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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Military Families Speak Out
Wednesday 21 February @ 17:08:59 |
 By KATRINA PLOTZ
Traditionally, military families have honored an unwritten "code of silence," keeping antiwar thoughts to themselves. But on Feb. 15, the national organization Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) delivered a letter to Congress, asking them to stop funding the war in Iraq. The letter challenges the misconception that de-funding the Iraq War means abandoning our troops. Signed by over 200 MFSO members, the letter reads, in part:
 "Members of Congress, you need to know that by continuing to fund this war and leaving our loved ones in Iraq, you are abandoning them. You cannot oppose the war and continue to fund it. You may be afraid for your political futures. We are afraid for the lives of our loved ones. The Constitution gave Congress the 'power of the purse' for a reason. We urge and expect you to use this power now."
MFSO includes 3,200 military families with loved ones who currently serve in Iraq and Afghanistan or who are veterans of these wars. Many of their loved ones have returned physically and psychologically wounded. Some have died. The message of MFSO is simple: Bring the troops home now and take care of them when they get here.
Last month, President Bush announced a "surge" that would increase the number of troops in Iraq by 21,500. This decision hit Minnesota military families especially hard. The Minnesota Army National Guard's 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, will have its Iraq tour extended until August. They were supposed to come home next month. Soldiers whose tours were extended include one whose mother died while he was in Iraq and others whose wives have given birth to babies they have yet to meet.
"President Bush likes to talk about sacrifice," says Mike Perkins of the Minnesota chapter of MFSO. "But military families are the ones who are sacrificing. Their loved ones are coming home in coffins, as amputees … with permanent disabilities." He cites the tragic story of Minnesota Marine Jonathan Schulze as an example of returning veterans betrayed by the country they've served. "He went to the VA with suicidal thoughts. They told him to take a number. He got number 26. Four days later he killed himself. This is unacceptable."
Perkins' son survived a tour in Iraq, but suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). "He came home and we didn't know who he was," says Perkins. "He saw two close friends die. He drinks daily, wants to fight anyone who looks at him, won't talk to the family. There's an incredible amount of pain."
Nancy Emery joined MN-MFSO in Sept. 2005 after returning from an antiwar demonstration in Washington, D.C. Her brother-in-law served in Iraq and was deeply affected. Emery's father is a retired air force mechanic, and she remembers feeling abandoned when he was gone. "As a child, you don't realize that your father didn't abandon you. You just know he should be there and he isn't." She opposes the war in Iraq and believes Congress should end it by cutting off funding. "The best way to support the troops is to bring them home."
MN-MFSO celebrated its one-year anniversary on Feb. 14. They have 70 members and a core group of 12 who meet monthly. Currently, they're lobbying Senator Amy Klobuchar to co-sponsor two bills: one that would increase funds for the treatment of PTSD and another that would initiate a suicide prevention program for soldiers. As part of the Iraq Peace Action Coalition, MN-MFSO is organizing an antiwar demonstration for Sunday, March 18 to mark the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War. Last year, the event drew 4,200 protesters. This year, organizers hope for thousands more. ||
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