Military Families Speak Out will host a panel at the upcoming Left Forum in New York City. Left Forum convenes the largest annual conference of a broad spectrum of left and progressive intellectuals, activists, academics, organizations and the interested public. 

Nancy Lessin, MFSO co-founder will be moderating this panel made up of  military families who will be speaking about their own experiences with military suicide. Sharing their very personal stories will be parents Tim Kahlor (CA), Joyce and Kevin Lucey ( MA), Marcia Westbrook ( WVA) and wife Tracy Eiswert (FLA). Please join us! 

Left Forum 2016
May 20th-22nd: 10:00am Room L 123
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
The City University of New York
524 W. 59th Street, NYC

Compared to the U.S. population, both deployed and non-deployed veterans have a higher risk of suicide. According to studies, over 22 veterans and active duty military die by suicide every day. If you are concerned about a veteran, please get help.

By Rosemarie Slavenas
His boots are empty now, the hopeful one who wore them ground beneath the juggernaut of war.
Where we laid him, a stone will stay, flags flutter, and flowers sway, watered by tears and rain.
War is cruel, and love must suffer long. But can it suffer so in vain?
Do you hear their voices calling from out those empty boots? We went where we were sent, and there we faced the worst.
Upon our broken bodies, dare you take a stand? Or will our deaths, just like our lives be lost in desert sand.

MFSO member Marcia Westbrook is asking for support for this 5K event! This 5k and kids’ race will raise money toward THE MATTHEW RAIRDON SCHOLARSHIP FUND –
When preparing to go to college, Matt was extremely appreciative to receive a scholarship to attend St. Joseph’s College. The intent of this scholarship fund is to help other people who want to pursue a nursing education at St. Joseph’s College in the future.

Matthew Steven Rairdon’s life was tragically taken from us on November 30th, 2013. Matt was born on July 17, 1991 to his loving parents, Gary & Laurie (Wescott) Rairdon. Matthew was a devoted son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and cherished friend by so many. Matthew was a 2009 graduate of Westbrook High School and a recent graduate of St. Joseph’s College with a degree in the nursing program. Because of who he was and the legacy he has left us, Matt will always live among us, a bright star shining in our darkest moments. Find out more

Donations may be made directly to “The Matthew Rairdon Scholarship Fund” at: Evergreen Credit Union c/o Pauline Campbell, P.O. Box 1038, Portland ME, 04104-1038

Military Families Speak Out is joining with organizations throughout the country and the world in support of the Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS).  This year, April 5-18, have been designated as days to support moving the money from out-of-control military spending to life-affirming, sustainable human needs. 

Our special role as members of Military Families Speak Out is to point out the human costs of these wars, as we know them personally.  This campaign raises awareness about the insane amounts of money spent on wars and weapons demanding it be redirected to care for our veterans and the needs of our communities – jobs, education, health care, infrastructure improvements, climate change and other pressing human needs. 

There are many ways interested members can participate.   Here’s a fun one!!     

Between now and April 15^th  Post a Selfie – Telling Us What You Think!  We invite you to:

1)      Take a photo or video of yourself holding a “Taxes – What Are They Good For?” or “What They Are Not Good For” sign with your message in the blank space. Perhaps in front of what you want to fund. (Blank signs are available online or make your own.) Or just type your comments and post them on our TAXE$ Facebook event page at this link.

2)      Post your photo or comment on our “Taxes – What Are They Good For?” event page with notes you want to add. (http://bit.ly/TaxesWhat )

3)      Invite friends and others to post their messages on the Page. (http://bit.ly/TaxesWhat)

4)      Come back to the Page and see what others are posting. 

Members can also organize an event in your community or work in coalition with other organizations on an event such as a rally, meetings with elected officials, forums, etc. 

National Priorities Project (www.Nationalpriorities.org ) has excellent resources for information about our overwhelming military spending at the expense of Americans needs here at home.  For example, if you go to that website and go to data/tools, then click on trade-offs, you will see a chart. You can get information about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and its financial cost to taxpayers in the United States, your state, your county, and in your city. This information and other data on the website can be useful for a flyer, a fact-sheet, a class at a school, a poster, or elsewhere.

