2008 Winter Soldier Hearings Begin Today

[MethuenProgressive]

In the early months of 1971, a group of Vietnam vets, organized by Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), gave two days of testimony about the Vietnam that they had experienced in the original "Winter Soldier" investigation.
Four decades after the end of that bloody imperial conflict, we face another disastrous far-flung war fought on dubious grounds. Beginning today, a new generation of Winter Soldiers will descend on the nation's capitol, to tell America in their own words what they saw on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 1971, the vets were investigated by the Nixon administration. According to Andrew Hunt's book, The Turning: A History of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Charles Colson -- convicted in 1974 for his role in the Watergate scandal (and later embraced as a leader of the Religious Right) -- penned a confidential memo titled "Plan to Counteract Vietnam Veterans Against the War," in which he suggested that "the men that participated in the pseudo-atrocity hearings in Detroit will be checked to ascertain if they are genuine combat veterans." The FBI started surveilling members of VVAW as a dissident group.
The 2008 hearings will again be met with angry condemnations from the pro-war Right. A "Gathering of Eagles" - a "counterprotest" organization started by one of the key players behind "Vietnam Veterans for Truth" - a GOP front-group formed to attack Kerry in 2004 - will be demonstrating against the vets. (The group, apparently unaware that Hitler had thought of it first, named its website the "Eagle's Nest.")
Hopefully, this generation's Winter Soldiers, will be accorded more respect then their predecessors. You can get involved, by supporting Iraq Veterans Against the War, by tuning in to the proceedings streamed live via the internet, on satellite TV and on select Pacifica Radio stations.
We'll bring you comprehensive coverage. In the meantime, there's a lot of rich content this week - check it out.
-Joshua Holland
Editor, War on Iraq special coverage

http://www.alternet.org/asoldierspeaks/79286/

[pacalo]

1. Thank goodness for the internet.

[MethuenProgressive]

2. *KICK* for our Winter Soldiers

:patriot: