Thursday, October 07, 2010

IVAW Press Release: Operation Recovery Launch


Today Iraq Veterans Against the War publicly announces our Operation Recovery campaign to Stop the Deployment of Traumatized Troops. Our team of campaign organizers has been working around the clock for the past month to prepare for today's action in Washington, D.C.

You can do your part to raise awareness by sending a Letter to the Editor of your local paper. Click here to send a Letter to your local Editor. We've made it easy.

Today's Action

  • The campaign launch will start at 9:15 AM EST at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center where we will hold a ceremony in honor of all those wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  • From there we march 6 miles to Capitol Hill, where we will testify about our experiences being deployed in war zones while suffering from traumatic injuries.
  • At Capitol Hill, we will read a letter out loud before delivering it to the offices of members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. (The letter is also being sent by mail to officials within the Pentagon and Veterans Administration.) The letters will serve to put these officials on notice that service members and veterans are standing up for their right to heal, and we will expose those responsible for the deployment of troops who are suffering from trauma.
Today's launch marks the beginning of Phase One of our campaign. Over the next several weeks, we will work to investigate the issues, decide which officials will become our campaign's targets, and work to raise awareness about the campaign.

That's where you come in.

You can help spread the word by sending a Letter to the Editor of your local paper about the issue of traumatized troops. With the number of troop suicides now surpassing the total combat-related deaths in Afghanistan, we've got to bring this madness to an end.

We know that these wars cannot continue without using exhausted and traumatized troops, and we are determined to stop their deployment.

Send a Letter to the Editor of your local paper today and get the word out.

And stay tuned for updates on today's campaign launch.

Wish us luck!

In Solidarity, The Campaign Team

P.S. With the help of supporters like you, we surpassed our goal of getting 2,000 pledges of support for Operation Recovery. It feels good to know that 3,500 supporters will be standing with us today. Thank you.