Winter Soldiers

“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” –Thomas Paine 1776

For the first time boots-on-the-ground soldiers testified before Congress (C-SPAN) in May 2008 about how the Iraq war is being waged. Those testifying were members of the Iraq Veterans Against the War.

A couple months earlier the group gathered to record soldiers and marines “giving an accurate account of what is really happening day in and day out.” They called the event Winter Soldier, taking the name from a similar 1971 movement of Vietnam vets.

These are some of the voices of the IVAW “Winter Soldiers” (7:25 mp3):

The above audio is edited excepts from former marines Jon Turner and Michael LeDuc, former soldiers Clifton Hicks and Garrett Reppenhagen, Jon Turner again, and former soldiers Jason Hurd and Kristopher Shawn Goldsmith. Below are longer unedited excerpts from their and other IVAW testimony…

Hart Viges: 82nd Aiborne Division, US Army (video testimony: Rules of Engagement: Part 1)—
•“Fire on all taxicabs…” (2:14 mp3):

•“People live in towns…” (1:44 mp3):

•“Why are you taking my sons?…” (1:50 mp3):

•“We never get the right house…” (0:09 mp3):

•“Everything was Hodgie…” (0:17 mp3):

Geoff Millard: Sergeant, New York Army National Guard (video testimony: Racism and War: the Dehumanization of the Enemy: Part 2)—
•“Not a person, but a Hodgie…” 1:10 mp3):

Mike Prysner: Tenth Mountain Division, 173rd Airborne Brigade, US Army (video testimony: Racism and War: the Dehumanization of the Enemy: Part 2)—
•“A word we used…” (3:32 mp3):

•“We dragged them from their houses…” (3:51 mp3):

Domingo Rosas: Sergeant, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, US Army (video testimony: Racism and War: the Dehumanization of the Enemy: Part 2)—
•“Deprive them off sleep…” (1:25 mp3):

Garrett Reppenhagen: Scout/Sniper, 263 Armored Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, Ilsack Germany, US Army (video testimony: Rules of Engagement: Part 2)—
•“Torn into shreds…” (4:50 mp3):

Jon Michael Turner: Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, Eighth Marines (video testimony: Rules of Engagement: Part 2)—
•“This man was innocent…” (5:54 mp3):

Jason Hurd: Medic, Troop F, 2nd Squadron, 278th Regimental Combat Team, US Army (video testimony: Rules of Engagement: Part 1)—
•“No Peace of God…” (1:46 mp3):

•“Checkpoint- Slaughterhouse 11…” (2:18 mp3):

•“Are your lives better?…” (2:23 mp3):

Kelly Dougherty: 220th Military Police Company, Colorado National Guard (video testimony: Corporate Pillaging and Military Contractors)—
•“To guarantee a profit…” (5:09 mp3):

Michael LeDuc: Weapons Platoon, Charlie Company, First Battalion, Eighth Marines (video testimony: Racism and War: the Dehumanization of the Enemy: Part 1)—
•“The assumption that everyone was hostile…” (3:47 mp3):

Mike Totten: 716th MP Battalion, 101st Airborne, US Army (video testimony: Racism and War: the Dehumanization of the Enemy: Part 1)—
•“If this was an American kid…” (0:36 mp3):

•“Not some isolated incident…” (1:50 mp3):

•“Sorry…” (0:16 mp3):

Scott Ewing: Calvary Scout, 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment, US Army (video testimony: Racism and War: the Dehumanization of the Enemy: Part 1)—
•“Candy…” (1:12 mp3):

•“Bomb their neighborhood…” (4:45 mp3):

Matthew Howard: First Tank Battalion, First Marine Division: 29 Palms CA (video testimony: Breakdown of the Military)—
•“The war within ourseleves…” (0:45 mp3):

Kristopher Shawn Goldsmith: Sergeant, Forward Observer, US Army (video testimony: Breakdown of the Military)—
•“3.2 million people were Prisoners of War…” (10:27 mp3):