Texas Labor Against the War

Participants shared the reading of the famous speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at New York’s Riverside Church, expressing his opposition to the Vietnam War and how the issues of war, racism, and social justice are interrelated.  Let us remember the entirety of Dr. King’s career and the breadth of his commitments.

Full gallery of photos at https://www.facebook.com/events/391679220842278/403276059682594/#!/media/set/?set=a.3663930439214.168836.1303320134&type=1, album by Fran Clark.

See more at http://www.instrumentsforpeace.org/

See more at http://www.instrumentsforpeace.org/

Join us on Friday, January 27th at 7:00 p.m. at 5604 Manor for screening of
the documentary “Hidden Battles.”  “Hidden Battles”, a feature length documentary, is a dramatic and deeply personal film about the psychological impact of killing on the lives of five soldiers.  (see trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDSQETnkIgk)

Representing a cross section of nationalities, gender, class and race, these soldiers reveal intimate memories about the central act of war, the killing of another human being. How do these
individuals make sense of what they have done? What happens when time challenges
their carefully constructed stories? Consciously apolitical but deeply psychological, Hidden Battles examines the strength and struggles of men and women who kill and how they create a life for themselves afterward.

Immediately following the film, volunteers with Under the Hood Cafe & Outreach Center will talk about their efforts to support IVAW’s (Iraq Veterans Against the War) Operation Recovery, an outreach program promoting traumatized soldiers’ right to heal.

$10 suggested donation at the door.  All donations support the work of
Under the Hood Cafe & Outreach Center.   http://underthehoodcafe.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/underthehoodcafe#!/underthehoodcafe

also see event announcement at https://www.facebook.com/events/217030288384556/

The Fort Hood Support Network (FHSN) operates Under the Hood Cafe and Outreach Center, FHSN is a Texas non-profit corporation with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status.

Sunday, October 2, 6 pm to 9 pm

Operation Recovery Team (Under the Hood, May, 2011)

Friday, August 19, 7-9 pm

at 5604 Manor community center (5604manor.org)

Screening of film on GI coffee house at Fort Lewis, Washington

“Grounds for Resistance,” is a documentary about
the “Coffee Strong” coffee house located outside the Fort Lewis, WA, Army base.
Inspired by the Vietnam-era G.I. coffee house movement, Coffee Strong provides a
safe space where service members, military families, and veterans can gather and
discuss their experiences of war, deployment concerns, the hardships of life in
the military, and veteran benefits.

Aaron Hughes, an organizer with Iraq Vets Against
the War, http://www.ivaw.org/, will be on hand to answer questions and
speak about IVAW’s “Operation Recovery” program to assist active-duty and vets
with issues related to repeated deployments.

Staff and volunteers from the “Under the Hood”
coffee shop in Killeen near Ft. Hood will also be available to answer questions
about their work. http://www.underthehoodcafe.org/

The $5 suggested donation will benefit Under the
Hood.

Location: 5604 Manor, 5604 Manor Road,
Austin, 78723 – 5604manor.org

July 19, 2011

This evening the Austin AFL-CIO Council [Central Labor Council] was privileged to have members of the Fort Hood Operation Recovery team as guests and presenters.  Visitors to the CLC meeting were Aaron Hughes, Scott Kimball, and Sergio Kochergin of Iraq Veterans Against the War; Lori Hurlebaus of the Civilian Soldier Alliance; Alice Embree of the Fort Hood Support Network (who is also a member of the Texas State Employees Union).

Aaron spoke of the need for solidarity among soldiers, veterans, and workers.  Soldiers are workers–they are public employees; and our unions have many veterans as members.  Many soldiers come from union families and go back to unions when discharged.  But the unemployment rate among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is 21% (12% more than the national average).  The rate is even higher among African-American and female veterans–about 30%.

Many soldiers suffer from war trauma and nonetheless are redeployed.  Suicide rates among active-duty troops are twice as high as that of the civilian population, and veterans with PTSD are 6 times more likely to attempt suicide.  20% to 50% of all service members deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  One in 3 women in the military are sexually assaulted.  1 in 3 soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq say they can’t see a mental health professional when they need to, and nearly 20% of service members are taking some kind of psychiatric drug.

Aaron pointed out the huge expense of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  This money is needed at home–and we owe veterans the benefits and health treatment they need.

Most of the CLC delegates signed the pledge of support for Operation Recovery that our visitors passed around.  It states:  “I pledge to support the Operation Recovery campaign to the best of my ability.  In a war where soldiers are being injured faster than the military can treat them, I will work alongside veterans and service members to end the cycles of trauma and abuse.”  The pledge sheet further explains:  “Join Iraq Veterans Against the War and Civilian Soldier Alliance in our effort to stop the deployment of troops suffering from Military Sexual Trauma, Traumatic Brain Injury, and PTSD.  By signing our pledge, you agree to do what you can to help defend the rights of soldiers to heal and to hold accountable those who are responsible for deploying traumatized troops.  As the Operation Recovery campaign unfolds, we will be calling on you to help in a variety of ways.”

There was discussion from the CLC delegates, several of whom are veterans.  A Teamster rep described their program to get members back into jobs when they get home from the military.  A member of AFSCME indicated she has personal experience with veterans’ mental health problems and wants to get a group she works with in touch with Operation Recovery.  There was also interest among the delegates in U.S. Labor Against the War–USLAW brochures were available as well as Operation Recovery literature.

For more TxLAW stories on Fort Hood Operation Recovery, see http://txlaboragainstwar.org/2011/07/08/killeen-ivaw-its-audacious-and-a-little-crazy-what-were-doing-at-ft-hood/, http://txlaboragainstwar.org/2011/05/27/killeen-ivaw-operation-recovery-action-at-ft-hood/, and http://txlaboragainstwar.org/2011/07/17/killeen-under-the-hood-update-july-2011/

For LOTS of information about Operation Recovery, to sign the pledge, and to donate, see http://www.ivaw.org/operation-recovery

Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/operationrecovery
For more on the Civilian-Soldier Alliance, go to http://www.civsol.org/

–Leslie Cunningham, July 21, 2011

We call on all supporters of workers’ rights who are available Monday afternoon to come out in support of our sisters and brothers who work for the Capital Metropolitan Transit Authority.  The Cap Metro Board and the Texas Legislature are illegally trying to take away the union’s rights and the workers’ pay and benefits.  Cap Metro is trying to “lower labor costs”–which means making up for its financial mismanagement on the backs of its workers