds.
Some are against the war while others just think that way,
everyday a brother dies, a chopper takes him away,
leaving a space where he used to be,
wondering who will be next.
Everything is crazy here, it’s getting easier to hate,
how did they allow themselves to get into this darkness,
with death all around and living on the edge,
the recruiters said nothing about this.
There is metal flying here up in the air,
metal flying sideways and down in the ground,
car bombs all around like ten tornados all day.
A cut off boy’s hand is now stuck on a wall
as if saying “please won’t you stop.”
A lady’s blue scarf lay in her red blood
in a white wash war the bombs bursting in air.
Iraqi fake policemen dying for a job,
Iraqi fake soldiers too.
America you are not so beautiful anymore,
hear us, we are your native sons.
We will defend everyone but this is not right,
this is just dust to dust all of the time.
Everybody killing everybody
because someone is different, doesn’t make sense anymore.
As in a thousand wars, there are so many gods,
don’t even know who to pray to.
One lives in a white house,
others spit fire in a satanic hex.
Others chew on their tongues all day in congress,
but nobody goes home dead.
Their names are Rodreguez, Smitty and Jones,
Mortillo, Watada and Toby and Nick.
If the war don’t stop, then they will stop it
like what happened in Vietnam.
They will not fight for empire and money,
God doesn’t Bless America like this.
Americans, you can keep your faded yellow ribbons
on your cars and trucks and on your foreheads.
Even your faded flag decals are nothing to be proud of,
there are too many dying and too many dead.

MORE:

The Reflection Of The Living In The Dead

From: Mike Hastie
To: GI Special
Sent: October 23, 2006

The Reflection of the Living in the Dead

A peacemaker’s reflection is seen in the
gravestone of the dead. You demonstrate
because the living must speak for the dead.
You speak, because you cannot not speak.
You march until it becomes a movement.
You march until paper covers the rock of
war.
You are relentless, until there are no
more dead.
You march.
You march…

Mike Hastie
Vietnam Veteran
October 23, 2006

Photo and caption from the I-R-A-Q (I Remember Another Quagmire) portfolio of Mike Hastie, US Army Medic, Vietnam 1970-71. (For more of his outstanding work, contact at: (hastiemike@earthlink.net) T)

IRAQ WAR REPORTS

Four Marines And One Sailor Killed In Anbar

[Thanks to Pham Binh, Traveling Soldier, who sent this in.]

26 October 2006 MULTINATIONAL DIVISION NORTH PAO RELEASE No. 20061026-01

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq: One Sailor assigned to 3rd Naval Construction Regiment, two Marines assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5 and two Marines assigned to Regimental Combat Team 7 died Wednesday from injuries sustained due to enemy action while operating in Al Anbar Province.

Three British Troops Killed By IED

Oct 26 2006 by Helen Korn, Skelmersdale Advertiser

A FATHER-of-three was killed while serving as a remote medic in Iraq last week.

Colour Sergeant Carl Robert Ledden, 41, who lived in Old Skelmersdale for most of his life, was 35km east of Baghdad when his vehicle was blown up by a roadside bomb.

The medic and two other English Army soldiers onboard were killed instantly, despite having the highest level of armour.

His dad, Frank, said: “He couldn’t do anything to safeguard himself. The bombs are that sophisticated. You can't tell them from a rock or an old tire and they are on a remote control so they can be detonated at any time.”

Only a fortnight ago, a postcard had arrived: “Bet you never expected a card from Baghdad! I move south soon out of here don t worry, it is my choice to be here. The weather is very hot and made worse with the heavy body armour I carry. Not sure when I will be home but not to worry. Love Carl.”

US Military Transport Truck Destroyed:
Casualties Not Announced

A US military transport truck burns after it came under an attack in western Baghdad, Oct. 25, 2006. There were no immediate reports on casualties. (AP Photo/Asaad Mouhsin)

Roxbury High Grad Killed In Iraq

10/26/06 BY MATT MANOCHIO, DAILY RECORD

ROXBURY: A 2005 Roxbury High School graduate was killed Wednesday in Iraq, where he was serving as a U.S. Marine.

The high school’s flags will be flown at half-staff Friday in honor of Donald Steven Brown, who was a member of the school’s football and track teams.

