3,697+ Death to date...
I have just spent the past five days in St. Louis with the Veterans for Peace national convention in St. Louis Missouri. I arrived with a sense of bitterness and fluctuating hopelessness and random paranoia of the end of our society as we know it. Here I am five days later and I write to you with a strong message of hope and action. The peace movement is alive and well with the groups I spent time with this weekend. Presente’ were the Iraq Veterans Against the War, Gold Star Families Speak Out, Veterans for Peace, Military Families Speak Out, Courage to Resist and Code Pink. How happy it felt to be with passionate like minded action oriented human beings! The knowledge that each of them is working hard to end this war and bring our troops home eases my anxiety and really helped me relax.

Suzanne joined me in St. Louis. She took a four day leave and VFP was kind enough to pay her way out at the last minute. Some vets I talk to say these type of events can trigger them and their PTSD. Not Suzanne. When she is with her IVAW brothers and sisters she smiles and laughs and can actually breathe. She knows that they have her back through everything she has been through and she is loved, not shamed, by all. It makes my heart burst with pride to see her wearing her IVAW shirt and watch her get up on stage with them.

I learned a lot at the convention and missed a lot as well. There were some hilarious moments and some moments that just broke my heart. Alexander Arredondo was KIA in Iraq in 2004. His Marine unit went straight to Camp Lima where Suzanne was based and she was honored to bear witness to the pain of these young marines who had just lost their friend, “Dondo”. When I told Suzanne about this a few months ago, we were able to put the pieces together, since I know Alexander’s father, Carlos and stepmother Melida. Both families shared tears over this tragic yet healing connection. A new IVAW member showed up at the convention who was apart of Alexander’s unit and Suzanne got to make the very emotional connection between Alexander’s buddy and his parents. It was very emotional with many many tears.

I met LaVena Johnson’s father and heard his story of how the military is hiding the truth behind her death. The Army is telling her family that she committed suicide, and the parents know this is a lie. His story is compelling and chilling. It chills me because LaVena was almost exactly a year younger to the day of Suzanne and she had just reported being sexually assaulted to her superiors officers before her murder. You can link to LaVena’s web site through Suzanne’s web site. For the journalists who grilled Suzanne about using her “Chain of Command” now you can see why she did not. Dr. Johnson says he now knows of 9 families that have lost their daughters to similar and very suspicious circumstances.
We had a press conference while I was there with Dr. Johnson, Col. Ann Wright, Elaine Johnson, Sharon Kudfelt, Margaret Stevens and Ellen... all speaking with me against sexual assault in the military. We also had people with signs protesting and we had one person go into the MEPS station nearby and put stickers warning people about the statistic of 1 in 3 women in the military will be sexually assaulted and 1 in 5 men will be assaulted. I also lead a workshop on Gender in the Military. It was supposed to be Women in the military, but I really wanted to include men in the discussion as equal partners. It was a good discussion and woke many people up to the significant issues for both genders.

As always, I had many men and women share their stories of being sexually assaulted with me and I listened with love and compassion to their pain. As we were walking to the Arch from the hotel, a woman who was not with us, asked us what the sign meant, “ 1 in 3 women will be raped” I explained to her about military sexual trauma and she disclosed that she too had been raped in the military, but was too ashamed to explain it to her husband. The woman I was walking with also shared her story of being raped in the military centuries before and how it still effects her today. She had not known about military sexual trauma and that she could have her already active disability claim be re evaluated for MST. Really just amazing how rampant military sexual violence is. I should know by now, but it really still just floors me how many people tell me their story. I hold each of them in my heart for healing.

The resolution that the VFP chapter from Salt Lake City put forth for women in the military passed. This was started when they flew me out for a speaking tour in SLC. I want to thank them for their work to protect women in the military as they strive to serve their country.

As always I am SO AMAZED by the energy and range of talented activists that are emerging in Iraq Veterans Against the War. They are growing in numbers and taking on huge powerful actions to really stop this illegal war. I saw more IVAW shirts than ever before and I was in awe of them throughout the entire convention. The strength and leadership they are putting forward really is revolutionary and was one of the biggest contributors to my sense of hope for the future. I literally got goose bumps watching them all week. The first IVAW chapter has been started on an actual BASE! Now I think that is incredible!!!!!This organization has and is saving the sanity of Iraq Vets all over the world. Please support them with everything you have. They are our future and they are more than ready, they are DOING IT!

I learned a lot more about PTSD and how to help vets file claims with the VA.

I was honored to speak one evening with a line up of people including Garrett Reppenhagen, Agustine Aguyo, Elaine johnson, Nancy and Charlie from MFSO, Tina Richards, Fernando Del Sol Suarez, and many others. We heard from a sister Iraqi about her family in Iraq who is still alive and the intense feeling she has been through with a foot in each world. She opened my eyes on a whole new level. Dennis Kucinich spoke to us about his focused strategy to not only bring the troops home, but to impeach the criminals who are running the US Empire.

I networked with my military MMOMA sisters, Anita and Tina. That was amazing. We have some real work to do with our new group, Military Mothers Advocating for Military Accountability. My focus in the group is on women’s and transgendered issues. We are working on issues and legislation around homelessness in our veterans community and what services are needed for our troops returning home. Also, the backlog of VA claims and how we can build community to support vets through this very often re-traumatizing process. Whether it is with phone calls, transportation, paper work, basically anything that will make the process more bearable to the veteran.

I got to meet certain people that I had never met before! Stacy Hafely from Missouri Midwest MFSO was one of my life lines during Suzanne’s ordeal. She even created the current web site and saved us over and over. Gold Star mother, Elaine Johnson. Her son, Darius, was KIA in Iraq 2003. What a powerhouse mom. I felt instantly connected to her. Every time I meet another Gold Star parent I am humbled by their very presence.

There are times when people in the peace movement feel isolated and alone, especially military families who have been on the line in this illegal occupation. It was a real recharge to be able to attend the convention and to watch Suzanne flourish and laugh.

Heading back to Eugene now to start rebuilding our home. Once again, we are blessed beyond belief to be alive.

3,737+

Let’s stop the madness and the killing.

Much love,

Sara