How many of you remember the 1971 Winter Soldiers testimonials? Or the 2008 similar testimonials? You don’t? Now is the time to learn more about the testimonials of Vietnam and Afghanistan/Iraq veterans, and the observations of the “boots on the ground” as to what war was really about. Please see the invitation below to join the University of Notre Dame Kroc Institute “Winter Soldiers for Peace and Social Justice: Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Today” webinar this Friday, March 12, 2021 at 4:00 P.M. EST.
Peace,
Jim Swarts Rev. James L. Swarts President, Veterans For Peace, Chapter 23, Rochester, NY 39 Willard Ave. Rochester, NY 14620-3131 (585) 473-3042 jlswarts@frontiernet.net
Winter Soldiers for Peace and Social Justice: Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Today
Friday, March 12, 2021
4:00 – 6:00 p.m. EST (U.S.)
Virtual Event
Amid concern about the role of military veterans in the January 6 siege of the Capitol and the recruitment of service members by white supremacist groups, this program will feature soldiers who have followed a different path in speaking out against racism and unjust wars from the Vietnam era to the present. The event will commemorate the Winter Soldier Investigation organized by Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) 50 years ago in February 1971, and similar hearings by Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) 37 years later in March 2008.
Echoing Thomas Paine’s famous Revolutionary War passage honoring soldiers who stand with their country in time of crisis in contrast to the “summer soldier” who shrinks from duty, these winter soldiers of the past and present will address the atrocities of war and the prevalence of racism within the military and in U.S. foreign policy. The event will emphasize the relevance of these issues to the continuing struggles for racial justice and ending the endless wars of today.
Join/Renew VFP Chapter 23 Membership ($20.00/yr) by check Payable to “VFP Chapter 23.” Mail to Marybeth Knowles, Treasurer, 203 Montipelier Cir., Rochester, NY 14618-5622