Help expand the GI Resistance Movement!
"Civilian-Soldier Alliance has always stood on the side of veterans and active service members who have the courage to stand up against unjust wars. Their commitment to these brave men and women and their dedicated organizing efforts are an inspiration to us all." - Tom Morello, of The Nightwatchmen and Rage Against the Machine
On December 15th, 2011 the War in Iraq ended with little fanfare or sustained notice. The war lasted for almost nine years, cost billions of dollars, directly took the lives of 4,487 service members, and those of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians.
The drawdown of the war in Iraq does not mean we are free of its consequences or that the Global War on Terror has ended. The war in Afghanistan continues. Drone strikes continue indiscriminately killing “possible” terrorists, or, innocent families. Military suicide rates continue to climb. Our country continues to struggle with moral and economic bankruptcy brought on by war-mongering politics and the insatiable military industry.
This is a crucial time to keep pushing to end unjust war and occupation. Please donate to help us bring an end to the terrible legacy of the Iraq War. Give to build a sustainable organization dedicated to ending the War in Afghanistan immediately and preventing future wars and occupations.
We, in Civilian Soldier Alliance, believe that supporting Iraq Veterans Against the War in organizing the 1% of our population that serves in the military to have basic human rights such as the right to heal is not only the right and moral thing to do, but that it is also the STRATEGIC thing to do to end war and the insidious militarism that feeds it and is rampant, if largely ignored, in our society.
Our joint campaign with IVAW “Operation Recovery” could not be more on point as the troops are either cycled on to more deployments in Afghanistan, or exit the military carrying their war trauma back to their communities with them. The consequences of this are apparent with the horrific rate of veteran and active duty suicides, on one hand, and the implosion of the mission in Afghanistan: evidenced by the Kill teams, the reprehensible war porn, the burning of the Korans and the massacre of seventeen sleeping civilians in April, on the other.
Civilian Soldier Alliance has played a crucial role over the past two years in developing and implementing this powerful organizing model that directly addresses the concerns of active-duty soldiers and, in the process, builds meaningful resistance within the ranks. Since last summer, CivSol has helped launch, lead, and sustain active-duty organizing efforts at Fort Hood in Texas. As a result of our work civilian leaders from across the country have traveled to Killeen to work alongside IVAW and the folks at Under the Hood Café, the GI Rights Coffeehouse just outside Fort Hood. We have been able to reach hundreds of active-duty soldiers and encourage them to stand up for their rights and empowered them to question war. We have pushed General Campbell, the commander of Ft. Hood, to acknowledge that soldiers do have a right to heal and to begin promoting avenues for care. We must continue to organize local civilian and active duty leaders to carry this work forward.
CivSol & IVAW organizers lead an active-duty meeting at Under the Hood Cafe in Ft. Hood, TX
We have successfully launched and grown a campaign to organize the military from within. This is huge. We have managed to pull this off as an all-volunteer organization largely using our own individual pocket change, gas money and savings to operate. Imagine what we’d be capable of with your support.
Please support us now with the most generous donation you can manage. Though we are an all-volunteer organization, we have been able to support the living costs for a full time resident organizer at Fort Hood for almost a year now, We must continue this important work, as well as expand it to include support for IVAW and Coffee Strong’s outreach work at Joint Base Lewis McChord this summer. We urgently need funds to make this happen.
If you are looking for more inspiration as to why we do this work, listen to the words of almost fifty members of IVAW as they returned their hard earned service medals to the NATO generals in Chicago in May. http://www.democracynow.org/2012/5/28/memorial_day_special_us_veterans_of
Please help us by becoming a sustaining donor today, or make a one time donation if you prefer, knowing that you are helping support an essential struggle to build a better future.
In urgent and appreciative solidarity,
The Steering Committee of Civilian Soldier Alliance:
Brad, Jerrad, Jonathan, Lily, Lori, Sarah, Sergio and Siri
Please sign up to be a sustainer and help us empower the military community to challenge war itself:
