Sign at NYC Occupy Wall Street Rally on October 8th, 2011, courtesy of (cc) Flickr user Downtown Traveler

Over two million Americans have fought in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They return to a nation in economic crisis. A third of those veterans come home to face serious medical conditions. Many veterans now consider themselves the 99 percent, and have joined a second Occupation, Occupy Wall Street. On this edition, a special report on veterans standing in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street movements and an encore presentation about veterans returning home from war and the struggles they endure produced by Aaron Glantz.

Featuring:

Sgt. Shamar Thomas, marine veteran; Kurt Biddle, army veteran; Jeff Paterson, Courage To Resist; Jason Matherne, Iraq Veterans Against War; Joshua Shepherd, navy veteran; Douglass Connor, army veteran; Andrew Berends, The Blood of My Brother filmmaker; Michael Hall, former US Army staff sergeant; Rachel Feldstein, New Directions associate director; Joshua Kors, The Nation magazine correspondent; Zollie Goodman, former naval petty officer; Barack Obama, United States president; Todd Stenhouse, National Veterans Foundation spokesperson; Terry “T.J.” Boyd, former Marine Corps sergeant; Ron Finch, National Business Group on Health; Catherine Morris, Sierra College veterans’ counselor; Paul Sullivan, Veterans for Common Sense executive director.

This documentary was produced with support to Aaron Glantz from the Hechinger Institute for Education and the Media at Columbia University Teachers College and the Rosalynn Carter Journalism Fellowship program at the Carter Center. Thanks also to Mike Siv of New America Media.

For More Information:

Iraq Veterans Against the War
National Veterans Foundation
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
Swords to Plowshares
Veterans for Common Sense
Veterans for Peace
Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Oakland

Articles/Blogs/Videos/Audio:

Sgt. Shamar Thomas Defends Occupy Wall Street
The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle Against America’s Veterans
Veterans More Likely to be Homeless
Cost of Treating Veterans Will Rise Long Past Wars
Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan Not Worth the Cost, many US Veterans Say
Report: Meeting the Needs of Veterans In Today’s Labor Force 

Music:

“Next Bold Move” – Ani DiFranco
“What’s Going On” – Marvin Gaye
“Hero’s Song” – Brendan James

A moment of reflection at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. Credit: oneofthebrave/ Flickr

This week we mark the 10th anniversary of the U.S. war in Afghanistan.  Please listen to the voices of soldiers haunted by the killing and human suffering.

Like many soldiers returning home from Vietnam, former airforce captain S. Brian Willson became a peace activist.  One day in 1987, when he lost his legs during a protest against a shipment of weapons, it only strengthened his resolve.  It was his way of dealing with what he experienced at war…and now thousands of new veterans are trying to find their way.  On this edition, two generations of veterans cope with PTSD—looking to heal themselves and the world.

Featuring:

S. Brian Willson, author and Vietnam veteran; Drew Cameron, Iraq war veteran, and contributor to Warrior Writers: Move, Shoot and Communicate;  Matt Fuller, Afghanistan war veteran; Carolin Kunze, Matt Fuller’s fiance.

***WEB EXCLUSIVE***

For More Information:

S. Brian Willson
Drew Cameron
Warrior Writers: Move, Shoot and Communicate
Iraq Veterans Against the War
Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Veterans for Peace
The Peoples Republic of Paper
The Beat Museum
KPFA Radio – Berkeley, CA
Crosscurrents from KALW News
Courage To Resist
Scorched Earth: Legacies of Chemical Warfare in Vietnam (book)
Agent Orange Legacy (photos)

Music:

‘Ramshackle’ by Beck
‘Dance of the Seahorse’ by Gideon Freudmann

Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War present at the U.S. Social Forum in Atlanta, GA. Photo by flickr user Brooke Anderson.

Almost 4,500 American soldiers and more than 100,000 Iraqis have died since the beginning of the Iraq War in 2003. Although President Obama officially declared the end of U.S. combat in August 2010, fifty thousand U.S. troops still occupy Iraqi soil. Thus far, the estimated cost is $750 billion dollars.

Eight years after the U.S. began its “Shock and Awe” campaign, we look back and assess the consequences of the war. On this edition, we hear an audio documentary, “The Cost of War: A Reflection on Eight Years in Iraq” produced by KALW News in San Francisco.

Special thanks to KALW News in San Francisco.

Featuring:

George W. Bush, former U.S. President; Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense; Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State; Yara Badday, Iraqi-American; Paul Bremer, former U.S. Administrator to Iraq; Richard Becker, West Coast Coordinator for ANSWER Coalition; Paul Wolfowitz, former Deputy Secretary of Defense; Ghazwan Al-sharif, Iraqi translator; Ryan Berg, U.S. Marine; Starlyn Lara, U.S. Army; Jordan Towers, U.S. Marine; Barack Obama, U.S. President; Aaron Glantz, journalist.

For more information:

KALW News
Aaron Glantz, reporter and author of The War Comes Home
Answer Coalition
Iraq Veterans Against the War
Swords to Plowshares
Coalition for Iraq + Afghanistan
Veterans for Peace
Civilian-Soldier Alliance
War Resisters League
Veteran Artists

Articles and Books:
Happy anniversary, Iraq War by Matthew Duss, Michael Cohen, Foreign Policy
Clamor, by Elise Fenton, Cleveland State University Poetry Center
War Plan Iraq: Ten Reasons Against War with Iraq ed. Milan Rai, Verso
Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan: Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations by Iraqi Veterans Against the War & Aaron Glantz, Haymarket Books
The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan by Dahr Jamail, Haymarket Books

MUSIC: Intro by The XX

Making Contact covered health care reform, Iraq war veterans, and food crises in U.S. breadbaskets.

Two wars continued, the economy remained in freefall, and as hardship ensued, people crafted creative solutions.  On this edition, we look back at some of the most compelling stories we brought you during 2009, and find out where things are headed for 2010.

Featuring portions of the following shows:

Many Voices for a Single-Payer System

Voices: Single-payer protestors at Senate Finance Committee meetings; U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.).

The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle Against America’s Veterans

Voices: Zollie Goodman, former Naval petty officer

How We Survive: The Deepening Homeless Crisis

Voices: Max Rameau, Take Back The Land founder; Marie Nadine Pierre, Take Back the Land participant.

How We Survive: Sprouting Up in Empty Breadbaskets

Voices: Rachel Klein, Fresno Community Food Bank Worker; Evangelina Zaragoza, Needs Food Aid; Nayamin Martinez, Binational Center for the Development of Oaxacan Indigenous Communities Health Coordinator.

The Greening of America: A New Deal for Everyone?

Voices: Lawrence Martinez, Randy Mason, Keith Rose and Antoine Sawyer, Richmond Build trainees; Zoey Burrows, Solar Richmond Development & Communications staff member; Samuel Charles, Richmond Build lead instructor.

Also featuring: Russ Choma, Investigative journalist with the Investigative Reporting workshop at the American University School of Communication.

For More Information:

Many Voices for a Single-Payer System:

California Nurses Association (CNA)
Oakland, CA

Physicians for a National Health Program
Chicago, IL

Health Care-NOW! New York, NY

Labor Campaign for Single Payer Health Care

Single Payer Action Washington, DC

U.S. Congressman John Conyers

U.S. Senator Max Baucus

The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle Against America’s Veterans

Aaron Glantz, Author
 of “The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle Against America’s Veterans
”

National Veterans Foundation
Los Angeles, CA

New Directions Los Angeles, CA

Sierra College Veteran Student Alliance

Swords to Plowshares
San Francisco, CA

Veterans for Common Sense
Washington, DC

How We Survive: The Deepening Homeless Crisis

Take Back the Land
Miami, FL

US Human Rights Network

Picture the Homeless

How We Survive: Sprouting Up in Empty Breadbaskets:

Binational Center for the Development of Oaxacan Indigenous Communities
Fresno, CA

California Institute for Rural Studies
Davis, CA

California Conservation Corps Foundation
Benecia, CA

California Food and Justice Coalition
Berkeley, CA

Fresno Community Food Bank
Fresno, CA

Fresno Metro Ministry
Fresno, CA

The Greening of America: A New Deal for Everyone?

