MFSO Members On CCTV
Sally Zhang of CCTV sent the video she did with two member of Military Families Speak Out (MFSO), Mary Hladky and Marcia Westbrook. She wanted MFSO’s input on the Iraq War. WATCH HERE! The video is 6 minutes long and starts out in Mandarin for the Chinese audience. (Note: The interview portions are in English).
MFSO Opposes Nomination of General Mattis
Military Families Speak Out opposes the nomination by Donald Trump of General James Mattis for Secretary of Defense. Mattis retired from the military in 2013. That means Congress needed to waive rules that require defense secretaries to be civilians for seven or more years after leaving the military to ensure civilian control over the armed forces. The Senate has already voted to waive that requirement. Civilian control of our military is fundamental to American democracy.
Donald Trump introduced General Mattis by the nickname “Mad Dog” as if this is someone “cool,” someone to be revered. According to journalist Dahr Jamail, over his career Mattis has shown “callous disregard for human life, particularly civilians, as evidenced by his behavior leading Marines in Iraq and comments he made about enjoying fighting in Afghanistan because ‘it’s fun to shoot some people. You know, it’s a hell of a hoot.’.” (James Mattis Is a War Criminal: I Experienced His Attack on Fallujah Firsthand. Truthout. December 6, 2016, D. Jamail)
“Mad Dog” was a name Mattis received after the 2004 battles of Fallujah in Iraq. More than 5700 civilians were killed. More than 100 U.S. troops died. At that time, white phosphorous, a weapon which, like napalm, burns all the way down to the bone was used. Its use is a violation of international law, as it was used in a city with thousands of civilians. So many U.S. service members who participated in the battles of Fallujah still reel from physical and moral injuries.
In a speech in 2003 Mattis spoke to soldiers about how to behave in Iraq. He said, “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.” The consequences for this hideous attitude have been drastic –widespread hatred toward our service members, hatred toward America – and moral injury for our soldiers and Marines.
Under General Mattis’s authority in 2005 US Marines massacred 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians in Haditha. Many members of Military Families Speak Out remember these battles personally because it impacted our own families or families of friends and neighbors. Many of us in MFSO remember when our loved ones were trained or were under the command of General Mattis and deeply resent his cavalier attitude.
Our troops deserve moral leadership. We call on MFSO members and friends to call your Senator today to tell them to oppose the nomination of James Mattis for Secretary of Defense. 202-224-2131.
Spread the word!
Military Families Speak Out at the Women’s March
On Jan 21, MFSO will join with veterans around the country sending the message to our new President that women rights are human rights. Military Sexual Trauma is at epidemic levels in the U.S. Military and MFSO is appalled that our new Commander and Chief will be a man who has shown himself to disregard women’s rights by his own misogynist behavior.
We urge you to find your local MFSO and VFP members and march together. Please join other MFSO members in DC, Los Angeles or Santa Ana CA, New York City, Denver CO, Charleston, WV, Kansas City, MO, and Trenton, NJ. If you would like your area listed please contract us right away.
Washington DC
Starts at 10am at Independence Ave and Third St SW. We will be marching with VFP, IVAW and others. Call Marcia Westbrook at 843-274-0785 for any questions and meet up location. You can also sign up on thehttp://www.VeteransforPeace.
Los Angeles CA.
Meet up at the NE corner of West 6th Street and South Olive Street, Pershing Square by 9:30am Look for the VFP Flag and MFSO banner. Call Pat Alviso 562-833-8035 or Jeff Merrick 562-522-4241 for any questions.
Santa Ana CA.
Starting point for the march will be 4th and French and ending at the old OC Court House. March will start at 9amand end by 1pm. Call Ed Garza at 714-317-3969 for MFSO and VFP meet up point.
New York City
Meet up at First Ave and 47th Street between 12:15-12:30. Look for the VFP Flag, Call Bob Keilbach at 347-645-1052 day of event.
