"This is Where We Take Our Stand" is the story of fifty five courageous veterans who publicly told their accounts of the realities they witnessed on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan. In March of 2008, two hundred and fifty veterans and active-duty soldiers marked the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by gathering in Washington, DC, to testify from their own experience about the nature of the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. It was chilling, horrifying, and challenging for all who witnessed it.
Against tremendous odds, they brought the voices of the veterans themselves into the debate. "This is Where We Take Our Stand" is the inside story of those three days and the courageous men and women who testified-a story that's as important to tell today as ever.
The Q&A will feature Jose Vasquez and Jason Lemieux.
Jose Vasquez is the Executive Director of Iraq Veterans Against the War. He served fourteen years in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged in 2007 as a conscientious objector. Jose was a key organizer of Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan, Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations and represented IVAW in the editing process for the book published by Haymarket. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology at CUNY Graduate Center conducting research on the politics of veteran status in contemporary American society.
Jason Lemieux testified at the Winter Soldier Hearings. He served three tours in Iraq with Third Battalion, Seventh Marines. Lemieux is a Masters Candidate at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).
Co-sponsored by the Middle East Institute and the Human Rights Working Group.
