This was a powerful, significant action. These veterans from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have directly experienced--and participated in--the horrors and crimes being committed by the U.S. around the world. It took gut-wrenching reflection and enormous courage for them to face, then come together to call out painful truths of what they'd seen, done and been part of--in direct opposition to the empire of carnage they'd once served.
What these men and women did on this day was a call not just to other vets and military personnel, but to everyone in the U.S. and millions around the globe: Wake up. Muster the courage to face the truth--your rulers are committing horrific atrocities and towering crimes around the world. They're cloaking it in bald-faced lies. They're doing it in our names, enlisting us to carry it out. Think about the people of the world! Don't go along! Stand up! Speak out!
Adding to the significance of this action was the unity expressed between the vets and those who they had been taught to treat as "the enemy." Suraia Sahar of Afghans for Peace told Democracy Now!, "It's the first time an Afghan-led peace movement is now working side by side with a veteran-led peace movement. And so, this is how--this is the beginning of something new, something better."
And how did the media in this self-proclaimed land of democracy and free speech cover this? Largely with silence. These cheerleaders for America's blood-soaked military and predatory wars were not going to allow veterans--who they claim to honor and cherish--to puncture their post-911 narrative of the U.S. as the "victim," the "good guys" fighting "terror" with harsh truths from the front lines--especially not when their empire is facing daunting problems and perilous waters ahead.
Rejecting the Accolades of Unjust War
The vets' action in Chicago was consciously modeled on the 1971 anti-Vietnam War "Dewey Canyon III" protest organized by Vietnam Veterans Against the War, which brought hundreds of veterans to Washington, DC to throw their medals back at Congress. (For an account of Dewey Canyon III, see vvawai.org/archive/sw/sw31/pgs_35-44/dewey_canyon.html.)
In Chicago, Alejandro Villatoro, an Army veteran, told the crowd, "Nowhere else will you hear from so many who fought these wars about their journey from fighting a war to demanding peace." Then he began, "Some of us killed innocents. Some of us helped in continuing these wars from home. Some of us watched our friends die. Some of us are not here, because we took our own lives. We did not get the care promised to us by our government. All of us watched failed policies turn into bloodshed. Listen to us, hear us, and think: was any of this worth it?.... We tear off this mask. Hear us."
Then vet after vet mounted the stage to give their stories, moving personal testimonies about why they came to march and why they were throwing back their medals. There was a sense these vets were regaining their humanity and forging a new morality in the course of facing agonizing truths, standing up, speaking out, and refusing to be silent. One vet said, "I stole the humanity of Iraqis and lost mine." Another talked of how now he can "live by my conscience rather than be a prisoner of it." There were comments about the importance of integrity, and about learning from our mistakes and joining together. Seven months after being severely wounded in a police attack on Occupy Oakland, Iraq veteran Scott Olsen threw back his medals, his presence an example of courage and moral certitude.
A cornerstone of the testimony was facing the impact U.S. wars had on the peoples of Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries in the region. Iraq war vet Scott Kimball said, "I'm turning in these medals today for the people of Pakistan, Iraq, Palestine, and all victims of occupation across the world." Steven Lunn, an Iraq combat veteran, stated, "This medal I'm dedicating to the children of Iraq that no longer have fathers and mothers." Greg Broseus said, "I'm here to return my medals because I cannot stand in solidarity and peace with my brothers and sisters in Iraq and Afghanistan as long as I wear them." One vet who took part in the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan in the U.S. Navy simply said: "I apologize to the Iraqi and Afghani people for destroying your countries."
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