Denver CO
Parade starts at 9am, Denver Civic Center Park Colfax and Bannock. Meet up at 9am at 15th and Cleveland.. Call Vrnda Noel 720-299-8781 for meet up location.
Charleston, WVA
Meet up on the river side of the Charleston State Capitol Building at 1pm. Call Marcia Westbrook at 843-274-0785 for any questions.
Kansas City, MO
March starts at 9am Main and Cleaver Blvd, then at 10:15move on to All Souls 4501 Walnut for excellent speakers. Call Mary Hladky at 937-926-0589 for any questions.
Trenton, NJ
Meet up at the War Memorial in Trenton, New Jersey, at10 a.m. Call Paula Rogovin at 201-248-3169 for any additional information.
Get Involved – We Need You!
Military Families Speak Out continues to demonstrate the futility of continuing our military presence in the Middle East. We know that there is no military solution to our problems in the Middle East and surrounding areas. We need to stop multiple deployments which hurt our troops and their families. We need to focus on caring for our troops, our military families and all the civilians who have suffered from these many wars.
After 17 years of war, we stand ready to meet the challenges ahead with renewed vigor and hope that you will stand with us. We need help from every member if we are to end these wars once and for all. Please get involved today!
Ways to Get Involved
1. Join or rejoin MFSO, even if your loved one is no longer in the military.
2. Sign the PeacePledge. MFSO, as an organization, has endorsed United for Peace & Justice’s Peace Pledge. Any member can individually sign this Peace Pledge. Go to: http://peacepledge.
3. Be visible. Organize a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly vigil in your community. Be sure to encourage other organizations to co-sponsor.( We can help you find local allies)
4. Write letters to the editor of local newspapers or blogs-and send us a copy. We can then multiply its exposure by sending it to our larger allies like VFP, IVAW, UFPJ .
5. Plan special protests at the local offices of members of Congress that have voted or promote war. We can target representatives for you.. Co-sponsor with other groups.
6. Meet with members of Congress to share your concerns. Campaign to get a meeting with your congressional representatives; be sure to tell them that you’re a military family member.
7. If there is no chapter nearby, consider starting an MFSO chapter. You only need 3 people and we have a very good Chapter Building Kit we will send you. We will also help you get media coverage when you launch your chapter.
8. Give us a call at the MFSO office. We are very open to your ideas and have suggestions for other ways that we can use your help on a national level. Reach us at mfsooc@earthlink.net; we have Facebook page, a website (mfso.org), and during West Coast business hours you can reach us at 562-597-3980 or after hours at 562-833-8035.
Support MFSO with a Tax Exempt Donation
As we approach the end of the Obama administration and prepare for the many inevitable challenges we will face under the new president’s administration, we wish to remind you that Military Families Speak Out is focused and prepared to do everything we can to stop the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen and call for the immediately withdrawal of our troops. We are studying and preparing our position statements on potential cabinet appointments because we understand how these choices can deeply affect what happens to our troops and their families.
After 15 years of military intervention, which has resulted in the needless loss of lives and trillions spent on endless wars, we find ourselves no closer to peace and so during this season of giving and hope, we are asking you, our friend and ally, to help us continue the important work of Military Families Speak Out.
Military Families Speak Out is in a unique position to demonstrate the futility of continuing our military presence in the Middle East. We must end our military presence in these countries and stop the bombing and destruction. We must demand our leaders use diplomacy and address the root causes of these wars. There is no military solution to our problems in the Middle East and surrounding areas. We need to stop sending our troops to wars that are unending and unwinnable. We need to stop multiple deployments which hurt our troops and their families. We need to focus on caring for our troops, our military families and all the civilians who have suffered from these many wars.
We invite you to help us by making a donation to MFSO this year. Since 2002, Military Families Speak Out has been on the front lines organizing and publicly speaking out. Our commitment to be heard is unstoppable, but we need your help.
Over the years your generosity has helped us become strong and we are listened to by many in our neighborhoods and around the globe. Your support, especially this year, will help us broaden our membership to younger military families who are affected by recent deployments. It will help us keep watch over the new administration’s appointments and policies. MFSO members work around the clock preparing members to speak to the media, and are there to help them and be by their side when they find the courage to speak out and share their stories of separation and loss. Our leadership is there to make sure their stories are spread on social and printed media.
This past year, your donations helped us to send members such as Tim Kahlor, ever-vigilant Army dad, and Marcia Westbrook, Gold Star mom, to national events so they could tell their compelling stories in New York and Washington DC. This year we will be present at the Women’s March on Washington and any other events where we are needed. Our current campaign for letters of condolences to families, who have had a military member die by suicide stateside, will need a new push under the new administration.
A donation of any amount will help us continue the work we already do and also help us continue our coordinated actions and monthly strategy meetings with executive directors from Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace. Support is greatly needed to keep up with the regular demands we receive at our donated office in California, that come from military families around the country who ask and receive emotional support, referrals for care when their loved ones return from deployments and guidance on how to stay in touch with their loved ones while deployed.
Please consider a donation to Military Families Speak Out at this time. After 15 years of war, we stand ready to meet the challenges ahead with renewed vigor and hope that you will know that any donation is an investment in finally ending these wars. Every day these unjust wars continue is another day our loved ones and many innocent civilians will suffer. This is why your donation and participation is vital to us.
Please consider becoming a sustaining member, receive monthly newsletters and a gift of thanks from our governing board.
MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION HERE TODAY ormail your donation to MFSO, 1716 Clark Ave PMB 122, Long Beach, CA. 90815.
PLEASE ACCEPT OUR GRATITUDE IN ADVANCE FOR JOINING US IN OUR STRUGGLE TO END THESE UNJUST WARS AND BRING OUR LOVED ONES HOME TO REUNITE WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND BEGIN THE HEALING PROCESS.
Thank you and please let us hear from you throughout the year. Please keep in touch with us via our websitewww.mfso.org and Facebook page.
National Coordinator Pat Alviso and Steering Committee Members; Marlene Alvarado, Tina Lopez, Macgregor Eddy, Lorna Farnum, Barry Saks, Bill Scheurer, Mary Hladky, Paula Rogovin, Jeff Merrick, Marcia Westbrook, Rosssana Cambron, Casey Stinemetz and Corla Coles
MFSO Continues Work, Despite Uncertain Times
Military Families Speak Out members are concerned after the Presidential election. There is great uncertainty around a Trump presidency and what it will mean for military members, veterans, and their families.
Our nonpartisan group is concerned about the endless wars that the United States has involved our military. President Obama and numerous military officials have repeatedly stated there is no military solution in the Middle East and surrounding area, yet war has been the government’s main response. Military statements by President-Elect Trump are often vague, contradictory or unknown. A review of the individuals being considered for cabinet positions indicate an increased militaristic approach.
MFSO continues to call for: No U.S. military involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and now Yemen. MFSO and the whole peace movement must stand strong against policies that call for more violence and war.
We call for continued efforts for diplomacy and humanitarian aid. In addition, we know that xenophobic rhetoric & hate speech only exacerbates the situation and sends a false message that we are at war with Islam, which in turn only leads to more hatred from civilians in the Middle East who are mostly Muslim. It also gives ISIS the propaganda they need to continue attracting more anti-American recruits.
We have so many concerns. We need to be bold. We are extending an invitation to all members to get re-involved in the work of MFSO and reach out to other like-minded military families. There are many ways to get involved. We need help from every member if we are to end these wars once and for all. Please reach out to other military families who are currently in the military – they need support and have a story to tell!
MFSO continues to call for quality health and mental health care for veterans and military families within the Veterans Administration. No privatization of the VA. We continue to demand education, jobs, housing, and other services for veterans. As always, we support the troops, want them home now and work hard to take care of them while abroad and when they return home. MFSO is a 501c3 non-profit and does not endorse any political candidate. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion or gender. Please consider a tax deductible donation at this time.
More Troops Sent To Iraq
President Obama is sending an additional 600 U.S. troops to Iraq to assist in the upcoming battle to drive the Islamic State from the city of Mosul. This brings the “official” number of U.S. troops to 5,000. But the Pentagon has repeatedly admitted to having over 6,000 troops in Iraq before this announcement. The Pentagon states that open-end deployments are not part of the official count.
The troops will be stationed close to the fight at Qayyarah West airfield. They will train, advise and assist teams for Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of the task force, already has authority to place U.S. advisers with the attacking force at the battalion level, in other words, involved in direct combat.
The Pentagon also expects ISIS fighters to use chemical weapons to defend Mosul. Once again our military men and women will be put in harm’s way for a war that has no military solution. So why is military force our continued response? Again, there is no plan on what happens after Mosul is reclaimed. Who will govern and rebuild Mosul? How will the real grievances of the Iraqi people be addressed? Why do we keep repeating the same mistakes in Iraq?
We need to stop this endless cycle of military intervention. All U.S. troops should be withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan. Our government should commit its money, time and efforts in support of dedicated diplomacy creating a solid foundation for a more stable Middle East.
Please add your name to UFPJ’s appeal to the President and demand that he immediately withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan and commit to regional diplomacy that begins to build a solid foundation for a nuclear and weapons-of-mass-destruction free Middle East.
References:
http://www.military.com/daily-
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/
http://news.antiwar.com/2016/
Stop Stigma. Send the condolence letter to SFC Tyler Westbook’s family!
On August 27, 2015, members of MFSO, Veterans For Peace, and Iraq Veterans Against the War had met with the Office of Public Engagement and Joining Forces regarding our strong opposition to military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, our call for diplomacy, and our concerns about care for our veterans and military families. Two members of our delegation, Joyce and Kevin Lucey, spoke at the meeting about their son, CPL Jeffrey Lucey, who died by suicide after he was denied care by the VA. We spoke at the meeting about our recommendations for changes to prevent suicide.
On August 28, 2015, SFC Tyler Westbrook, the son of a Military Families Speak Out member, died by suicide at his base in Colorado. SFC Westbrook was an active duty soldier. Upon hearing about SFC Westbrook’s death by suicide, the Office of Public Engagement asked for the address of SFC Westbrook’s family so the White House could send a letter of condolence. Just before the funeral, OEP called, apologized, and told MFSO that the Department of Defense (DOD) does not allow letters of condolence to be sent from the White House because SFC Westbrook’s suicide was state-side rather than while during a deployment!
This is a despicable and disgraceful policy which shows absolutely NO empathy, and NO understanding for our troops, veterans, or military families. It only reinforces the stigma already rampant in the military, the stigma attached to our troops and veterans reaching out for and receiving help for the moral injuries and/or traumas from their military service. We know that alcohol abuse and steroid use was rampant at Ft. Carson where SFC Westbrook was based. We know that SFC Westbrook was a victim of alcohol abuse, and we know there were numerous other red flags which were overlooked by the military. SFC Westbrook was a highly accomplished soldier, and was a member of the Special Forces when he died. SFC Westbrook left behind a wife and a 2-year-old son. His two brothers are also members of the military. Both of his grandparents were WW II veterans.
For over one year we have waited for the DOD policy to be reversed. No more! We call on elected officials, the public, and members of the military to demand that the Department of Defense to change its policy on condolence letters. We demand that a condolence letter be sent immediately to the Westbrook family.
Write to Secretary of Defense, Ash Carter and send copies to MFSO@MFSO.org.
Tell him: Stop Stigma. Send the condolence letter to SFC Tyler Westbook’s family!
Ash Carter, Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000
Or Comment on Secretary of Defense Ash Carter’s Facebook page