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Eyewitness Report from Winter Soldier II Investigation

By Carol Rawert Trainer

My husband and I attended the Winter Soldier II investigation by the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). The testimonials and the images they created are etched into my mind and gut forever. As members of VVAW we helped provide security for the event. I was at the main hall entry working security on 12-hour shifts so I was privileged to hear and see most of the first 3 days of testimony.

After months of threatening emails "Eagles Up" ended up more like "turkeys down." They showed up, on the first day for a few hours without even a busload. Of course to be "fair and balanced" the Washington Post had an article on their meager showing at a protest downtown that was equal to the write up they posted for IVAW's historic 4 day event.

The weekend was bustling with excitement and emotion as many groups (Iraq Veterans Against the War, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Moms, GI Rights Hotline, etc) connected with each other and lent support to the testifying IVAW members. With media cameras and bloggers from all over the world and many left wing media the mainstream American media was conspicuously absent. Before leaving Louisville, I sent a press releases to the local media about this historic event but got no response. The media was in a big rush to get us into this illegal and immoral war but takes no responsibility to get us out. The Washington Post wrote a perfunctory report on 3/14. IVAW immediately passed out a counter statement to the attending media. I feel that if every American were required to attend the event, watch or listen to the broadcast, the war in Iraq would soon be over, but most Americans prefer to take no action. So here we are going into the 6th year still wearing ourselves out trying to end the war.

I commend the brave young soldiers and marines who spoke out against the atrocities they witnessed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many were in Iraq for 3-5 tours. During the Rules of Engagement testimonial veterans said that there were few, if any, rules. The rules seemed to change constantly. The rules were to shoot anyone they felt threatened by whether the Iraqi was a threat or not. This included: pregnant women because they could be women pretending to be pregnant and hiding arms under their dress; children and old people because they sometimes were used by the 'insurgents;' men in robes (which were many) because they could be hiding weapons. This means they could actually shoot anyone whenever they felt like it. Oftentimes it would be covered up. In addition to death, the soldiers and marines witnessed and participated in manhandling, injuring and harassing and terrorizing the Iraqi people.

Some were commanded to shoot and kill those they felt were innocent. Many were pressured by peers to kill, to put "notches" in their guns so to speak as if it were a game. Many are dealing with PTSD and all of them said that testifying was more important than anything they had done in the war. At first they believed they were going to Iraq to help the Iraqi people achieve democracy but soon learned the brutal truth that freedom for the Iraqis was not "the agenda." In fact Iraqi lives counted for little. Most of the time the Iraqis that they killed, roughed up or terrorized in their homes and on the streets were innocent civilians who carried no weapons. Slides were shown depicting the "weapons" for which the troops were to be on the lookout. The weapons consisted of kitchen knives, saws, wires and some everyday innocuous tools that everyone uses in their homes. Anyone could be labeled an insurgent for possessing them. One soldier testified that when he questioned why a saw was classified as an insurgent tool he was told that the saw could be used by terrorists to dismember bodies during torture!

Many times the troops shot at cars or at people so they could speed their vehicles along the streets. Those who shot kids, old people and women were especially affected by their actions, ashamed of what they had done. Many got caught up in the "fog of war." In the segment Racism and War: Dehumanization of the Enemy panelists talked of how the Iraqi civilians were called "Hajji's," "sand niggers" or "sand rats," etc. Of course when the "enemy"is dehumanized, which is done in the field and in training, it is easier to kill them.

One soldier directly addressed Gen. Petraeus in an emotional statement saying that the general had awarded and placed a meritorious medal on him in the battlefield. He tore up the commendation and threw it to the floor, exclaiming "General Petraues, you are no longer my leader!" He received a round of applause and standing ovation as did many who testified.

Ex-Marine Jon Turner, who served two tours in Iraq, ripped his medals from his shirt and threw them on the ground, crying "I'm sorry for the hate and destruction I and others have inflicted upon innocent people. Until people hear what is going on, this is going to continue. I am no longer the monster that I once was."

One soldier said he came face to face with "the enemy," a boy of around 18 years of age. Both scared, they stood appraising each other and the soldier came to the realization that the boy was just like him and he let him escape.

In the Civilian Testimony panel two Iraqi nationals who now live in the US said they were in Iraq when the war broke out. Their families have lost their homes and have suffered injuries. They appealed to the American government to leave their country now. They think more harm will come of Iraq if we stay than if we leave. They spoke of how gracious the Iraqi people are and that one day they hoped they could return home and welcome us into their home.

These emotional testimonies often brought me to tears. At one discussion of the Cost of War at Home the parents of Jeffrey Lucey talked of how their son returned home a changed man. He had severe PTSD and received less than adequate treatment from the VA. They watched their son grow progressively worse and medicate himself through alcohol and dangerous behavior. One day the son asked his father if he would rock him. The father sat rocking, holding and patting his son for over 45 minutes. Soon after his son was discovered dead, having committed suicide by hanging himself in the basement with a garden hose. The mom began reading the son's suicide note that was found by the police, but became choked up and the dad finished reading. In the note the young man apologized to his parents saying that he was not the man he was and that he was not proud of what he had become and he could no longer live with himself. I cannot remember this or write it now without becoming emotional and crying. I hate this war and hate our government and people who went along with it. No, I can forgive those who went along in the beginning, but I will never forgive those who support it now or do nothing to stop it.

Jeremy Scahill, a renowned investigative journalist and author of the book Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army was one of the impressive panelists of Corporate Pillaging and Military Contractors. For the Louisville people, he is a good friend of Bob Moser who wrote in The Nation (Oct 1, 2007) about our peace efforts here in Louisville.

One of the panelists on the Aims of the Global War on Terror: The Political, Legal and Economic Context of Iraq and Afghanistan was Michael Schwartz, author of Beyond the Green Zone. Schwartz has appeared on NPR and has spent much of his time in Iraq and the middle east and presented rousing testimony of the atrocities he witnessed. And wonderful Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! chided the American press for "clear-channeling" information to the American public. She blamed the media for inciting Americans into accepting the war beating the drums to start our involvement. She also received several standing ovations.

The panel on Divide to Conquer: Gender and Sexuality in the Military discussed treatment and mistreatment of women and homosexuals in the military. Women gave testimonies of sexual harassment and being pressured by peers and authority. After hearing it I mentioned to one of the panelists that some things never change. I told her that as a veteran from the 1960's I could have spoken on the panel. We shared a knowing hug.

One veteran talked about seeing his commander kill an innocent Iraqi man. Then they put his body in a truck. The commander pulled the body out of the truck and let it fall on the ground in front of the dead man's family. The commander told the soldier to take his picture with the dead body (all this in front of the family who was crying and mourning their dead!) And the soldier told the commander that it wasn't right and that he couldn't do it. Back at the camp the soldier was reprimanded with mental and physical punishment for refusing an order in front of his men.

I met various IVAW members and GI Rights Hotline members whom I hope will be able to help me start an IVAW group here and to assist GI's wanting to leave the service.

Attending this event was the most meaningful thing I have done to help stop the war in the past 5.5 years. There was so much more to the amazing 4 day event I wish I could describe. I wish everyone could have witnessed it.

Adam Dzagulones, Carol Trainer and Don Dzagulones at Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan