Kris Goldsmith with IVAW outside the RNC in St. Paul MN 9/1/08. Photo: Jeff Paterson/CTR

By Sarah Lazare, Courage to Resist Project Coordinator, for ZNet. October 3, 2008

Sixty veterans stood in formation, backs straight, feet slightly apart, hands held tensely to their brows in salute. In the gray Minneapolis morning, the sea of faces looked shockingly young, some firm and expressionless, others blotched and wet with tears. Those on the outside wore military uniforms, those in the middle wore black shirts that read "Iraq Veterans Against the War."

Kris Goldsmith, 23 year-old former combat soldier in the U.S. army, made his way to the front to address the motionless crowd. "My method of attempted suicide was with a liter of vodka and a dozen pills of Percoset," Kris barked out in a dry, military voice. "What my unit punished me for was not putting a gun in my mouth and making my mother bury me in a closed casket."

By Courage to Resist. September 29, 2008

Benjamin “Hart” Viges joined to defend America in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Hart quickly found himself as a mortar man attached with the 82nd Airborne. Later he participated in the initial invasion of Iraq. “After we killed enough people (with artillery), we moved into the town… I saw dogs fighting, donkeys fighting, birds fighting in the sky. It seemed like the violence from humans fighting spread out to the rest of life that lived there....I came head on with the question of how can I be a Christian and live the teaching of Jesus, and be a soldier at the same time?”

Part one. 19:06 min. (above). Part two. 8:12 min. (below)

Available now from Courage to Resist, by Aaron Glantz with forward by Anthony Swofford (paperback).

“The only way this war is going to end is if the American people truly understand what we have done in their name.”—Kelly Dougherty, executive director of Iraq Veterans Against the War

In spring 2008, inspired by the Vietnam-era Winter Soldier hearings, Iraq Veterans Against the War gathered veterans to expose war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. Here are the powerful words, images, and documents of this historic gathering, which show the reality of life in Afghanistan and Iraq.

September 23, 2008

The first U.S. Army deserter to seek refugee status in Canada, Jeremy Hinzman, was scheduled for deportation today, however, Crown Justice Richard Mosley granted a stay on the deportation order.

Hinzman's lawyer, Alyssa Manning, had argued that "evidence suggests U.S. soldiers who have spoken out against the 2003 U.S.-led Iraq invasion have been facing more punishment than other deserters." Furthermore, Manning stated that the immigration officer had not properly assessed the hardship Jeremy and his family would endure.

September 25, 2008 UPDATE. Army PCF Jose Crespo won a protracted battle for a hardship discharge from the Army this week, avoiding court martial for refusing to return to Iraq. We're looking forward to posting a follow up interview with Jose soon.

By Courage to Resist, 8:30 min. Update June 13, 2008

At 5:00 am this morning, Army PCF Jose Crespo at Fort Carson, Colorado did not return to Iraq as scheduled. Jose told his sergeant that he was not "refusing" to deploy, but that he "could not" do so due to the circumstances in his family. "Well if you won't get on [the bus], then you're refusing." Jose replied, "Whatever you say." He is was placed on restriction and prepared to face court martial.

Army Col. Ann Wright (ret.) outside Ft. Lewis WA

Army Col. Ann Wright (ret.). September 20, 2008

From the beginning of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the United States military has come under intense criticism and scrutiny for the deaths of civilians. This week, the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff made trips to Afghanistan and Pakistan to "acknowledge" the deaths of innocent civilians in attacks in those countries.

In the five and one-half years of the US occupation of Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians have been killed by US military personnel at checkpoints, during convoy movements and during operations to find the "enemy." In the half-decade of US military presence in Iraq, a very small number of US military personnel and an even smaller number of CIA and contractors have been charged with manslaughter or murder in these deaths.

Courage to Resist workshop on GI resistance with Hart Viges, Selena Coppa, and Matthis Chiroux

Sarah Lazare, Courage to Resist. August 29, 2008

This past weekend, as Republicans prepared for their national convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, a more somber gathering was taking place, a few miles away. At a Ramada hotel in Minneapolis, Veterans for Peace along with Iraq Veterans Against the War held a convention calling for an end to the U.S.-led war and occupation of Iraq. These are the soldiers who are called on to fight the war that their government chose to start. While the Republicans continue to celebrate the so-called "War on Terror" and the success of the "surge" in Iraq, the veterans have a different story to tell about carnage, destruction, and physical and mental wounds that have yet to heal.

By Courage to Resist. 14:21 min. July 29, 2008

During basic training, Air Force recruit Michael Thurman began to have misgivings about the war in Iraq -- and all war. By the time he was assigned to his first duty station, he realized that he could not continue working for the war machine. He applied for conscientious objector status, and after working with Courage to Resist, he was discharged from the Air Force eight months later.

By Courage to Resist. 10:33 min. August 18, 2008

Skyler James, an out lesbian, joined the Army in 2006 at her parents strong urging. After a year of anti-homosexual harassment, and before she was to be deployed, Skylar went AWOL and lived since in Canada. She spoke to Courage to Resist from her home in Ontario.

“Someone ran up behind me, screamed ‘dyke!’ and punched me in the back of the head… I was the only female in the motor pool… They would claim me as one of the guys, but after they found out I was gay they completely turned their back on me…. I was receiving hate letters on my door, threatening to injure me and kill me.”

Supporters rally; James sentenced to six months in stockade and bad conduct discharge

July 17, 2008

James Burmeister was serving in Baghdad when his humvee was caught in an IED explosion and he was hit in the face with shrapnel. Suffering from the physical and emotional wounds resulting from his injury, and his experiences working with "bait and kill" teams in Iraq, James went to Canada and was AWOL until earlier this year when he decided to return to the U.S., turn himself in, and move on with his life.

By Courage to Resist. 15:44 min. August 18, 2008

Tim Richard enlisted in the Iowa National Guard for six years in 1999. Just before his enlistment was up, he was notified that his new release date would be 2031! In November 2005, when he was training for deployment to Iraq, Richard went AWOL and made his way to Canada where he was able to become a citizen, since his father was a citizen of that country.

“It was the National Guard; I thought we would be doing disaster relief and that sort of thing…. After 9/11 I wanted to go get whoever did this to America…. But after the Iraq War dragged on for a bit I realized that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, just a lot of poor people and a lot of dead bodies.”