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Building a Local IVAW Chapter

By Kelly Dougherty

A few months into my yearlong tour in Iraq, I wrote in my journal about how I saw my real commitment to my country not in the military contract I had signed, but in speaking out and becoming more politically involved. By honoring my military duty, I seemed to be going against my moral duty. When I joined the military, I didn't expect to be in Iraq fighting an illegal war of aggression, yet I felt unable to resist it. I saw the apathy and ignorance of so many Americans during the lead-up to the war, but I felt powerless to do anything about it. When I returned from Iraq, I wanted to become involved in the antiwar movement, but didn't know how. What changed everything for me was the Veterans for Peace (VFP) convention in Boston in July 2004, where I met other Iraq vets who were opposed to the war and who were starting a group called Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). It was exciting and reassuring to see that there were other Iraq vets who felt the same way about the war; now there would be an organized voice of opposition from those of us who had witnessed the war firsthand.

After the VFP convention, I felt energized and excited; I wanted to focus all of my energy on stopping the war. But after a few days back home, I started to lose the energy I had felt in Boston, where I had been surrounded by other like-minded people and everyone had been so hopeful and encouraging. I felt isolated and unsure of what to do.

IVAW is a national organization, and we have members across the country. A year ago, concentrated groups of members were only on the coasts, and I didn't know how to reach out to local vets. I seemed to be the lone Colorado member of IVAW for several months. Gradually, I started meeting more people who wanted to join or had already joined online. A friend from my unit joined, and then an active-duty soldier, who was fed up with the war and with the way that the supposed all-volunteer army was using threats to force soldiers to re-enlist. I met another soldier who was returning home after serving a year in Iraq. Our numbers started to grow.

IVAW, Washington, DC, September 24, 2005

Now, a little over a year after the founding of IVAW, we have formed a Colorado Springs chapter. There are still organizational issues to take care of, but I feel that we have enough motivated members to really make our presence in this community known. Several of our members are still on active duty at the local army base, Ft. Carson, and will be a great resource for speaking to other active-duty soldiers and for seeing firsthand what is happening inside the base. We are planning to go into high schools and talk to students about the reality of military service and the war in Iraq. We are thinking of ways to help the overwhelming number of vets in our community that aren't getting the medical care they need. The tasks seem daunting at times, but I think that with everyone doing what they can, our chapter will grow in size and in strength. Colorado Springs has a reputation for being a very conservative community, which makes building an antiwar veterans' chapter difficult, but it also makes it all the more necessary. The people who are most affected by this war are those in the military and their families, so military communities have the most need for a strong antiwar movement.

A very useful way to reach out to veterans has been through a group called Vets for Vets (V4V), a national peer-support group for Iraq veterans. I started a very successful chapter in Colorado Springs. Vets for Vets is separate from IVAW and welcomes all Iraq vets, regardless of their political views. It is an opportunity for veterans to get together in a safe space and talk about their experiences in the war and upon returning home. V4V is not meant to be a recruiting tool for IVAW, but many veterans are members of both organizations. I believe that the experience of talking to other vets is comforting and empowering.

A big obstacles to building a local IVAW chapter has been people's hesitance to become involved in such a controversial group. People who are on active duty are worried that their careers will be jeopardized or that the people they work with will turn against them. Even for those who are out of the military, there is strong pressure not to criticize the government or its policies. People I've talked to are opposed to the war and to how veterans are being treated, but feel they don't have the right or the ability to speak against these wrongs. Another obstacle is the simple fact that people are busy, and many feel they just don't have the time to take on another responsibility.

I believe that as we Iraq veterans tell our stories and speak against the war, more veterans will follow. They will see others speaking truth to power and making a difference, and they will find the strength to do so themselves. Those on active duty can work behind the scenes. Active-duty soldiers may not be able to publicly speak against the administration, but they can tell their stories, and individual stories are the most powerful antiwar statements. We value every level of involvement and understand the everyday demands that people are faced with. Our local IVAW chapter is in its earliest stages of development, but I feel that the time is right and we will continue to grow, spreading our message of ending the war and taking care of our veterans. Iraq veterans are the ones who will lead the fight to bring our troops home, and people will listen.