Carrollton Man Among U.S. Troops Killed In Iraq

[Thanks to David Honish, Veteran, who sent this in.]

October 26, 2006 Associated Press

The U.S. military announced Thursday morning the deaths of five U.S. troops in fighting in Iraq, raising to 96 the number of American forces killed this month.

The four Marines and one Navy sailor all died in fighting in Anbar province, a hotbed of the Sunni insurgency against U.S. troops and their Iraqi government allies.

A day earlier, the Department of Defense announced that Spc. Nathaniel A. Aguirre, 21, of Carrollton died Sunday in Baghdad of injuries he suffered when his patrol met enemy forces. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood.

Another Fort Hood soldier, 23-year-old Spc. Matthew W. Creed of Covina, Calif., died in the same attack.

The 96 deaths equals the highest monthly total since October 2005.

Before that the deadliest months were January 2005, at 107; November 2004 at 137 and April 2004, at 135.

Jackson Marine Injured In Fatal Attack

October 26, 2006 Mary Jo Denton, Herald-Citizen Staff

COOKEVILLE: A young Jackson County man who joined the U.S. Marines to serve his country has been seriously injured in Iraq.

Lance Cpl. George Henry Jr., 20, of Gainesboro, was in an armored truck which was hit by an explosive device in Fallujah, Iraq, on Monday, his family told the Herald-Citizen.

Two Marines from Gallatin and Franklin were killed in the same incident.

Lance Cpl. Henry, a 2004 graduate of Jackson County High School, was taken to Fallujah Surgical, apparently a field hospital, and is expected to be taken to a hospital in Germany later, family members said.

He suffered a broken arm and leg and other injuries, but was able to talk to his mother and his father by phone late that night.

He is the son of George Henry Sr., who is install sales manager at the Lowe’s store in Cookeville and Sabrina Hamlet of Gainesboro. His parents, other relatives, and their many friends are waiting for further information and praying for his recovery.

They also speak of him with great pride. “We’re all so proud of him,” his mother said. “I really set him up on a pedestal for serving his country. I am so proud of all our soldiers over there serving their country.”

She said her son enlisted in the U.S. Marines even before finishing high school but had only been in Iraq for about a month.

When he enlisted, he was so determined to serve that she had no doubt at all that he knew what he was pledging to do and that he felt it was what he had to do.

“He’s such a good boy,” she said. Likewise, his father described a son who “was all fired up about serving his country.” “And once he sets his mind, he sticks with it,” George Henry Sr. said.

His stepmother, Danita Henry, describes him as “very tender-hearted and loving.” “He said he wanted to go there and serve his country, and he really took great pride in that,” she said. “He wanted to do his job and do it well.”

After being injured, Lance Cpl. Henry was allowed to phone both his mother and his father. That call came to George Henry Sr. about 3 a.m. Tuesday.

“We told him we loved him and he said he loved us and then he started talking about buying a truck when he comes home,” Henry Sr. said. “He had been saving up for a truck.”

According to his mother and father, Lance Cpl. Henry had considered making a career out of the military and had also talked about the possibility of becoming a history teacher or a Marine recruiter.

Like many others his age, Lance Cpl. Henry has a place on the myspace web site where he put some of his thoughts and some information about himself.

Among the items he listed there are the following:

“My name is George and I’m 20 years old. I am in the USMC. I was just sent to Iraq. But when I’m back home I like to spend time with family and friends and kick back and chill. I will be coming home sometime between April-June 2007, so if family and friends read this…I love you and think about you all the time. Don’t 4get to write me!!!!”

“Daily Bible verse: ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’ (Romans 15:13).

He also includes some of his favorite activities: hanging out with friends, driving his car, playing pool, spending time with “my WONDERFUL girlfriend,” spending time with his family. He says he likes rap music and hates country music.

On a spot listed as “Who I’d like to meet” the young Marine answered, “God.”

His family waits today to hear more from the military about Lance Cpl. Henry’s progress, and they appreciate the prayers and support of the community as they wait.

FUTILE EXERCISE:
BRING THEM ALL HOME NOW!

Baghdad, Oct. 14: U.S. soldiers at the site of car bomb explosions in a parking lot. Two bombs hidden in parked cars exploded Saturday. Mohammed Jalil/Associated Press

AFGHANISTAN WAR REPORTS

Slaughter At Nangawat:
The Occupation Kills Villagers In Order TO Save Them:
“The Government And The Coalition Told The Families That There Are No Taliban In The Area Anymore”

[Thanks to JM, who sent this in.]

October 26, 2006 By Allauddin Khan, Associated Press & Jackie Dent and agencies, Guardian Unlimited

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: At least 60 civilians were killed during NATO operations in a volatile southern area of Afghanistan earlier this week, two government officials and a civilian said Thursday.

A provincial council member, Bismallah Afghanmal, said 80-85 civilians were killed in fighting in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar province on Tuesday. A villager, Karim Jan, said 60-70 died.

“The government and the coalition told the families that there are no Taliban in the area anymore,” said Afghanmal.

“If there are no Taliban, then why are they bombing the area?”

Another government official who asked not to be named because it would “cause him problems” said at least 60 were killed.

The deaths, which a UN statement said were in the village of Nangawat, happened during Eid, the festival marking the end of Ramadan.

Witnesses told Reuters that 25 homes were demolished during four to five hours of bombing.

Assorted Resistance Action

Oct. 26 (Xinhua) & Reuters

Insurgents on a motorbike shot dead a member of the provincial council of Faryab province in northern Afghanistan, the provincial governor Abdul Latif Ibrahimi said Thursday.

Syed Noor Mohammad Agha, a member of Faryab’s provincial council, was killed and injuring his guard on Wednesday.

The incident occurred in Koh-e-Sayad village of Shirin Tagab district when Agha was coming out from a meeting, the governor added.

It is the second deadly attack on a provincial council member over the past 10 days.

IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE RESISTANCE END THE OCCUPATION

TROOP NEWS

Central Texas Soldier’s Body Returned From Iraq

Oct 19, 2006 Keith Elkins (CBS 42)

So far this month 74 American troops have died fighting in Iraq. And, the U.S. military now admits a two-month effort to crush military violence near Baghdad is not working.

One of those soldiers who died trying to stop the insurgents was from Central Texas.

Thomas “T.J.” Hewitt grew up not far from here in the small town of Moffatt just up Interstate 35 near Temple.

CBS 42’s Keith Elkins sat down with T.J.’s older brother said he had turned his life around by joining the military and was doing something he considered to be important.

That is until T.J. was seriously wounded three weeks ago with injuries that proved to be fatal.

Private First Class Thomas James Hewitt had only been 22 years old for 10 days when he was gravely injured by a roadside bomb.

“We talked a lot about how we wanted to raise our kids,” his brother said.

Hewitt had only been married a week when he and his wife Vina Miller were deployed to Iraq last August.

“I love my brother, I’m proud of him, and I’m not bitter at the military,” Rick Hewett said.

As a cavalry scout, Hewitt’s job is one of the most dangerous in times of war: becoming a human target to flush enemy insurgents out of hiding.

“He’s an honorable man and he was scared but he did his job,” Rick Hewett said.

But being separated from his three-year-old son was the hardest of all.

“Before he left he went out and got a bear, one that could record voices and everything,” Rick Hewett said. “And he said that he loved him, that he missed him, he’d be safe and he’d be coming back. Clifton just thinks his daddy’s at work.”

Hewitt will now return to his family’s cemetery to be buried with full military honors. He will take his place beside his grandfather he helped lay to rest just five months ago.

His says he thinks T.J. would want to be remembered as loving and courageous.

“He was scared, but courage comes from when you do things even though you’re scared,” he said.

Hewitt’s body was returned to Austin Thursday night. A public visitation for T.J. are schedule for Friday from 6-8 p.m. at the Harper Talasek Funeral Home at 500 Barton Ave. in Temple. Funeral services are schedule for Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Moffatt Cemetery.

Rick Hewitt said T.J. was so determined to join the army he lost 100 pounds to meet the weight requirement just to get in.

Marine Injured In Iraq Hopes More Will Participate In Operation Hero Miles

Marine Sgt. Tyler Ziegel

10/26/2006 By Steve Jankowski, Illinois Bureau Chief, KSDK

When the Tigers play the Cardinals on Wednesday in Game Four of the World Series, a very special couple will be in the stands.

Marine Sgt. Tyler Ziegel and his wife Rene of Metamora, Ill., will be the guests of Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn.

Ziegel is here to do more than enjoy a baseball game. He hopes to get more people to participate in Operation Hero Miles.

Ziegel was critically injured in a suicide bomb attack in Iraq in December of 2004. The day after he arrived at Brooke Army Hospital in San Antonio, his family flew to be at his bedside.

They were able to make the trip at no charge thanks to Operation Hero Miles which uses donated frequent flyer miles to get the family members of troops wounded in combat to their bedside with minimal cost.

Ziegel spent 22 months in the hospital, undergoing 30 surgeries. His family used 40 round trip tickets to support him in his recovering.

“I had no idea where I was anyway, but not to have at least a familiar face there, I wouldn’t have had any ambition or anything to get better,” said Tyler.

Operation Hero Miles is administered by Fisher House, which has to date provided more than 6,000 round trip tickets worth more than $7 million.

To get more information about the program or how to donate, visit www.operationhomefront.org.

“Patriot Refuses Illegal War”
“Events Throughout New York City In Support Of U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren Watada”

October 26, 2006 New York, NY, VETERANS FOR PEACE News Release

“We all have a duty as American citizens for civil disobedience, and to do anything we can within the law to stop an illegal war.” LT Ehren Watada

New York City area Chapters of Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War along with United for LT Watada are pleased to announce several events throughout New York City in support of U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren Watada.

LT Watada is being court-martialed for his refusal to deploy to the Iraq War.

His refusal is based upon his strong belief that the invasion and occupation of Iraq constitutes an illegal, unjust, immoral war in violation of the UN Charter, the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court, as well as U.S. law to include the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

On November 10, 2006, at 7:30 pm at St. Paul & St. Andrews Church at West End Avenue and W. 86th Street, a showing will be presented of Lieutenant Watada’s moving speech in Seattle on August 12, 2006, at the Veterans of Peace National Convention.

As a result of this speech, LT Watada received an additional court-martial charge.

In addition, Bob, LT Watada’s father, will speak out in support of his son. Rosa, LT Watada’s stepmother, will accompany Mr. Watada.

The Watada’s appearance in New York is part of a 24-city nationwide tour in support of their son organized by Veterans for Peace.

A distinguished panel of speakers, including Dave Cline, National President of Veterans For Peace; Jeremy Brecher, Editor of In the Name of Democracy: American War Crimes in Iraq and Beyond; former US diplomat and retired U.S. Army Reserve Colonel Ann Wright, who served as a Judge of the International Commission on Bush War Crimes; Yonatan Shapira, Iraeli Air Force Captain Refusnik; and Jose Vasquez, New York City Chapter President and National Co-chairperson of Iraq Veterans Against the War, will discuss LT Watada’s courageous stand relative to the International Law concerning wars of aggressive resulting in crimes against humanity, and the duty of all patriotic citizens to resist the illegal, immoral, inhumane war in Iraq.

Prior to the Friday evening event an open Press Conference will be held at in the Conference Room of the United Nations Church Center on the 8th Floor at 777 United Nations Plaza on First Avenue at 2:00 pm.

On Saturday, November 11th, the Watadas will march in the New York City Veterans Day parade with Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, and Gold Star Families for Peace.

Additionally, the Watadas will participate in events arranged by United for LT Watada at the Macedonia AME Church at 37-22 Union Street in Flushing New York at 3:00 – 5:00 pm, Saturday, November 11th and at 7:00 pm that evening at Columbia University, Broadway and W. 116th Street in Room 312 of the Mathematics Building.

For additional information about LT Ehren Watada please check his website at www.thankyoult.org/.

For additional information please contact the following:

Thomas Brinson at 631.889.0203 for Veterans for Peace

Jose Vasquez at 646.723.1781 for Iraq Veterans Against the War

Gloria Lum at 646.824.2710 for United for LT Watada

New York Senate Candidate For Immediate Withdrawal From Iraq

Building An Alternative To Corporate Politics

A Discussion With:

Howie Hawkins, Green candidate for US Senate Gloria Mattera, Green candidate for Brooklyn Borough President in 2005 Tom Crean, Editorial Board, Justice

October 28
7:30 pm Park Slope United Methodist Church
6th Ave & 8th St (two blocks away from 7th Ave. F stop)

25 Oct 2006 Via New York City Labor Against The War

In this November’s election, millions of people are looking for an alternative to the perpetual war policies of George Bush and the Republicans.

Many are looking to the Democrats. But their leadership supported the war and have gone alone with almost every attack on civil liberties and workers rights over the last six years.

The growing dissatisfaction with pro-war Democrats like Hillary Clinton was shown in the primaries when Jonathan Tasini, a labor activist with almost no funding, got 18% of the vote against her massively funded campaign. But now that the primary is over, what is to be done?

Support Hillary and hope for the best?

Working people and youth need a real alternative to both corporate dominated parties. Howie Hawkins, Green candidate for US Senate is showing the way. Hawkins has been active in movements for peace, justice, the environment and independent politics since the 1960s.

He works at UPS and is a member of Teamsters for a Democratic Union and US Labor Against the War.

Unlike Hillary, Howie stands for:

Stopping the war in Iraq and bringing the troops home now.

Healthcare for al

Massive investment in renewable energy for jobs, peace and the environment

Meeting sponsored by: Park Slope Greens and Socialist Alternative. For more info on the meeting call (718) 207.4037

For more info on Howie’s campaign: hawkinsforsenate.org.

[Thanks to David Honish, Veteran, who sent this in.]

Troops With PTSD Redeployed;
“Basically, It’s Like Your Worst Day Is Every Day”

Oct 19, 2006 (CBS News)

Army Staff Sgt. Bryce Syverson spent 15 months in Iraq before he was diagnosed by military doctors with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sent to the psychiatric unit at Walter Reed Medical Center, CBS News correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi reports.

“It ended up they just took his weapon away from him and said he was non-deployable and couldn’t have a weapon,” says his father, Larry Syverson. “He was on suicide watch in a lockdown.”

That was last August. This August, he was deployed to Ramadi, in the heart of the Sunni triangle, and he had a weapon.

He’s still there.

Under pressure to maintain troop levels, military doctors tell CBS News it’s become a “common practice” to recycle soldiers with mental disorders back into combat.

“It’s flat-out not a good idea,” says Dr. John Wilson, an expert in combat trauma.

One study estimates that about 16 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq have PTSD.

But military officials say they don’t keep tabs on how many troops still fighting have been diagnosed. Most soldiers are never screened, a GAO report finds.

Wilson says the danger of having someone with PTSD at the front lines is that they are at risk themselves and put their units at risk and could break down under the stresses of combat.

“Basically, it’s like your worst day is every day. It gets worse every day,” says Army Specialist Jason Gunn, a decorated soldier.

Gunn was critically injured in Baghdad when the Humvee he was driving hit an IED. His friend was killed in the explosion.

“I blame myself,” Gunn says.

Gunn became depressed and paranoid. Doctors said he was sick, suffering from PTSD. But just four months after the deadly explosion, he was sent back to Iraq.

“The Army sent us an e-mail saying they recognized Jason was suffering from PTSD, but was ‘in his best interest’ if he ‘faced his fears’ and went back to the front,” says Pat Gunn, his mother.

Wilson says this does not make sense “at all.”

“To put someone in that situation and say ‘face your fears’ is contrary to all current medical and scientific knowledge about PTSD,” Wilson says.

Jason Gunn says he thinks he was re-deployed so the military could keep up numbers in the ranks.

Meanwhile, Bryce Syverson is still in Iraq. He sent this e-mail home:

“Head about to explode from the blood swelling inside, the lightning storm that happened inside my head.”

He wrote that it was the anti-depressants that were making him feel bad, so he told his father he may stop taking them.

“Who knows what could happen? There are soldiers depending on him, and other soldiers are expecting Bryce to react,” his father says. “Who knows how he will react under live combat fire.”

IRAQ RESISTANCE ROUNDUP

WELCOME TO RAMADI:
YOUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Insurgent soldiers patrol a road in Ramadi October 22, 2006. (Stringer/Reuters)

Diyala Province Resistance Offensive In Force Shatters Collaborator Police Detachments

Oct. 26 (Xinhua)

At least eight policemen were killed, including their commander, and 50 others either wounded or went missing in a town northeast of Baghdad on Thursday, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua.

“Fierce clashes erupted between insurgents and Iraqi security forces while policemen were searching villages near the town of Muradiya in Diyala province,” the source said on condition of anonymity.

