winter soldier

by Matthew Kimball

Published: May 5, 2008

For four days in March of 2008, U.S. Military veterans of the Iraq War organized a series of testimonials to the unspoken brutality of war and the consequences it has for returning soldiers. The event was organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) and took place in Washington D.C. The four-day event received copious amounts of media attention worldwide and caught the attention of millions. As expected, the testimonials were hardly covered by U.S. news media. At a time when our faith in political pundits is waning, it is a great disservice to the citizenry to not hear narratives of war by those who’ve had first-hand experience.

I recently had the chance to meet with Adrienne Kinne, who is the New England Regional Coordinator of IVAW and served in the U.S. Military as an Arabic linguist in Military Intelligence for ten years. In my small community gathering, Adrienne proceeded to show us numerous video testimonials from veterans. The most striking testimonial to me was that of Kristofer Goldsmith.

In his testimonial, he illustrates the abuse he witnessed of Iraqi civilians in Sadr City and explains how he was assigned to take pictures of an Iraqi grave, “ostensibly for intelligence purposes.” But those photos were actually used as trophies for recipients and to raise troop morale. Goldsmith was expected to come home during President Bush’s January 2007 military surge and was subsequently halted by a stop-loss policy. In desperation, Goldsmith tried to commit suicide instead of going back to Iraq. He was diagnosed with anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome. The military discharge him on grounds of misconduct as a “malingerer.” Subsequently, his educational benefits were suspended and all hopes of attending college came to a screeching halt. And what has Goldsmith’s military career gotten him these days? He currently delivers pizza and struggles with severe mental illnesses.

If Americans want to gain an accurate image of war, then they need to watch these video testimonials. In the richest industrialized nation in the world, it is appalling to know that the ones who swear to protect our constitutional rights are treated with such disregard and malevolence. If we are to set a standard for democracy, we ought to start treating our combat veterans with the utmost respect towards their mental stability and welfare. This should also include access to health and education benefits.

Also in attendance at my small community event was veteran Matt Howard, who currently works with the American Friends Service Committee in developing counter-recruitment initiatives at high schools and colleges. He said, “I want Winter Soldier to be a household name.” His hopeful demeanor makes me think how important it is to get the word out on this much neglected veterans movement. Unlike the Winter Soldier testimonials of the Vietnam War, which concentrated mainly on the political aspects of the war and the human rights violations, today’s Winter Solder testimonials also deal with the emotional and mental effects of war and how it changes the lives of those involved. These are the kind of stories that connect most with the population: the human-interest stories.

It is imperative that we get these video testimonials out to the U.S. public. To quote Albert Einstein, “Nothing will end war until the people themselves refuse to go to war.” Deep awareness of veterans’ issues with war will not only influence public consciousness, but will also set an example for those who are currently considering military enlistment or are currently serving. Awareness of these testimonials will also bring about the mistreatment that returning veterans deal with from the military.

So what can you do? Bring up Winter Solider in any conversation when the context fits. Bring it up in class, tell your family members, spread the word through your listserv, link to ivaw.org on your website, create flyers to be posted around your community, approach military recruiters about it and make sure Winter Soldier becomes a household name. The ostentatious image of our military is well known throughout the world, but little is known about soldiers and their personal struggles to overcome the psychological impact of war. Many fear speaking up about their emotional issues, for fear of being ostracized and a loss of benefits. It is our responsibility to speak on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves.

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