Military Families Speak Out
Michigan Chapter

MFSO-Oregon DVD Births new Actions: Send one to YOUR Representatives and Senators TODAY!

“Military Families Speak Out: Oregon”, produced by Sour Apple Productions with grant funds, is a compilation of interviews with several Oregon military families who have members currently deployed in, returned from, inured in or killed in the Iraq war. The video is non-partisan, and non biased, yet very powerful. It is a documentary of six Oregon MFSO families, four of whom are Gold Star families. We are just telling our stories. MFSO – Oregon hopes this video will be a tool to help others understand the true cost of the war through the stories of our loved ones. The video will be available for groups to use in exploring and discussing the war and its impact on families.

There is no military draft in place so the burden of this war is falling on a relatively small percentage of our population – over and over again, as troops are stop lossed and redeployed for 2nd, 3rd and 4th tours in Iraq! Injuries, both physical and mental are underreported and families are living in fear and making awful sacrifices for months on end.

MFSO-Oregon members are sending copies to our elected representatives along with a cover letter. MFSO-Michigan should follow their lead, especially since Sen. Carl Levin is set to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee in January.

The video is not for sale, though we will take donations to help cover the cost of production and printing. You may access the video to order and a trailer at: www.mfso-oregon.org.

Call Upon the US-led Coalition to Give a Larger Role to the International Community, and Withdraw from Iraq.
The pursuit of a Coalition military victory in Iraq is driving the country to ruin and a vicious civil war. Thousands of Iraqi civilians are dying every month. The Coalition must accept that there will be no military victory in Iraq, and that it long ago lost the legitimacy necessary to bring peace. We call upon the Coalition to accept a larger role for the international community in bringing peace and stability, and to implement a phased withdrawal of all Coalition troops from Iraq. Visit http://www.ceasefirecampaign.org/ for mor information.

A Mother's Prayer
A Film by Rebecca MacNeice
t r u t h o u t | Video

Orangeburg, South Carolina - Elaine's son, Spc. Darius Jennings, age 22, was killed in action in Iraq on November 2, 2003, when his Chinook helicopter was shot down, taking his life and the lives of fifteen other soldiers.

The war in Iraq has also been devastating for Elaine's community: "There were four soldiers from the same area as my hometown killed in a short time, and Darius was one of them," she said. "This has been a great loss for the community and has hit hard, because a lot of young men go into the military."

Three graduates of Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School (South Carolina), where Darius went to school, were killed in Iraq in the space of just three months. Ms. Johnson, who works at an industrial plant in the Orangeburg area and is a member of Gold Star Families Speak Out, spoke out immediately after her son's death, questioning why U.S. troops remained in Iraq. She publicly challenged Bush a week after Darius was killed, questioning why he could come to South Carolina for a $2,000-a-plate Republican fundraiser, but could not bother to contact her and offer his condolences.

"I forced the president to meet with us," she said. "I asked him why soldiers like my son were still dying in Iraq, and he said 'to finish the mission'. I asked what the mission was, but he was already leaving the room."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/111006Q.shtml

"IRAQ: Soldiers Saying No to War"

On June 22, U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada became the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to the unlawful Iraq War and occupation.

Lt. Watada has been formally charged with contempt towards President Bush, conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman, and missing movement.

On August 24, the Article 32 pre-trial hearing investigator recommended a general court martial on all charges. On September 15, an additional charge was added.

Read more at the web site located at http://www.thankyoult.org/

The petition in support of Ehren Watada can be downloaded here.

An Appeal for Redress from the War in Iraq

Many active duty, reserve, and guard service members are concerned about the war in Iraq and support the withdrawal of U.S. troops. The Appeal for Redress provides a way in which individual service members can appeal to their Congressional Representative and US Senators to urge an end to the U.S. military occupation. The Appeal messages will be delivered to members of Congress at the time of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January 2007. For more information, visit the web site.

THE GROUND TRUTH stunned filmgoers at the 2006 Sundance and Nantucket Film Festivals.

Hailed as "powerful" and "quietly unflinching," Patricia Foulkrod's searing documentary feature includes exclusive footage that will stir audiences. The filmmaker's subjects are patriotic young Americans - ordinary men and women who heeded the call for military service in Iraq - as they experience recruitment and training, combat, homecoming, and the struggle to reintegrate with families and communities. The terrible conflict in Iraq, depicted with ferocious honesty in the film, is a prelude for the even more challenging battles fought by the soldiers returning home – with personal demons, an uncomprehending public, and an indifferent government. As these battles take shape, each soldier becomes a new kind of hero, bearing witness and giving support to other veterans, and learning to fearlessly wield the most powerful weapon of all - the truth.

Michigan Peace Network Events

Activists and Concerned Citizens
We are all alarmed and troubled by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. Resent events have sparked mobilizations and actions all over the world, by calling attention to these issues in our communities we give this international crisis a human face.
Women in Black (an international peace organization) are having an organizing meeting in the Ann Arbor area. We are planning events to draw attention to this ongoing tragedy.
For more info go to www.protestispatriotsim.org
Or contact Jackie@protestispatriotism.org
Peace
Women in Black A2
Protest is Patriotism
Jackie W

On Thursday, June 22, Military Families Speak Out held a press conference to launch Operation House Call, a summer-long campaign to highlight the damage caused by the Iraq War. Beginning on June 22, military families with loved ones who are serving in Iraq, those whose loved ones died as a result of the Iraq War, and those with loved ones awaiting deployment or re-deployment will come to Washington, D.C. to call attention to the growing toll of the Iraq war and tell Congress: “End the occupation, bring our troops home now and take care of them when they get here.”

MFSO's Operation House Call has a new web site! Check it out at www.operationhousecall.org  It will now be easier to find out about the Operation House Call vigil and activities currently taking place in Washington, D.C., and to find ways to participate and support MFSO's efforts to hold our country’s leaders accountable, end the war in Iraq, bring our troops home now and take care of them when they get here!
 
Here’s an example of what you will find on the new web site:
 
“I am heading to Washington DC for Operation House call on July 8th.  I remember my first visit to DC. Four Days in May. Mothers Day weekend. A Day which will never be the same since my son went to Iraq. I remember as I flew in, my heart was sick and I started to cry as I saw the capital. This was the belly of the beast.  I am returning for the next eight days. I am going to stand on the steps of the Cannon building with other Military families, some that will never see their children again. In my requests to Senators and Congressmen all I have requested is hear me..hear us.”
– Georgia Stillwell, MFSO Wisconsin, whose son served in Iraq and came home with severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
 
Here are things you can do to participate in and support Operation House Call:
 
1. Come to Washington D.C. and join the vigil and the visits to Congressional offices! MFSO members are participating from around the country. We are still fundraising for scholarships -- so there may be financial assistance for those who need help with travel expenses. If you are interested in joining the vigil in Washington, D.C. sometime between now and August 4th, and/or if you would like a scholarship application -- send us an email to mfso@mfso.org
 
2. Send in post cards. You can download postcards here or send us an email requesting some to be mailed to you (please provide your mailing address and how many you would like). We are encouraging each MFSO member to send at least one per week to each of their two Senators and to their Representative - with a personal message about how this war is affecting you and your family.
 
3. Spread the word. Tell your family and friends to check out Operation House Call's new website at www.operationhousecall.org. There is a way for everyone to help -- you don't need to be a member of Military Families Speak Out to get postcards and send them in to Senators and Representatives -- non-members can purchase them for 10 cents each here.
 
4. Donate. We are raising money to help send MFSO members to DC to participate in Operation House Call activities – if you can contribute, please do! Go here to make a tax-deductible donation.
 
Thank you for your voices, your participation and your support!

Update- July 17 -
A Report by Geoffrey Millard and Scott Galindez

On June 15th, Congress voted to stay the course in Iraq. Members of Military Families Speak Out, an organization of family members of those serving in Iraq, were outraged and decided to make a "house call." They will be in Washington, DC, until Congress goes into recess. Truthout's Geoffrey Millard reports from Washington.

PRESS RELEASE: JUNE 27, 2006

Cindy Sheehan, Dick Gregory, Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Diane Wilson and Hundreds More Launch Hunger Strike to End the Iraq War

The "Troops Home Fast" begins after a final meal in front of White House

PRESS CONFERENCE: 5pm, July 3, 2006 - Penn. Avenue between 15th and 17th

On July 3, 2006, CODEPINK: Women for Peace, Global Exchange and Gold Star Families for Peace will announce an historic hunger strike against the war in Iraq. At 5pm, they will sit down in front of the White House to eat their last meal and hold a press conference before beginning the fast at the same location in the morning of July 4 at 10am.

"We've marched, held vigils, lobbied Congress, camped out at Bush's ranch. We've even gone to jail. Now it's time to do more," says peace mom Cindy Sheehan. "While others are celebrating July 4th with barbeques, we'll be showing our patriotism by putting our bodies on the line to bring our troops home."

Hundreds of celebrities, veterans, mothers, and concerned citizens across the country will participate in a rolling fast. Strikers include musicians Willie Nelson and Michael Franti, actors Danny Glover, Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon, Gold Star parents Cindy Sheehan and Fernando Suarez, legendary faster and comedian Dick Gregory, environmental activist Diane Wilson, Iraq war veteran Geoffrey Millard and Gulf War vet Michael McPherson, labor leader Dolores Huerta and CODEPINK cofounders Medea Benjamin, Jodie Evans and Gael Murphy.

The organizers call on a long history of fasts for political purposes, claiming their place among the Suffragettes, Mahatmas Gandhi and Cesar Chavez. In honor of this rich history, the fasters will gather at the Gandhi memorial statue a Massachusetts and 21st NW on July 3 at 3pm, then march to Pennsylvania Avenue for the meal and press conference at 5pm. In other parts of the country, people will engage in rolling fasts, passing the fast from person to person every 24 hours.

Click here for mor information.

MILITARY FAMILY TRAVELS FROM PINCKNEY TO WASHINGTON, DC TO URGE CONGRESS TO STOP THE IRAQ WAR

Mother's Day Weekend: Military Families and War Veterans Speak Out

PINCKNEY,MICHIGAN — Over Mother's Day Weekend, military families and war veterans from across the United States went to the National Mall in Washington, DC for Silence of the Dead, Voices of the Living to send an urgent message to Congress: Bring our troops home now and take care of them when they get here.

"Last July I stood on the steps of the graduate library at the University of Michigan and viewed Eyes Wide Open: the entire diag area covered with empty boots representing the US troops killed in Iraq and shoes representing the Iraqi civilians dead as a result of the fighting there. My stomach knotted and I choked back tears because as I stood there on that July day, my son, a marine, was deployed to an "unknown location" in Iraq. Although my son has returned from his most recent deployment, the pain I feet for all of the families who face the emptiness left by the deaths of both troops and civilians burns within me. It is that passion I carry with me to Washington, DC for Mother's Day at Eyes Wide Open. For me the sorrow mounts as the numbers of boots continues to grow. It is time to bring our troops home!" --Deb Regal of Pinckney

WHAT: Silence of the Dead, Voices of the Living, featuring families who lost loved ones to the war in Iraq; families of those currently serving; veterans of this and previous wars; Iraqis and others who bear the heaviest burden of the Iraq war.

EYES WIDE OPEN: THE HUMAN COST OF WAR , the American Friends Service Committee's widely acclaimed memorial exhibition that features a pair of combat boots for every U.S. military casualty. As part of the multi-day event, a dramatic new exhibit featuring boots for soldiers currently in Iraq will be unveiled, whose lives are at risk each day that this war continues. The exhibit also includes a memorial to recognize the thousands of Iraqi children, women and men who have died in the war.

Saturday, May 13
Silent march around National Mall

WHERE: National Mall, Washington, D.C.

WHO: Military and Gold Star families, Iraq War veterans and others, including: Deborah Regal of Pinckney, Michigan and Stefani Barner of Macomb County,Michigan

Contact Military Families Speak Out - Michigan Chapter at:
mfso.michigan at gmail.com