Ella Baker Center Green Jobs campaign
Oakland, CA

Richmond Build
Richmond, CA

Solar Richmond
Richmond, CA

“Overseas firms collecting most green energy money”

Russ Choma, Investigative Reporting Workshop
Russ Choma

Green Equity Toolkit: Advancing Race, Gender and Economic Equity in the Green Economy

Iraq War Reporter Dahr Jamail

Will the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ever end? And when they do, how will we measure victory? For journalist and author Dahr Jamail, who’s reported from Iraq and the middle east extensively since 2003, both wars have already been lost. And it’s only getting worse.

On this edition, we interview Jamail about the stresses on U.S. soldiers, on-going wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the growing refusal to serve among members of the US military. Jamail’s new book is titled: The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Featuring:

Dahr Jamail, Author and Journalist

For More Information:

Dahr Jamail’s Mideast Dispatches

The Will To Resist by Dahr Jamail

Courage to Resist

GI rights hotline

Iraq Veterans Against the War

War Resisters League

wrl[at]warresisters.org

Veterans For Peace

Campus Antiwar Network

Articles, Blogs, Films, Reports, Other

A Call for Clarity on the Afghanistan War by Sonali Kolhatkar
Foreign Policy In Focus

“The Growing Iraqi Refugee Crisis” an audio program by Making Contact

U.S. War Comes Home with Ft. Hood Shootings by Dahr Jamail
Inter Press Service

Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied
info[at]haymarketbooks.org
www.haymarketbooks.org

www.notyoursoldier.org

Music:
“Let the Sunshine” by Mos Def & Kanye West

Book Cover for the "The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle Against America's Veterans" Photo Credit: Brett Stirton

Nearly two million Americans have fought in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On this edition, reporter Aaron Glantz takes us inside the war as it comes home to our communities, with a focus on the special role our educational institutions can play in helping former soldiers adjust to civilian life.

Featuring:

Andrew Berends, The Blood of My Brother filmmaker; Michael Hall, former US Army staff sergeant; Rachel Feldstein, New Directions associate director; Joshua Kors, The Nation magazine correspondent; Zollie Goodman, former Naval petty officer; Barack Obama, United States president; Todd Stenhouse, National Veterans Foundation spokesperson; Terry “T.J.” Boyd, former Marine Corps sergeant; Ron Finch, National Business Group on Health; Catherine Morris, Sierra College veterans’ counselor; Paul Sullivan, Veterans for Common Sense executive director.

This documentary was produced with support to Aaron Glantz from the Hechinger Institute for Education and the Media at Columbia University Teachers College and the Rosalynn Carter Journalism Fellowship program at the Carter Center. Thanks also to Mike Siv of New America Media.

For More Information:

Aaron Glantz, Author

National Veterans Foundation

New Directions

Sierra College Veteran Student Alliance

Swords to Plowshares

Veterans for Common Sense

Linsay Rousseau Burnett (right), a sergeant in the U.S. Army, spent one year as an Army journalist in Iraq. Source: Linsay Rousseau Burnett

Many Americans assume that women in the U.S. military are stationed far from the fighting. While it’s true they can’t train for frontline combat positions, the changing nature of the Iraq war has placed many women at the center of the conflict. Yet the women serving and dying for the U.S. have received very little attention. Who are they, why did they join and what are their experiences and points of view?

On this edition, Sarah Olson speaks with veterans of the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines, and to one active duty soldier who served for a year as an Army journalist in Iraq. Each woman has a unique story, but all share an understanding of the power politics of the U.S. military and the price that is paid by women seeking to serve their country.

