On this Memorial Day, we honor the thousands of soldiers and hundreds of thousands of civilians who have died in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

We also remember that the war lives on in soldiers, even after they leave the battlefield, and war lives on in the lives of those civilians who survive. The costs of these wars will impact families and communities for generations.

Posted by: Robert L. Hanafin, Major, U.S. Air Force-Retired, VT News

FOR: Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW)

We can honor the fallen by supporting the living.

We mourn the lives of John Thomas “J.T.” White of IVAW’s Ohio chapter, and Lisa Morris, member of the Fort Hood chapter. Both died this year after surviving tours of duty in Iraq. Our hearts are with their families and friends.

Our work to end the occupations continues in their spirit.

Take a moment this Memorial Day to light a candle, say a prayer, or have a minute of silent reflection on the costs of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Re-commit yourself to working toward their end.

Here are things you can do:

1. Make a donation to IVAW. Any amount helps.
2. Have a sit-down with any veteran you know. Ask them how they are doing, learn about their experience, and listen. Find out if they need any help (counseling services, discharge issues, educational access) and connect them to appropriate services. See if they are connected with any veterans’ groups or might want to connect with other vets in IVAW.
3. Connect with a local IVAW chapter in your area. Meet with chapter leaders for coffee or dinner to learn what their local needs are and see how you might plug in. What can you do to help build an IVAW chapter in your area? Contact an IVAW Field Organizer to get connected to a chapter in your region: Aaron Hughes (Central and Midwest) [email protected], Chantelle Bateman (Northeast) [email protected], Joe Callan (Southwest and West Coast) [email protected], Jason Hurd (Southeast and Deep South) [email protected].
4. Host an event to watch IVAW’s Winter Soldier testimony footage, start a Winter Soldier book reading group, or use Winter Soldier in your classroom. Footage is available online at www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier.
5. Help keep the loss of life, the number of Killed In Action Wounded In Action, and civilian deaths in the headlines of your local news by writing letters-to-the-editor, petitioning your local radio station to acknowledge the dead and wounded on a regular basis, or sending blurbs to your local community papers.
6. Volunteer with the GI Rights Hotline 877-447-4487 www.girightshotline.org and/or get GI Rights cards to pass out to GIs and Veterans by emailing: [email protected].
7. Make your town or city a sanctuary for war resisters (AWOL soldiers). Learn about the efforts of others to do this: http://open.salon.com/blog/washingtonpeacecenter/2010/04/05/keeping_gis_safe
8. Ask any mental health counselors or alternative health practitioners (massage therapists, acupuncturists, Reiki healers, etc.) to provide free services for veterans. Hans Buwalda, VVAW counselor, is developing a national network of providers, so add to her list by contacting her at 773-370-4789 [email protected].

In Solidarity,

Iraq Veterans Against the War

JOIN IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR

http://www.ivaw.org/membership

Robert L. Hanafin

Readers are more than welcome to use the articles I’ve posted on Veterans Today, I’ve had to take a break from VT as Veterans Issues and Peace Activism Editor and staff writer due to personal medical reasons in our military family that take away too much time needed to properly express future stories or respond to readers in a timely manner.

My association with VT since its founding in 2004 has been a very rewarding experience for me.

Retired from both the Air Force and Civil Service. Went in the regular Army at 17 during Vietnam (1968), stayed in the Army Reserve to complete my eight year commitment in 1976. Served in Air Defense Artillery, and a Mechanized Infantry Division (4MID) at Fort Carson, Co. Used the GI Bill to go to college, worked full time at the VA, and non-scholarship Air Force 2-Year ROTC program for prior service military. Commissioned in the Air Force in 1977. Served as a Military Intelligence Officer from 1977 to 1994. Upon retirement I entered retail drugstore management training with Safeway Drugs Stores in California. Retail Sales Management was not my cup of tea, so I applied my former U.S. Civil Service status with the VA to get my foot in the door at the Justice Department, and later Department of the Navy retiring with disability from the Civil Service in 2000.

I’ve been with Veterans Today since the site originated. I’m now on the Editorial Board. I was also on the Editorial Board of Our Troops News Ladder another progressive leaning Veterans and Military Family news clearing house.

I remain married for over 45 years. I am both a Vietnam Era and Gulf War Veteran. I served on Okinawa and Fort Carson, Colorado during Vietnam and in the Office of the Air Force Inspector General at Norton AFB, CA during Desert Storm. I retired from the Air Force in 1994 having worked on the Air Staff and Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon.