By Michael E. Ruane
Washington Post Staff Writer
March 18th 2010
Pondolfino, a representative of Military Families Speak Out, had a catch in her voice as she stepped to the microphone and said: "I'm the proud mother of an active-duty infantry soldier. . . . We love and support our troops. And it is because we do that we will vocally show our opposition whenever our government sends them to ill-advised, immoral, unwinnable wars."
YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED! As we approach the start of the 8th year
of war in Iraq, Americans need to be reminded
that this war continues even as the war in Afghanistan escalates! Our troops continue
to be in harms way and our families are suffering.
NOW IS THE TIME TO SPEAK OUT!Please make your voice heard by joining us at
one of the activities listed below.Read More »
This week, Representative Kucinich plans to introduce a privileged
resolution invoking the War Powers Act to force the President to withdraw U.S.
troops from Afghanistan.
As military families members your voices are imperative to
change the course. Let them know your connection to the military and that you
oppose the war in Afghanistan.
Call your
Congressman Today at 202-224-3121.If they are current
co-sponsors THANK THEM; if they are not REQUEST THEIR CO-SPONSORSHIP.
Family Members of Fallen Soldiers and Families of Troops Currently Deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq Available for Interview
February
23, 2010 – As we face the 1,000th
troop death, the next horrific milestone in the Afghanistan War, Military
Families Speak Out (MFSO), an organization of over 4,000 military families
opposed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, calls on the 111th Congress
to honor the fallen and prevent further deaths by taking action to end the wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We, Charley and Nancy, are asking those who support the work of Military Families Speak Out to help solidify this vital organization that we have helped to build. The love and support of so many of you has kept us going, even as Charley’s battle with cancer has intensified.
We are now asking that you help keep Military Families Speak Out going.
As we
step back, we ask that you step up.
Escalating military operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan, while maintaining the war in Iraq, which he promised to end, mocks the very idea of peace. For those of us military families with no peace in our lives, who are living with war and its after-effects in our very own homes, this is an insult.
MFSO Member Cathy Smith's Speech to the US Labor Against the War Assembly
I realized we have all heard the same statistics, the same
numbers. Part of the problem is, that is the way we tend to think of
these [military] occupations, in numbers. When we think in terms of
numbers or statistics it makes it very abstract and that makes it
easier. If we think of the number killed in these occupations, or the
number of vets waiting to be treated for PTSD, or even the number of
suicides, it is less painful. Numbers are impersonal. I have the very
dubious honor of being able to share a more personal side of the
aftermath of war. It may be more painful for you to hear the stories of
my sons, but I also think that it is important to be reminded
occasionally that they are more than numbers, more than mere
statistics.
December 3, 2009 – Following President Obama’s announcement of
increased troop levels in Afghanistan, members of Military Families
Speak Out (MFSO) and Gold Star Families Speak Out
(GSFSO) expressed outrage and deep sadness by speaking out and taking
part in protest actions across the country. While the military
community is frequently tight-lipped about policy decisions, these
military families broke that code of silence to publicly decry the
President’s decision to escalate the war in Afghanistan.
See also our selected list of local MFSO actions organized in the last few weeks to prevent and protest against this latest escalation, and an open letter to President Obama from Goldstar Parents, Kevin and Joyce Lucey..
The Long Beach Chapter watched President Obama's speech together and held a candlelight vigil afterwards. See excerpts of the LA Times and OC Register's articles, a slideshow from the LA Press Telegram, and a news clip from the local ABC News affiliate.
Please also see the story from the UK Guardian highlighting MFSO's work.
MFSO member Pat Alviso (holding candle high) organized a viewing of President Obama's speech for other MFSO members and supporters. Photo: (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times / December 1, 2009)
President Obama’s decision to escalate the war in Afghanistan by deploying another 30,000 troops has sent the message to military families across the United States that the President is willing to gamble in a no-win situation with the lives of our loved ones and the loved ones of others. President Obama’s surge of U.S. troops will not make the U.S. safer, nor will it bring peace and stability to the Afghan people; it will add more fuel to the fires now raging there. It will mean more deaths of military personnel and of civilians. Sending more troops will not end this war; bringing them home now will.
As the nation was stunned by the horrific tragedies that left 13 dead
and 30 wounded on Ft. Hood yesterday, Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) and Gold Star Families Speak Out (GSFSO)
would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to our fellow Military
Families and those who love them. Upon first hearing about such
attacks, our stress as military families intensifies, and we experience
a range of emotions: the panic that it is our loved one who has been
attacked, the guilty relief if our loved one escaped the bullet this
time, the sorrow for those of us who suffer and face the incalculable
loss of losing forever those we nurture and love.
As the facts
unfold, military families on Ft. Hood and across the nation are
experiencing the fear, pain, and loss that many of us thought were only
associated with the battlefield, not time at home. One month before
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, he said, “The bombs in
Vietnam explode at home….”
Military Families Speak Out and our allies, the American Friends Service Committee, Veterans for Peace, and Iraq Veterans Against the War, mounted an exhibit of 856 pairs of boots to represent each US soldier killed in Afghanistan, plus a spiral of civilian shoes to represent the Afghan civilians who have lost their lives in the eight years since the war began. Thousands of visitors viewed the exhibition on October 3 and 4, 2009. Barack Obama's convoy roared past as well. Please see photos and a TV news clip about the story.
Watch the video by clicking the link below. Read More »
Facebook
Online social networking continues to grow and so does Military Families Speak Out! If you haven’t visited our Facebook page lately check it out. Become a friend of MFSO to receive action alerts, view photos of MFSO members in action and connect with other Military families online!
Letter to The Editor of the Washington Post by MFSO Board Member Larry Syverson
A Changing Tide on the Wars
Letter to the Editor: Wednesday, August 26, 2009
As someone whose son was recently deployed to Afghanistan, I'm heartened by poll numbers indicating a majority of Americans have turned against the war there news story, President Obama has tried to frame the war in Afghanistan as a "good" war, as opposed to the "bad" war in Iraq. It appears the American people are not buying his analogy.
Regardless of how these wars are framed, Americans do not support them. To most Americans, both wars are bad. The American people should demand that the president bring all our troops home now. If he refuses, we should ask our members of Congress to defund the wars. Congress must realize that funding these wars is not supporting our troops but killing them.
LARRY SYVERSON
The writer is a member of the board of Military Families Speak Out.
Great News From Military Families Speak Out!
MFSO members at The White House
On the heels of a very successful National Assembly we have more exciting news to share with you!
Last Friday, August 21, 2009, a delegation from Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) was invited to the White House for what we hope will be the very important first step to a deepening relationship with the Obama Administration and the opportunity to share our voices as Military Families and to bring our families’ realities of these wars to light.
The delegation of MFSO members met with Tina Tchen, Director of the Office of Public Engagement, and two other officials from that office. The meeting, in the West Wing of the White House, had been swiftly pulled together by MFSO member and chapter leader Paula Rogovin, working with her Congressman Steve Rothman (NJ).
Click here to read more about this exciting meeting at The White House