Dozens of insurgents attacked the police forces, killing eight policemen, including their Colonel commander, the source said, adding at least 25 policemen were injured in the attack and some 25 others went missing.

Earlier, insurgents attacked police commando members in the provincial capital of Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, killing six of them and wounding 10 others, the source said.

A provincial police source said that several clashes occurred in several towns of Diyala province on Thursday between the Iraq security forces and rebels.

On Sunday, insurgents detonated a bomb near a police convoy in the Muradiya town, killing 12 police recruits and wounding and kidnapping some 50 others, said police.

Assorted Resistance Action

Iraqi citizens demonstrate against the Occupation during a funeral for two men killed in by U.S. forces raid in Baghdad’s Sadr city October 25, 2006. (Kareem Raheem/Reuters)

Oct. 26 (Xinhua) & Reuters

TAL AFAR: A bomber detonated his explosive-laden belt and injured two Iraqi soldiers, police said.

THIS IS HOW BUSH BRINGS THE TROOPS HOME:
BRING THEM ALL HOME NOW, ALIVE

[Thanks to Mark Shapiro, who sent this in.]

FORWARD OBSERVATIONS

At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. Oh had I the ability, and could reach the nation’s ear, I would, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. Frederick Douglas, 1852

“Thousands Of GI’s Who Refused To Go Out On Any More Combat Missions Because They Believed The War Was Wrong”

Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, TheMovieChicks.com [Excerpts]

Many people have heard the story about the Vietnam vet who came home and instead of a hero’s welcome got spat upon and called a “baby killer”, but have you heard about the thousands of GI’s who refused to go out on any more combat missions because they believed the war was wrong?

“Sir, may we have an explanation of why we’re fighting, sir?”

This documentary looks into the stories of dozens of the enlisted men and women who took a stand as part of the “GI revolution”, many of whom were court-martialed and spent years in the stockade for their insubordination.

They met in coffeehouses, went to anti-war demonstrations, held sit-down protests, and some simply went AWOL.

There were incidents of “fragging” officers who ordered men into combat missions they deemed to be suicide runs.

Intelligence officers knew the government was lying to the American people; they created underground papers to get out their stories.

The veterans talk about why they refused to fight and how it affected their lives and ultimately forced the government to rethink the war. With so many unreliable ground troops refusing to fight, the war shifted to air strikes and eventually even that became a challenge.

It’s not a rosy, inspirational story, but it’s an important one that feels incredibly timely. No one mentions the war in Iraq, but the fact that this film has come out now is a statement.

The filmmaker suggests that after the war the military did a little judicious history-rewriting to cover up this GI movement because it threatened to undermine the strength of our armed forces.

Is it a conspiracy? You’ll have to look into it and decide for yourself.

Sir! No Sir!:
At A Theatre Near You!
To find it: www.sirnosir.com/

The Sir! No Sir! DVD is on sale now, exclusively at www.sirnosir.com.

Also available will be a Soundtrack CD (which includes the entire song from the FTA Show, “Soldier We Love You”), theatrical posters, tee shirts, and the DVD of “A Night of Ferocious Joy,” a film about the first hip-hop antiwar concert against the “War on Terror.”

One day while I was in a bunker in Vietnam, a sniper round went over my head. The person who fired that weapon was not a terrorist, a rebel, an extremist, or a so-called insurgent. The Vietnamese individual who tried to kill me was a citizen of Vietnam, who did not want me in his country. This truth escapes millions.

Mike Hastie
U.S. Army Medic
Vietnam 1970-71
December 13, 2004

Do you have a friend or relative in the service? Forward GI Special along, or send us the address if you wish and we’ll send it regularly. Whether in Iraq or stuck on a base in the USA, this is extra important for your service friend, too often cut off from access to encouraging news of growing resistance to the war, at home and inside the armed services. Send requests to address up top or write to: The Military Project, Box 126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10025-5657

OCCUPATION REPORT

“There Are Daily Provocations By The Americans”

Oct 25 By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press Writers

The intensifying battle between Iraq’s strongest Shiite militias; the Mahdi Army and Badr Brigades; threatens to destabilize Iraq’s oil-rich south and compound chaos in the capital. The outcome also could decide whether Iraq stays whole or breaks up.

The Badr Brigades is seldom mentioned when the United States calls for al-Maliki to disband armed groups, perhaps because the Americans still see the militia’s political leadership as a center of power that can be swayed to U.S. policy goals.

