Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan: Eyewitness Accounts of the

In the spring of 2008, inspired by the Vietnam-era Winter Soldier hearings, Iraq Veterans Against the War gathered outside Washington, D.C., and testified to atrocities they personally committed or witnessed while deployed in the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. In this book are the powerful words, images, and documents of this historic event.

The collective testimony of the dozens of veterans present at the hearings showed that well-publicized cases of American brutality like the Abu Ghraib prison scandal are not isolated incidents perpetrated by “a few bad apples,” as many politicians and military leaders have claimed. As the testimony shows, such injustices are the logical outcome of U.S. foreign policy. Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan preserves and honors the participants’ courageous contributions in order to ensure that people around the world remember their stories and struggles.

Along with the moving testimonies of dozens of veterans and family members of fallen soldiers, Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan

Exposes the Department of Veterans Affairs’ systematic denial of mental health care and disability benefits to soldiers returning from conflict zones and the devastating results of such policy, including suicide rates among veterans that have risen to as high as eighteen per day; Uncovers the U.S. military’s continual disregard for the official Rules of Engagment in warfare, resulting in the targeting of schools, hospitals, mosques, and a general disregard for civilian life; Explains the culture of racism and dehumanization of the enemy permeating the military occupations; Shows the additional battle that women, gays, and lesbians within the ranks are forced to fight, in order to combat the severe discrimination and brutality directed at them during their service.