Going Broke... Going Bonkers... Going East...

By

Alex Primm

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Alex testified at the original Winter Soldier Investigation in Detroit in 1971. He will be at Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan, to be held at the George Meany College of Labor in Silver Springs, Maryland. He will be there in support of the current ranks of Winter Soldiers as they Speak Truth To Power, and to the American People.

This March, 2008, marks our 5th anniversary in Iraq... we invaded on the 19th... shock and awe... the same day Cathy and I jumped the broomstick.

It's two days before the equinox... this can put people on edge... caught between two seasons... especially the season of cold and cabin fever.

Our Ozark college town had a demonstration the day before, more than a hundred showed up. Not me. Good luck, they were trying to stop the war even before it started.

I sort of believed President Bush, that Saddam Hussein was a bad guy who was going to blow up America with his secret weapons.

I believed in GWOT... briefly... the Global War on Terror. What happened to that? It seems to have had a short shelf life indeed...

I wanted Ahmad Chalabi to be right... the guy who was going to make Iraq a model democracy... whatever happened to him... another war criminal?

Has it all come down to Iraq? Who has benefited from the trillions of dollars... the thousands killed?

Iraq and the price of gas... and the price of bread... or heat... or life.

Everything going up... prices... casualties... confusion... frustration.

So why not go to D.C., the center of it all? That's where the Iraq Veterans Against the War are holding their investigation of this war... the Winter Soldier Investigation... numero dos.

Cathy's an intrepid traveler... let's go... it can't hurt. The same energetic attitude she had 25 years ago.

What finally made up my mind was talking with Willie Hager... a Vietnam vet like me... a smart dude with a good sense of balance who can laugh at this craziness because he saw beaucoup daily in Nam.

"You testified at the first WSI," Willie said. "You oughta think about coming to help these young vets now. Help get their stories out."

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So, Cathy and I are going East; for memories, and for the future.

www.VetSpeak.org

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In from a friend...pass it on...

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To Whom It Concerns:

I have to side with Willie and others as to the need for supporting the Winter Soldier movement when it comes forth. The American people want and deserve to hear the truth. The truth is not spoken any harsher than from those that served in the war in Iraq. This event will be an all out needed support from ALL VETERANS groups, pro and con against the war. Veterans have and need the support of one another, since the govt. seems to always deny what has happened to them in their effort to defend for America's Freedoms. As that old saying goes...."I don't agree with what you say...but I defend, to death, your right to say it..."

The last protest I attended was against the 1st Iraq invasion. As a combat veteran, I feel it is my duty to support and aid my fellow veterans in harms way. I also agree that some sort of new tactic be aligned to help in the anti-war movement. In today's arena, I don't think dissent among veterans is the way to proceed. I support total support for the Winter Soldier agenda.
Thanks for your ear. I usually don't say anything, anymore, but this is a time to stand together and aide our fellow veterans....

Lil'John
Vietnam 68-69
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www.VetSpeak.org