Created in Iran in the 1980s and once headed by SCIRI leader Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, Iraq’s most powerful politician, the Badr Brigades is suspected of assassinating Saddam loyalists, senior members of his outlawed Baath Party and Sunni figures suspected of supporting the insurgency.

On Wednesday, U.S. and Iraqi troops raided Sadr City, the Mahdi Army’s stronghold in Baghdad, in what al-Sadr supporters fear could be the start of an all-out offensive against the militia.

“There is a huge conspiracy supervised by the U.S. occupation to target the Sadrists,” said lawmaker Hassan Shanshal, a supporter of al-Sadr. “There are daily provocations by the Americans.”

OCCUPATION ISN’T LIBERATION
BRING ALL THE TROOPS HOME NOW!

Iraqi Prime Minister To U.S. Ambassador:
Kiss My Ass

Oct 25 AFP News & October 26, 2006 Washington Post Staff Writer

Iraq’s embattled prime minister has rejected the notion that the United States or anyone else could set him a timetable to stabilise his war-torn country.

“Everyone knows that this government is a government of the popular will and no one may set a timetable for it,” Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Wednesday at a news conference in Baghdad.

“It is an elected government and only the people who elected it have the right to speak about a timetable, or a change in policy,” he added.

Maliki was speaking after the US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, said that the government had agreed a programme of steps to reconcile the country’s warring factions and disarm illegal militias.

Maliki upbraided U.S. officials a day after they announced benchmarks for the Iraqi government to meet over the next 12 to 18 months, dismissing the plan as “the result of elections taking place right now that do not involve us.”

DANGER: POLITICIANS AT WORK

Bush:
I Will Stay The Course Of Not Using The Phrase ‘Stay The Course’ But Will Not Cut And Run From ‘Cut And Run’

[Thanks to Z, who sent this in.]

Mr. Bush expressed impatience with the situation in Iraq, especially with the slow pace of Iraqi efforts to develop their own meaningless slogans.

October 25, 2006 The Borowtiz Report

Responding to criticism that he has dropped the phrase “stay the course” from his speeches about Iraq, President George W. Bush said today that he would stay the course of refusing to say the words “stay the course.”

“There are terrorist folks out there who would like nothing better than to see me say the words ‘stay the course’ again,” Mr. Bush said in a feisty White House press conference. “But I have decided to stay the course of not using the phrase ‘stay the course.’”

Asked why he had decided to stay the course of refusing to use the phrase “stay the course,” the president said, “If I didn’t stay the course of refusing to use the phrase ‘stay the course,’ it would send a confusing message, and I am trying to do the opposite of that.”

While reaffirming his decision to no longer use the phrase “stay the course,” Mr. Bush had more positive things to say about the phrase “cut and run,” which will continue to appear in his speeches on Iraq.

“I have no intention of cutting and running from the phrase ‘cut and run,’” the president vowed.

Mr. Bush expressed impatience with the situation in Iraq, especially with the slow pace of Iraqi efforts to develop their own meaningless slogans.

“The time has come for the Iraqi government to concoct meaningless slogans of their own,” Mr. Bush said.

Cheney Says Water Torture Just Fine With Him:
His Stupid Staff Try To Deny He Said It

A spokeswoman for Cheney denied that he confirmed, or endorsed, the use of the tactic by US interrogators.

The White House also posted the transcript of the interview on its website. The interview transcript, however, includes the section where the Vice President endorses the use of waterboarding as an interrogation technique.

October 26, 2006 By Tom Regan, Christian Science Monitor [Excerpts]

In a radio interview Tuesday, US Vice President Dick Cheney confirmed that US interrogators have used a controversial technique know as waterboarding to interrogate senior Al Qaeda suspects.

McClatchy’s Washington bureau reports that Mr. Cheney said the White House does not see the practice as torture, and allows the CIA to use it.

Cheney said use of waterboarding was a “no-brainer for him.”

McClatchy also reports, however, that the US Army, senior Republican lawmakers, human rights experts, and many experts on the laws of war consider the technique to be “cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment that’s banned by US law and by international treaties that prohibit torture.”

Some intelligence experts also say that it is an ineffective technique that often produces false information because people subjected to waterboarding will tell their interrogators anything to stop it.

