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"My squad and I are all behind IVAW 100%. ... This war is bullsh-t"[Excerpts from Iraq Veterans Against The War mailed fund appeal, June 10, 2008] Dear Friend, Iraq Veterans Against the Wars work to end the Iraq occupation is building momentum, and we need your continued financial support. When you receive your economic stimulus check from George W. Bush, please donate it to IVAW to help us fuel the growing GI resistance movement that will end this war. 
More Members = More Resistance Since our powerful Winter Soldier hearings in March, IVAW has experienced an explosion in membership. Increasingly, these new members are active duty troops, overburdened by multiple tours, betrayed by their government, and ready to take action. Many of these troops watched Winter Soldier live via our worldwide satellite broadcast. Here’s what one soldier emailed us during that amazing weekend: "I am writing to you from Baghdad. My name is SSgt ____ and I’m in the 10 mountain division and I am a [XXXXX] native. "I heard about what IVAW has been participating in this weekend (Winter Soldier) and I must say I am very happy to hear this. "I am a squad leader serving on my third tour and my squad and I are all behind IVAW 100%. "This war is bulls__t and we are all tired of dealing with it. "I’m not sure what we can do from here, but we want to help in any way we can. Sincerely, SSgt_______" We know that for a growing number of service members questioning Iraq war policy, IVAW is known, respected, and provides a spiritual comfort reminding them that they are not alone. Our active duty members in Iraq report that you can now see IVAW graffiti scrawled in latrines on bases there. We can barely keep up with the demands that this new and energized membership brings, but we are excited about the opportunities these members create to increase our power to end the occupation. That is why I am asking for your help today. This summer, over the course of 10 weeks, IVAW will take Winter Soldier on the road. We will tour the country visiting 10 major military bases and their surrounding communities to share our eye-witness accounts of war, collect additional Winter Soldier testimony, and show active duty troops that they have a right to speak out. We expect to double the number of IVAW active duty chapters on military bases by summer’s end. This will take a lot of resources, and your donation will make a huge difference. It is also a time for Iraq Veterans Against the War to reflect on how far we’ve come as a movement. We have grown from just eight members to over 1,200 strong, and from a staff of one to ten. We have 45 active chapters, including four on military bases. We have developed strong young leaders across the country, and in February, hired our first two full-time organizers. We will hire three more organizers by the end of the year. While we are proud of our achievements, we will not rest until all of our brothers and sisters are home and cared for, and the Iraqi people receive due reparations. Because two-thirds of our funding comes from individuals, we depend on you to make our work possible. What better way to stimulate the economy than donating to spread GI resistance across the military, so that we can finally end the billions in wasted resources on the occupation in Iraq ? And who better to end the occupation than fed-up GI’s focused and organized by IVAW? You are our partner in this effort, so please give today. Sincerely, Kelly Dougherty Executive Director P.S. We are counting on you to help us during this important summer. Please make a contribution now. Iraq Veterans Against The War P.O. Box 8296 Philadelphia , Pa. 19101 Tel: 215.241.7123 Fax: 215.241.7177 Page 2--> Page 2--> |
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