The
fourth and final entry in
AlterNet's "A Soldier Speaks" series.
Kelly Dougherty is 27, from Colorado Springs, and after her tours in Kuwait and Iraq, has become a co-founder of Iraq Veterans Against the War and speaks nationally about her experiences and why she opposes the war and occupation.
(more below the fold)
(AlterNet:) What kind of work does IVAW do?
We do a lot of public speaking about our experiences in the war and in the military and why we're opposed to the war. We have also collaborated with some senators and Congresspeople to draft the "Bring Them Home Now" Resolution, and other work. In the political sphere, we're trying to get more politicians engaged in trying to do something to end the occupation -- and not only that -- but to take care of the veterans that come home and try to make people realize that many people aren't being taken care of when they get home.
In her view, it's very clear (as it is to many of us, I'm sure) that this is not only endemic to the system, it is making bad matters even worse:
...the military itself really discourages people from seeking medical help. I know some people who got sent home because of injuries in Iraq -- physical injuries and mental trauma -- and were treated so poorly and intimidated and harassed by the military so much that now most of their problems are continually exacerbated.
She described her opposition to the war as preceding her deployment, and how many, but not all, of her fellow troops there felt much the same, but
...as far as expressing my views, I would mostly just speak with people who had the same view that I did. When you're already in a stressful situation, when you're literally in a war zone, you don't want to have to be at war with people who you're serving with too.
There's much more in the article, I would strongly encourage readers here to go get the whole story here, as I am running the risk of over-excerpting in this diary.
These stories, I think, help people like me, sitting here in Minnesota, understand what the real people on the ground there experience. I am glad to be able to see it told in their own words.