2008 Woodie Awards
Senior documents anti-War sentiments of Iraq Veterans
Nick Hurwitz '11
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: Features
"Bearing Arms, Bearing Witness" a documentary made by Katherine Niemczyk '08 was screened on Tuesday, April 22 in Ellison Lecture Hall. The film focused on veterans, many from Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) who had joined the military, once supported the War in Iraq, and who now adamantly oppose it.
Many of the veterans in the film said that they had been swayed by the Bush administration to join the military and go to Iraq. Before the war, most of these soldiers supported the mission: to protect and rebuild Iraq.
One veteran, Toby Hartbarger said, "I didn't truly understand some of the things I was doing when I was in Iraq. I swore an oath to do good and I meant it. But now that is slipping away."
After the graphically shocking film Wheaton students were able to hear the opinions of Liam Madden and Adam Kokesh, two members of the Board of Directors of IVAW. What they had to say seemed to captivate the audience.
These two veterans, told their stories of how they were drawn into and out of Iraq.
Kokesh, who joined the reserve in 1999, was told that he was being sent to Iraq in order to rebuild the country. Kokesh and Madden both believe that immediate GI withdrawal is the way out of Iraq.
Since being discharged in November of 2006, Kokesh has spent his time describing to Americans what he feels is really going on in Iraq. "I wanted to tell the stories that weren't just hard to tell but hard for American to hear, with the hope that Americans would own them as a part of American history."
He feels that the media has had a large affect on what he sees as the loss of consciousness about Iraq. "Ignorance has been country's last refuge. War coverage has gone down from 15 percent to 3 percent. Silence has become hypocrisy."
Madden, on the other hand, chose to look at his experience through history: "everything has been done through movements in history. There was no civil rights vote, there was a civil rights movement. Look at the Vietnam war. Nixon promised peace in the 1968 campaign and Americans gave their power away. It wasn't until people began protested and stopped fighting that change occurred."
Along with Kokesh, he emphasized their belief that the war will stop sooner if the troops take action. "Wars don't continue when soldiers stop fighting."
In looking at the future of Iraq, both Madden and Kokesh highlighted the fact that America is not the solution. "Withdrawal is worse the longer we stay there. If we wait another 5 years, things will be even worse," Kokesh remarked.
After the event, many students seemed to be embarrassed by the fact that they didn't know that much about the war and seemed overwhelmed by the veterans' arguments. Some students did share their opinions.
"The war isn't going to change if the media continues to ignore it for this long," said Sara Lubin '08, who helped organize the event.
Whether it will take GI resistance to end the war is uncertain. According to Kokesh a "social movement will end the war, not the President."
Many of the veterans in the film said that they had been swayed by the Bush administration to join the military and go to Iraq. Before the war, most of these soldiers supported the mission: to protect and rebuild Iraq.
One veteran, Toby Hartbarger said, "I didn't truly understand some of the things I was doing when I was in Iraq. I swore an oath to do good and I meant it. But now that is slipping away."
After the graphically shocking film Wheaton students were able to hear the opinions of Liam Madden and Adam Kokesh, two members of the Board of Directors of IVAW. What they had to say seemed to captivate the audience.
These two veterans, told their stories of how they were drawn into and out of Iraq.
Kokesh, who joined the reserve in 1999, was told that he was being sent to Iraq in order to rebuild the country. Kokesh and Madden both believe that immediate GI withdrawal is the way out of Iraq.
Since being discharged in November of 2006, Kokesh has spent his time describing to Americans what he feels is really going on in Iraq. "I wanted to tell the stories that weren't just hard to tell but hard for American to hear, with the hope that Americans would own them as a part of American history."
He feels that the media has had a large affect on what he sees as the loss of consciousness about Iraq. "Ignorance has been country's last refuge. War coverage has gone down from 15 percent to 3 percent. Silence has become hypocrisy."
Madden, on the other hand, chose to look at his experience through history: "everything has been done through movements in history. There was no civil rights vote, there was a civil rights movement. Look at the Vietnam war. Nixon promised peace in the 1968 campaign and Americans gave their power away. It wasn't until people began protested and stopped fighting that change occurred."
Along with Kokesh, he emphasized their belief that the war will stop sooner if the troops take action. "Wars don't continue when soldiers stop fighting."
In looking at the future of Iraq, both Madden and Kokesh highlighted the fact that America is not the solution. "Withdrawal is worse the longer we stay there. If we wait another 5 years, things will be even worse," Kokesh remarked.
After the event, many students seemed to be embarrassed by the fact that they didn't know that much about the war and seemed overwhelmed by the veterans' arguments. Some students did share their opinions.
"The war isn't going to change if the media continues to ignore it for this long," said Sara Lubin '08, who helped organize the event.
Whether it will take GI resistance to end the war is uncertain. According to Kokesh a "social movement will end the war, not the President."
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