Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans Speak Out [Photo Essay]

[babylonsister]

Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans Speak Out

By Nina Berman, AlterNet. Posted March 15, 2008.

Hundreds of veterans are testifying against war crimes this weekend in Washington, DC. Nina Berman shares their stories.

An old woman killed for carrying groceries. Taxi drivers fired upon at will. A man shot dead for opening a door. Anyone carrying a shovel, speaking on a cell phone, standing on a roof, or wearing a green head band risked death.

"People were shot for simply walking down the street of their own city," testified Marine Sgt. Jason LeMieux.

He was joined by several other soldiers and marines who testified to the daily horrors of occupation I Iraq and Afghanistan on the opening day of Winter Soldier, a 4 day event organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War, (IVAW) at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Iraq veteran Steven Casey, appearing at his first public event, played a video from a house raid. A woman is screaming. The soldiers raided the wrong house. "Going to the wrong place, destroying the wrong place. This woman will never forget what happened," said Casey about the humiliation and destruction he caused.

Marine Jon Turner spoke of his first kill. He called the person "the fat man," and said he was an innocent. His commander celebrated the death. According to Turner, his commander would have given him or any other marine a 4 day leave pass, if his first kill had been by stabbing.

more, and photo essay at link~

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/79802/

[noamnety]

1. Thank you for posting this

I'm listening to the rebroadcast of the section on racism.

Scott Ewing is talking about something I wrote about here a few times, about luring children to the vehicles by giving out toys or candy, and that this is being done in part for the safety of our own troops, because children act as human shields. (which is a war crime)

[Dude_CalmDown]

2. Great article - thanks for posting. Too bad this isn't considered news.

Maybe there's an old childhood friend of Obama who believes the moon landing never happened that they're too busy desperately trying to get to the bottom of.