Waterboarding involves holding “a person’s head under water or pouring water on cloth or cellophane placed over the nose and mouth to simulate drowning until the subject agrees to talk or confess.

ABC News reported last year that it began as a practice in the 1500s during the Italian Inquisition.

Soldiers who had used it during US conflicts in the 20th century have been court-martialed.

It was declared illegal by US generals during the Vietnam War.

A spokeswoman for Cheney denied that he confirmed, or endorsed, the use of the tactic by US interrogators.

The White House also posted the transcript of the interview on its website. The interview transcript, however, includes the section where the Vice President endorses the use of waterboarding as an interrogation technique.

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War Profiteers Dream Come True:
“Hundreds Of Millions” For New Buildings At Guantanamo Concentration Camp

10.26.06 New York Times

The Pentagon may need hundreds of millions of dollars in additional financing from Congress to build courtrooms, housing and other necessities for running military trials for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, officials said.

CLASS WAR REPORTS

“Pakistan Teachers Are In Revolt”
Government Banns Their Unions;
“Government To Privatise Education And Make It Beyond The Reach Of The Common Man”

[Thanks to J, who sent this in. She writes: It was teachers who started the Mexican unions revolt in Oaxaca. Now Pakistan teachers are in revolt. This is due to their unions being banned, and privatization of schools, leading to sharp increases in fees. They have met with violence.]

10/27/2006 By Mujahid Ali, Correspondent, Gulf News

Karachi: Months after the thrashing he received from police in Karachi, the 40-year-old schoolteacher from Hyderabad still carries marks of batons on his shoulder and back.

“They treated us like animals, ordinary street criminals when we tried to stage a peaceful protest against the banning of our associations,” said the teacher, requesting anonymity.

“August 21 was the black day. The police beat teachers with total disregard for the sanctity of their profession. Dozens of my colleagues face fake criminal cases and hundreds of others risk losing their jobs,” he said.

“I can afford to face neither a police case nor lose my job. Therefore, I have decided to sit at home quietly.”

However, a majority of around 200,000 school and college teachers of Sindh are still at loggerheads with the provincial government since authorities, in a surprise move, banned their associations and unions saying that they wrecked education and hampered the much needed reforms.

But teachers say they were struggling not just for their rights, but also to block attempts by the Sindh government to privatise education and make it beyond the reach of the common man.

Athar Hussain, president of the Sindh Professors and Lecturers’ Association (SPLA), Karachi, says that teachers’ organisations were targeted because they opposed privatisation of schools and colleges.

“We are all for educational reforms, uplift of our institution and teachers’ welfare, but the government is not interested in all this. It aims to shrug off its responsibility of imparting education,” he told Gulf News.

Already, two leading colleges of Karachi, Saint Joseph Girls College and Saint Patrick’s College, have been privatised. Both tuition and admission fees have been raised.

Professor Manzoor Chisti, who is the senior vice-president of SPLA, Sindh, alleges that several other key colleges and schools are now in line for privatisation.

“The government met a strong resistance from teachers and the non-teaching staff against the privatisation. Therefore, it has decided first to target our associations before going for the move.”

The wrath of teachers is mainly directed against Sindh Education Minister Hameeda Khoro, who was herself a teacher and is considered an intellectual of repute.

“She is not prepared to listen to us. She doesn’t even give us time for a meeting, an attitude which is in total contrast of the past education ministers,” Chisti said.

It was former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who nationalised a majority of colleges and schools in the 1970s under his Pakistan Peoples’ Party’s socialist programme.

The nationalisation was aimed to provide free education and increase enrolment.

OCCUPATION ISN’T LIBERATION
BRING ALL THE TROOPS HOME NOW!

Telling the truth – about the occupation or the criminals running the government in Washington – is the first reason for Traveling Soldier. But we want to do more than tell the truth; we want to report on the resistance – whether it’s in the streets of Baghdad, New York, or inside the armed forces. Our goal is for Traveling Soldier to become the thread that ties working-class people inside the armed services together. We want this newsletter to be a weapon to help you organize resistance within the armed forces. If you like what you’ve read, we hope that you’ll join with us in building a network of active duty organizers.  www.traveling-soldier.org/  And join with Iraq War vets in the call to end the occupation and bring our troops home now! www.ivaw.net

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