Please notify Pat Alviso (mfso-oc@earthlink.net )of any events you are planning so they can be posted on the MFSO Facebook page and website. Take pictures and write a short article for the next MFSO newsletter. Send those toPaularogovin3@gmail.com.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), and Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) is committed to supporting and raising awareness for our service members who have experienced sexual trauma during their time in the military. Sexual assault and harassment that occurs during military service is referred to as Military Sexual Trauma (MST).

A 2014 study found that about 1 in 20 women and about just under 1 in 100 men have been the victim of MST during their time in the military. However, many of those who are affected by MST while serving do not report and are oftentimes worried about the stigma attached to their suffering. This fear can cause increased isolation, making it hard to reach and treat those who have survived MST. 

If you or someone you know has a history of Military Sexual Trauma, please contact IAVA’s Rapid Response Referral Program (RRRP). Our trained social workers are available to connect veterans to best in class resources with care and sensitivity, and will support veterans every step of the way. To get connected to RRRP, please call 1-855-91-RAPID, emailtransition@iava.org, or click here.

Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) is issuing a call for action to protest the continued US military involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, for the use of diplomacy, and for the government to take care of our service members and veterans. If you have an upcoming action or an on-going vigil in your community, please, please send information about it to MFSO-OC@earthlink.net so that it can be posted on the MFSO website, the MFSO Facebook page, and the MFSO newsletter.

We understand that you might be the only MFSO member in your community. That’s okay. Many MFSO members are doing very important work in coalition with other organizations in their communities. Our participation and our stories, our perspective is so important.

If you have participated in any action want to know about those events. Often, we can help you support these events. These could be on-going vigils, demonstrations, rallies, forums, film showings, lobbying efforts, letters to editors, your participation in campaign  etc. Your participation may even lead to finding new members for MFSO. Thanks so much for your work.

When you send information, please list:

• Name of the event
• Goals, demands, issues for the event
• Date, time, location, including City or town
• Co-sponsoring groups
• Contact information, if available
• Photos, if available

The activists, who include local residents and military veterans, said the United States should help because of its tradition of humanitarianism and welcoming immigrants, but also because of this country’s role in conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

“Republican candidates and governors have said we don’t want refugees from that region, but U.S. policy has actually created a lot of the refugee crisis,” said Paula Rogovin, co-founder of the weekly vigil, which marked 539 consecutive weeks on Wednesday.

She added, “It’s a terrible thing to say that your country is responsible for creating such a crisis, but it’s true and we have to take responsibility.”

The vigil was held outside the Teaneck Armory at the corner of Teaneck and Liberty roads, where eight people stood with signs and a bull horn, getting some honks of support from passing cars. The vigil participants included members of the Bergen County chapter of Military Families Speak Out and Veterans for Peace, Chapter 21.

The group also chose to focus on refugees to counter the heated rhetoric about those coming into the United States from Syria, participants said. Some governors and Republican presidential contenders, including New Jersey’s Chris Christie, have argued that the United States should not take in Syrians because terrorists could be hiding among them and because they don’t trust the screening process.

The Obama administration, though, has argued that refugees must go through a long and thorough vetting process and that the United States has a moral obligation to help.

Norman Fisher, of Teaneck, who was at the vigil, agreed that the country should offer help. “That’s what this country is about – people coming here to better their lives,” he said.

Frank Wagner, a Vietnam veteran, said the Iraq war sent millions of people fleeing to neighboring countries while the war itself “created monsters over there with ISIS.”

The people fleeing just want safety, he said. “They’re human beings,” Wagner said. “Whether they’re from another part of the world, who cares?”

Gov. Christie has said he does not want Syrian refugees placed in New Jersey due to security concerns, but he has acknowledged that he does not have the power to stop their resettlement because immigration is handled by the federal government and not states. So far, around 80 have been resettled in New Jersey since the start of the conflict there nearly five years ago.

Altogether, millions of people have fled fighting in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan amid war, bombings and the spread of the Islamic State extremist group.

Article first published on NewJersey.com