Iraq Veterans Against the War

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Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) is an advocacy group comprised of active duty military and Iraq War veterans who are opposed to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. The organization advocates immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces in Iraq, reparations for the destruction and corporate pillaging of Iraq so that ordinary Iraqi people can control their own lives and future, and full benefits, adequate healthcare (including mental health), and other support for returning servicemen and women.

The group was founded in July 2004 at a the annual Veterans for Peace convention in Boston by Iraq war veterans. The founders are Kelly Dougherty (current Executive Director) US Army, Tim Goodrich US Air Force , Mike Hoffman USMC, Alex Ryabov USMC, Jimmy Massey USMC, Isaiah Pallos USMC, and Diana Morrison US Army. [1] In August 2007 the group elected Camilo Mejia as the co-chair of its board of directors.[2]

1 Membership
2 Winter Soldier 2008
3 Truth in Recruiting
4 Stop-Loss Policy
5 Members In the News
6 Macbeth controversy
7 See also
8 External links
9 References

Iraq Veterans Against the War marching in Boston, October 2007.

The membership is made up of recent veterans, active duty servicemen and women from all branches of military service, National Guard members and reservists, who have served since September 11, 2001.

IVAW currently has 32 active chapters around the United States and in Canada. Members of the organization reside in 48 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Canada, and on numerous bases overseas, including in Iraq itself. Membership is currently almost 1000 persons.[3]

A Winter Soldier event, during which U.S. veterans will speak of their experiences during the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan (2001–present), is being planned by Iraq Veterans Against the War for March 2008, in Washington, D.C. The group also plans on having Iraqi and Afghan civilians testify to the brutality of the war they have seen.^[1]^[2]

IVAW has actively begun participation in the nationwide Truth in Recruiting campaign aimed at countering misconceptions of military service propogated by paid recruiters. Currently many IVAW members are involved in "equal access" policies at high schools across the country.

IVAW has taken on the so-called "stop-loss" policy, which is an illegal extension of soldiers' contracts by the Department of Defense which requires soldiers to stay in the service longer even after their time is up. Several tower-guard vigils against the stop-loss have been held in various places including Colorado Springs, Colorado; Bellingham, Washington; and Washington D.C.

Adam Kokesh
Camilo Mejía
Charles Anderson
Aiden Delgado
David J. Kalbfleisch - 2008 Green party candidate for congress Illinois 10th District[4].
Matt Howard
Liam Madden
Jesse Macbeth

Jesse Macbeth, an army private falsely claiming to have comitted atrocities in Iraq, was disavowed by IVAW.[5] All members of IVAW have since been required to submit documentation of military service. ^[3]