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
MFSO Coordinator, Pat Alviso, Interviewed On Talk Nation Radio
Military Families Speak Out National Coordinator, Pat Alviso, was interviewed by David Swanson on Talk Nation Radio.
Pat is the mother of an active duty Marine and has helped lead three delegations to the White House. She has counseled thousands of military families, Gold Star families and active-duty military, providing support services, and creating forums and opportunities for them to speak out against the unjust wars in the Middle East. Her 40 years of experience in the classroom have allowed her to serve on the steering committee for the National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth, NNOMY.
Listen to the full radio program:
http://davidswanson.org/node/5252
Pat Alviso will also be speaking at the No War 2016 Conference:
http://worldbeyondwar.org/nowar2016
Stop U.S. Weapon Sales to Saudi Arabia
The Department of Defense recently approved another $1.5 Billion weapons sale to Saudi Arabia. U.S. weapons are being used by the Saudis to indiscriminately kill civilians in Yemen and to destroy the country. The Saudis are notorious human rights violators, in their own country as well as in Yemen. We must not stand by and allow this sale to proceed. If we are silent, the world will continue to see the United States as being involved in another unjust war.
TAKE ACTION: Please sign a letter to Congress demanding a halt to this Saudi Weapons deal. The letter is already written for you but the form allows you to add your own words, if you prefer.
Open Letter to President Obama from Military Families
Dear President Barack Obama,
Recently when a candidate for President of the United States disrespected Gold Star Parents, Military Families Speak Out sent this statement to the press.
“Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) members are outraged by the recent attack by Presidential candidate Donald Trump on Gold Star parents Ghazala and Khizr Khan whose son, Captain Humayun Khan, was killed in Iraq. MFSO is an organization of family members whose loved ones have served or are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Some of our members have loved ones who were killed in Iraq or Afghanistan or have died by suicide. While MFSO members oppose military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, we love and support our troops. We honor our soldiers and Marines. Mr. Khan bravely talked about the need for the Commander in Chief to have respect, understanding and empathy for the sacrifices and suffering of our troops and their families. Donald Trump has clearly shown by his disrespectful and despicable attack on a Gold Star family that he does not possess the key qualities we believe are necessary to be this country’s Commander in Chief of our armed forces.”
MFSO members find ourselves in a position similar to that of the Khan family. We are being disrespected by the Department of Defense policy regarding loved ones in the military who have died by suicide. On August 27, 2015, members of MFSO, Veterans For Peace, and Iraq Veterans Against the War met with the Office of Public Engagement and Joining Forces regarding our 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.
This was the third meeting of Military Families Speak Out with the Office of Public Engagement. Each time we had requested to meet directly with you. In 2009, we were told that you really should meet with us because you and White House staff are “in a bubble,” but that you were too busy. We understand that you are very busy, but such a meeting is long overdue.
On August 28, Marcia Westbrook, a member of the Steering Committee of MFSO, called in distress to tell us that her son, SFC Tyler Westbrook died by suicide. When we called to tell people from the White House meeting the day before, they were very sympathetic. We were asked to get the address of the Westbrook family so that you, Mr. President, could send a letter of condolence. We did provide that information.
As one of our MFSO members left to go to Williamstown, West Virginia for the funeral several days later, she received a call from the Office of Public Engagement that Department of Defense policy would not allow a letter of condolence to be sent because SFC Westbrook died by suicide while stationed in the United States. If he had died by suicide while deployed abroad, a letter could be sent. We were outraged. How could we tell that to the family?
It is a despicable 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 an 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 nearly one year we have waited patiently for the DOD policy to be reversed. We expected that the Department of Defense policy would have been be reversed by now since August 28th is the first anniversary of SFC Tyler Westbrook’s death. We expect the Westbrook family will receive the letter of condolence from you soon.
Sincerely,
Pat Alviso, Military Families Speak Out National Coordinator
Paula Rogovin, Military Families Speak Out, coordinator of White House delegation of August 27, 2015
Marcia Westbrook, mother of SFC Tyler Westbrook, Steering Committee, Military Families Speak Out
Nadia McCaffrey Speaks Out in Support of Khan Family