Iraq Veterans Against the War Brings the War to Downtown San Francisco

Most remarkable, the expressions on the faces of the shoppers. The war and occupation now heading for the sixth year. Great action today, great report and great photos.
Thank you, veterans.

This sounds like a great act of Guerrila theatre ! But as i watched Channel 2 Tv news at 10 tonight i was suprised that there was no mention .
This is unusual because Channel two does have a rep far better than than the other corporate media outlets when it comes to covering demostrations like this .
Was the media contacted beforehand ? Was it clear to bystanders what was going on ? Were flyers passed out explaining what was happening ?

Uniforms were HORRIFICALLY inaccurate. Are you sure these people were in the military? 8 points on a patrol? I think i saw one guy wearing some kind of black dress shoes and white socks. Are you serious? IVAW is full of "vets" who's story are sketch to say the least. Many have never even been to Iraq. And I know of only ONE member of IVAW that has seen legitimate combat. As in, only ONE person there actually knows what it means to go out on a patrol and detain suspected enemy combatants. Some of these people are Air Force....you must be joking! Air Force is going to act like they know what a combat patrol looks like? Please, there's a reason this wasn't covered on the news. Why won't the "winter soldiers" testify under oath? Testify at the risk of being charged with perjury if found to be lying? IVAW seems like a bunch of of vets who have an ax to grind with a staff sergeant who put them on working parties 24/7.

Leigh Wolf, you clearly don't know what you're talking about. if anyone has doubts about wether or not IVAW folks have seen combat, try listening to the winter soldier hearings.
http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier

“IVAW is full of "vets" who's story are sketch to say the least. Many have never even been to Iraq. And I know of only ONE member of IVAW that has seen legitimate combat. As in, only ONE person there actually knows what it means to go out on a patrol and detain suspected enemy combatants. Some of these people are Air Force....you must be joking! “

Ok boot, you’re really going to start questioning peoples service? Should IVAW members submit to you their dd-214's? (do you even know what that is yet?)
Actual combat vet (me): “Seen much combat?”
Boot PFC, who’s never deployed (Wolf): “ I’ve seen a little on T.V.”

“Why won't the "winter soldiers" testify under oath?" Well, smarty pants that's because some things we do in the field (which you still don't understand because of your bootness) aren’t exactly legal but “necessary at the time.” Here's a simple exercise for you, ask around infantry and armor units what “drop weapons” are (you may have to travel a short distance from your IPAC desk get to those units). Listen more closely to some stories from Iraq and Afghanistan, and other places.

“Testify at the risk of being charged with perjury if found to be lying?” Yes, perhaps. But also the fear of implicating others and getting the brothers who trust you and who you trust in serious trouble for doing things, that again, were rationalized as being necessary at the time. You might know this had you ever seen anything other than beautiful San Diego.
No need to troll blogs btw, we’re always up for an actual debate.

Semper Fi tough guy,
Ernie
1st Tanks USMC
Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003

The message is clear and the action awesome. Another testament to how important veterans are in ending the war. These guys can get away with anything! Great job to everyone involved!

"leigh wolf" is obviously a typical shill for the Bushites, who always post their pathetic comments whenever a good story is on IMC. don"t feel guilty about editing them.

Who cares if the uniforms the vets are wearing are completely accurate? They're not meant to be. They're only supposed to make the distinction of who the soldiers versus the detainees are as part of First Casualty.

People need to see this. People need to understand just what's going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, so that they can grasp the reality of the situation. The Pentagon and the media learned from Vietnam; they've succeeded in censoring the more horrific aspects of the occupation, in order to avoid a major public backlash. Such is the situation that completely innocent people are being arbitrarily slaughtered in the street. What you see as part of First Casualty is only a 'clean' taste, but it's a taste nonetheless. It's too bad they can only 'detain' volunteers. If ordinary people had the experience of being tackled to the ground, verbally abused, and zip-tied, then had it explained to them that this is what happens every day to ordinary Iraqis, we might get somewhere.

i know you. You're a student at SF State. For all of your warmongering, i haven't heard anything about you signing up for this war you believe in so much. You question the integrity of real servicemen, who have been there, and seen the things that changed their minds about this war, but yet you aren't willing to go yourself, and fight for what you say you believe in. i suppose you have "other priorities," eh?