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Report from Georgia VVAW

By Michael Burke

Atlanta VVAW members have been instrumental in forming the new Georgia Veterans Alliance, based in Atlanta at the American Friends Service Committee, since early last year. Members and friends of Veterans groups thus far taking part in GVA's 2009 agenda include Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America, Iraq Veterans Against the War, National Association for Black Veterans, Unitarian Universalist Veterans Alliance, Veterans For Peace, Veterans Heart Georgia, Vietnam Veterans Against the War and Vietnam Veterans of America.

GVA is heavily involved in a before-during-after program. The "before" focuses on high school students being suckered into today's military. The "during" focuses on GIs once they have been recruited and given up many of their human rights. The "after" focuses on soldiers being deployed to combat zones, those returning stateside for reassignment and potential redeployment, along with soldiers enroute during R&R leave.

The "during" part of the GVA mission has been especially gratifying and takes place at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, where members meet and greet soldiers in transit, pass along encouragement and a GI Rights Hotline card. The leadership force of GVA is a liaison board comprised of one member from each of the foregoing veterans' groups. Members and friends have also been quite busy with the "before" segment of the three-prong agenda, which consists primarily of advising students on high school campuses, where they've been tagged "high-priority-vulnerability" by the military recruiting programs -- most often schools with large numbers of Latinos, Blacks and other minority groups, including undocumented aliens who often are promised US citizenship along with money and college. Here GVA works hand-in-hand with AFSC, Grandmothers For Peace and other local activist groups deeply involved in the national truth-in-military-recruiting movement.

The "after" part comes when a soldier has been discharged and needs help with his or her VA claim, homelessness, medical and mental health care and marriage counseling. GVA presently represents about fifty members and friends who are active in one or more of these three-prong missions. GVA graciously invites input from veterans across the country, especially those involved in counter-recruiting.

Michael Burke is the VVAW Atlanta Contact.