Texas Labor Against the War

The recent IVAW National Convention in Austin, and additional events in Killeen were a big success! IVAW kicked off its convention in style with a protest at the gates of Fort Hood.  But that was just the beginning.  On Friday, after a great day of meetings, discussions and presentations, an appreciation dinner was held at 5604 Manor.  Veterans and supporters had an opportunity to talk and enjoy a great meal together.  Last, but certainly not least, IVAW members returned to Under the Hood Saturday night for a barbecue, concert and fundraiser.  The concert was originally scheduled at a venue in Harker Heights, but after the venue management cancelled the event, Under the Hood offered to step in as the new concert location.  The evening was a big success.  Under the Hood would like to take this opportunity to thank IVAW and everyone at the concert who made donations so that we can continue our important work to support soldiers and veterans!

Under the Hood needs YOUR assistance now!  This is a critical time and we can’t keep our doors open without your ongoing support. Please consider signing up for a recurring donation today. If you believe in the work we do at Under the Hood, show us your support by considering a monthly donation.  As little as $10.00 a month can go a long way toward making Under the Hood sustainable.   Two hundred supporters contributing $10 a month will help us ensure that we can continue to provide these important services.  It’s easy to become a sustainer through PayPal.  The first 100 supporters to sign up for a sustaining donation will receive their choice of a poster or 12 oz. bag of Under the Hood coffee!   We would like to thank our most recent UtH supporters. A special thanks to our newest sustaining donors. Two months into this campaign, we have 38 sustaining donors toward our goal of 200!   We would also like to again thank IVAW for their recent donation and support.    The Fort Hood Support Network (FHSN) operates Under the Hood Café and Outreach Center.  FHSN is a Texas non-profit corporation with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. Donations may be treated as tax-deductible.

Under the Hood has an update regarding the military spouses who recently contacted us for assistance. Last month we told you about a group of military spouses who were seeking assistance in speaking out against combat training for soldiers with no-deployment profiles.  Dahr Jamail’s interview and subsequent press that the spouses received seems to have had some positive impact.    Immediately following the release of Dahr Jamail’s article on multiple national websites, the Fort Hood Sentinal published a news release entitled “Policy changes affect Soldier deployability, readiness; regulatory guidance provided”.  Additionally, according to the spouses who spoke out, four of the soldiers deemed non-deployable were notified that they would have a Medical Evaluation Board initiated and one was informed that he would be chaptered out.         (Image: Lance Page / t r u t h o u t; Adapted: AfghanistanMatters, assbach)

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P.O. Box 16174 | Austin, TX 78761-6174 US

Excerpt from Amy Goodman’s interview on Democracy Now! today (Nov. 9, 2009) with journalist Dahr Jamail and with Michael Kern, Active-duty veteran of the Iraq war stationed at Fort Hood. He is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War.

To watch video of the interview and to read the entire transcript, go to http://www.democracynow.org/2009/11/9/when_the_war_comes_homes_iraq

. . .AMY GOODMAN: Well, I’m joined now by two guests. Private Michael Kern joins us on the phone from Fort Hood, Texas, where he’s an active-duty veteran of the Iraq war. He’s with Iraq Vets Against the War and returned from Iraq earlier this year. He’s been diagnosed with PTSD; that’s post-traumatic stress disorder.

Also with us via Democracy Now! video stream from California is independent journalist and author Dahr Jamail. His latest book is called The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. His article for IPS, published just after the shootings, is called “The War Comes Home.” His latest article, at TomDispatch.com, “Where Will They Get the Troops: Preparing Undeployables for the Afghan Front.”

Michael Kern, let’s begin with you at Fort Hood. You were familiar with Major Hasan, the Army psychiatrist?

MICHAEL KERN: Yes, he was not my particular psychiatrist, but he did work in the building that I go to pretty much weekly. And, you know, the only conversation that we had was, you know, basic greeting: “Good morning, sir. How are you doing, sir?”

AMY GOODMAN: Talk about the unit that he works in, where you were being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder.

MICHAEL KERN: He works in a unit called the Medical Evaluation Board, where he basically sees soldiers, diagnoses soldiers with PTSD and other things like that, before they get out of the military, when they’re applying for an evaluation board to be medically retired from the United States Army.

AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about what you saw in Iraq, what it means to be treated for PTSD? You said he was not your psychiatrist, but you have commented on what he was hearing from his many patients, soldiers who had returned from the front.

MICHAEL KERN: Yeah, I mean, imagine just having a job where, you know, every soldier comes in and tells you the most horrible tragic stories about what happened in Iraq and what they’ve done in Iraq. And you have to deal with all these things, and then all of a sudden you get orders to deploy? That’s going to screw with anyone, mentally.

AMY GOODMAN: Talk about what happened to you in Iraq, Michael Kern.

MICHAEL KERN: Numerous things happened to me in Iraq. I actually engaged and shot and killed a child, believing at the time that it was a legitimate kill. That still troubles me to this day. You know, anything—we got hit with mortars, IEDs, EFPs, small arms fires, RPGs, anything you can think of. I lost a lot of good friends out there for a, you know, immoral and an unjust war. . . .

DAHR JAMAIL, AUTHOR OF BEYOND THE GREEN ZONE

Thursday, April 3, 7:00 PM
UT campus, Geology 2.324
Map to Geology building: http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/buildings/jgb.html

In late 2003, weary of the overall failure of the US media to accurately report on the realities of the war in Iraq for the Iraqi people and US soldiers, Dahr Jamail went to Iraq to report on the war himself.  He spent a eight months in occupied Iraq as one of only a few independent US journalists in the country.  In the Middle East, Jamail has also has reported from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.  His dispatches were quickly recognized as an important media resource.  Jamail is now writing for the Inter Press Service, The Asia Times and many other outlets.  His reports have also been published with The Nation, The Sunday Herald, Islam Online, the Guardian, Foreign Policy in Focus, and the Independent to name just a few.

ALSO APPEARRING: Brian Henretta, veteran of the Iraq War
Co-sponsored by the UT Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the UT School of Journalism, International Socialist Organization, MEChA, Campus Antiwar Movement to End the Occupation, Palestine Solidarity Committee, Iranians for Peace and Justice, and Campus Progress.  More info: 512-471-1947 or [email protected]

http://www.beyondthegreenzone.org
http://www.dahrjamailiraq.com