Featuring:

Anuradha Bhagwati, Former Marine Captain; Maricela Guzman, Former Information Technician in the U.S. Navy; Linsay Rousseau Burnett, Sergeant U.S. Army, first brigade combat team 101st Airborne division; Stefani Pelkey, Former Army Captain.

For more information:

Vets for Vets

Iraq and Afghan Veterans for America

Iraq Veterans Against the War

Women of Color Resource Center

Women Veterans of America

Book Cover for the "The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle Against America's Veterans" Source: Brett Stirton

Nearly two million Americans have fought in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On this edition, reporter Aaron Glantz takes us inside the war as it comes home to our communities, with a focus on the special role our educational institutions can play in helping former soldiers adjust to civilian life.

Featuring:

Andrew Berends, The Blood of My Brother filmmaker; Michael Hall, former US Army staff sergeant; Rachel Feldstein, New Directions associate director; Joshua Kors, The Nation magazine correspondent; Zollie Goodman, former Naval petty officer; Barack Obama, United States president; Todd Stenhouse, National Veterans Foundation spokesperson; Terry “T.J.” Boyd, former Marine Corps sergeant; Ron Finch, National Business Group on Health; Catherine Morris, Sierra College veterans’ counselor; Paul Sullivan, Veterans for Common Sense executive director.

Making Contact Staff:
Executive Producer/Host: Tena Rubio
Contributing Producer: Aaron Glantz
Producer: Andrew Stelzer
Producer/Web Guru: Pauline Bartolone
Executive Director: Lisa Rudman
Associate Director: Khanh Pham
Production Coordinator: Elena Botkin-Levy
Interns: Asma Mohseni, Megan Martenyi and Patti Restaino

This documentary was produced with support to Aaron Glantz from the Hechinger Institute for Education and the Media at Columbia University Teachers College and the Rosalynn Carter Journalism Fellowship program at the Carter Center. Thanks also to Mike Siv of New America Media.

For More Information:

Aaron Glantz, Author The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle Against America’s Veterans

National Veterans Foundation – Los Angeles, CA

New Directions – Los Angeles, CA

Sierra College Veteran Student Alliance

Swords to Plowshares – San Francisco, CA

Veterans for Common Sense = Washington, DC

Clockwise from Top Left: Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio; Vicente Paderez; New Orleans Women's Health Clinic staff and volunteers; Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) marching in Boston.

As 2008 comes to a close, we take a look back at some of the stories we covered in 2008: Iraq war veterans speaking out; a crackdown on immigrants in Arizona; and the creation of a reproductive health care program for low income women of color in post-Katrina New Orleans. We’ll also update our story on U.S. military vets. With the new Obama administration, can they expect a change of policy overseas and at home?

Show #46-08 State of Fear: Arizona’s Immigrant Crackdown

Featuring:

Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County Sheriff; Rick Romero, Citizens Walk for Human Dignity coordinator; Santino Bernasconi, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church pastor and Centro De Amistad director; Tiffany Troidl, Creighton Elementary School board member; Magdalena Schwartz, Iglesia Comunidad de Vida assistant pastor.

Protest audio courtesy of www.barriozona.com

~~
Show #36-08 For Us, By Us. Health Care after Katrina

Featuring:

Dr. Joia Crear-Perry, New Orleans Women’s Health Clinic medical director; Mandisa Moore, New Orleans Women’s Health and Justice Initiative member; Monique, New Orleans Women’s Health Clinic family nurse practitioner.

~~
Show #27-08 Veterans Speak Out: Winter Soldier – ** Plus an update interview with Glantz in December 2008

Featuring:

Lance Corporal Jon Michael Turner, United States Marine Corps; Specialist Jeffrey Smith, Florida Army National Guard; Specialist Hart Viges, United States Army; Private First Class Vincent Emanule, United States Marine Corps; Specialist Steve Mortillo, United States Army; Aaron Glantz; The War Comes Home: Washington’s War Against America’s Veterans author.

~~
Executive Producer/Host: Tena Rubio
Producer/Co-host Andrew Stelzer
Contributing Producers: Aaron Glantz and Esther Manilla
Executive Director: Lisa Rudman
Associate Director: Khanh Pham
Interns: Keisha Thomas and Asma Mohseni

For more information:

State of Fear: Arizona’s Immigrant Crackdown

The Selma of Immigration Rights

Alianza de Lideres Religiosos del Valle

Arizona Small Business Association

Barriozona

Centro De Amistad

Citizens Walk for Human Dignity

Creighton School District

Hispanic Institute of Social Issues

Kyrsten Sinema

Operation Endgame

Phil Gordon

Respect/Respeto

Voices for Civil Dialogue

~~
For Us, By Us. Health Care after Katrina

New Orleans Women’s Health Clinic

INCITE!

INCITE! New Orleans

~~
Veterans Speak Out: Winter Soldier

Aaron Glantz

Appeal for Redress

Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW)

Military Families Speak Out

Additional information:

To hear the original programs featured in this broadcast:

State of Fear: Arizona’s Immigrant Crackdown

For Us, By Us. Health Care after Katrina

Veterans Speak Out: Winter Soldier

Complete video archives of Winter Soldier available at:

Iraq Veterans Against the Wars

For complete audio archives of Winter Soldier:
www.warcomeshome.org

In September 2008, Haymarket Books (www.haymarketbooks.org) published Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan: Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations by Iraq Veterans Against the War and Aaron Glantz, with a forward by Anthony Swofford.

Also in September 2008, Displaced Films and Northern Light Productions released a documentary film version of Winter Soldier. More information at: www.sirnosir.com

Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) marching in Boston. Source: Jonathan McIntosh

In March 2008, hundreds of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans gathered outside Washington, DC to talk about what they saw and did in combat. Their personal stories showed how the military occupation of a foreign country inevitably leads to war crimes, an increase in racism, dehumanization, and sexism. They also spoke of the difficulties veterans are having obtaining proper medical care, and the methods they’re using to fight back.

On this edition, Aaron Glantz and Esther Manilla bring us “Veterans Speak Out: Winter Soldier.”

Featuring:

Sergeant Adam Kokesh, United States Marine Corps; Sergeant Kristofer Goldsmith, United States Army; Lance Corporal Jon Michael Turner, United States Marine Corps; Sergeant Aaron Hughes, Illinois National Guard; Specialist Michael Totten, United States Army; Sergeant Kelly Dougherty, Colorado National Guard, Executive Director, Iraq Veterans Against the War; Specialist Garett Reppenhagen, United States Army; Specialist Jeffrey Smith, Florida Army National Guard; Specialist Hart Viges, United States Army; Private First Class, Vincent Emanule, United States Marine Corps; Specialist Steve Mortillo, United States Army; Corporal Michael Prysner, United States Army Reserve; Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia, Florida Army National Guard, Chair of the Board of Directors, Iraq Veterans Against the War; Sergeant Logan Laituri, United States Army; Sergeant Daniel Fanning, Wisconsin Army National Guard.

Music:

“Instrumental,” Ben Harper
“Society,” Eddie Vedder
“No More,” Eddie Vedder
“Hero’s Song,” Brendan James

Executive Producer/Host: Tena Rubio
Producer: Andrew Stelzer
Associate Producer: Puck Lo
Executive Director: Lisa Rudman
Associate Director: Kahnh Pham
Interns: Elena Botkin-Levy and Aubrey Green

For more information:

Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) – Philadelphia, PA

Military Families Speak Out

Appeal for Redress

Additional information:

Complete video archives of Winter Soldier are available at Iraq Veterans Against the War’s website, www.ivaw.org.

For complete audio archives of Winter Soldier: www.warcomeshome.org.

In September 2008, Haymarket Books (www.haymarketbooks.org) will publish Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan: Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations by Iraq Veterans Against the War and Aaron Glantz, with a forward by Anthony Swofford.

Also in September 2008, Displaced Films and Northern Light Productions will release a documentary film version of Winter Soldier. More information at www.sirnosir.com.