IVAW and ANSWER Coalition hold a press conference and banner drop in front of Dept of Veterans Affairs to call attention to Veterans issues, 6th anniversary of the Iraq Occupation, Afghanistan troop surge, and Mar 21 march on the Pentagon.
Washington,D.C. - Iraq Vets Against the War (IVAW), in concert with the the ANSWER Coalition ( Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) held a 12:30 press conference on Mar.19, kicked off by a banner drop above the front portico of the Department of Veterans Affairs at 810 Vermont Ave.
Forrest Schmidt , a U.S. Army National guard veteran who scaled the front terrace to place the 25 foot-long, 6 foot-high banner that read "Veterans Say No to War and Occupation, March 21st - March on the Pentagon" was immediately handcuffed and detained before the press conference started.
Stephen Dohnberg
ANSWER Coaltion Banner at Vets Admin Press Conference
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Organized by the Veterans and Service Members Task Force of the ANSWER Coalition, James Circello, Adam Kokesh, Eric Murillo, and Tracy Harmon were present to address questions of the media in the damp rainy March weather. The delegation included representatives from Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace and Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
James Circello explained
"This is the beginning of three days of sustained activities timed to coincide with the sixth anniversary of the illegal invasion of Iraq. On Saturday, March 21st, veterans and service members will be the lead contingent in the National March on the Pentagon."
Stephen Dohnberg
Forrest Schmidt arrested after posting banner
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The IVAW present the event as 'Operation Not Change'. The group, who has consistently called for three main points: the immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces from Afghanistan and Iraq, reparations for people of Afghanistan and Iraq, and full veterans benefits for returning soldiers.
While some Peace groups have become increasingly suspicious of President Obama's motives since his election, many organizations were already mobilized before the Nov. 4 election. While protest groups have been less vocal at the Democratic National Convention during the Bush years, organizations such as TheWorldCantWait.Org and IVAW.org were making their presence known not only at the DNC protests in Denver, but also helped coordinate events at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul,MN.
Perhaps one of the most pressing issues was expressed by US Army veteran Eric Murillo, a U.S. Army veteran from El Paso, Texas. He stated to the press
"Military recruiters are targeting young people in Latino communities. Our communities face high unemployment and young people are struggling to be able to pay the tuition costs necessary to go to school. The recruiters are offering the promise of citizenship to immigrant youth. This is the most cynical manipulation by the Pentagon. Our young people need real jobs. We need affordable education and immigrants need full legal rights."
Supporting portions of Murillo's statement just hours later, the U.S. Labor Department indicated a 4-point increase in jobless rates for veterans from 2008 - to 11.2%.
In a comment to
USA Today, Lt.Col Christopher pointed out that a re-enlistment goal of 152% was reached this year, noting that
"Obviously the economy plays a big role in people's decisions." Sgt 1st Class Julius Kelley, a Ft. Campbell, KY Career Counsellor articulated the sentiment, also telling USA Today "It's job security (in the Army), and I try to sell that all the time....You don't have to worry about getting laid off in the Army"
On Saturday, Mar.21, over 1,200 organizations are marching in major city centers from San Francisco, to New York.
The Washington, D.C. march begins at 12:00 noon at 23rd St. and Constitution Ave. NW. As indicated on the
ANSWER Coalition website,
"The demonstration will march to the Pentagon, and then on to the headquarters of Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, and KBR (the former Halliburton subsidiary), located in Crystal City, Virginia. The marchers will carry hundreds of flag-draped coffins representing the multinational victims of the U.S. war drive."
This will be the first major coordinated anti-military effort since Obama's Inuaguration on Jan.20,2009.
