What follows is the verbatim press release of the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) and in no way my original work. Good news is hard to find.
Iraq Veterans Against the War Celebrates President Obama’s Announcement of Total Troop Withdrawal From Iraq
Veterans group claims one victory, but say there is still much work to do
NEW YORK (October 21, 2011) – Loud shouts and claps of victory bounced off the walls of the small downtown Manhattan office that houses Iraq Veterans Against the War’s (IVAW) National Office this afternoon as President Obama announced a total troop withdrawal from Iraq by the end of 2011. “It’s as though our voices, and the voices of thousands of other veterans, service members, and their families who oppose this war, have been heard at the upper most levels of government,” says Jose Vasquez, IVAW’s executive director and 15-year U.S. Army veteran.
The announcement today came amidst a sea of political uncertainties about the future of America’s relationship with Iraq: fears that the Status of Armed Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed between Iraq and the U.S. in 2008 might be ignored or extended, popular anti-war and anti-corruption protests and violent crackdowns throughout Iraq’s major cities, and the growing Occupy Wall Street movement sweeping the U.S.
“There is still much work to be done,” say Vasquez, citing the group’s burgeoning efforts around the war in Afghanistan, reconciliation efforts with the Iraqi people, and healthcare, benefits, and transition programs for service members and veterans. President Obama echoed these concerns in his announcement this afternoon, but has yet to make clear his plans to address them.
“The orders from the Commander-in-Chief have changed, and it is time to welcome home our brothers and sisters from Iraq and prepare for new
struggles ahead,” said IVAW Field Organizer and Iraq War veteran Aaron Hughes via email. “To support Iraqis as they rebuild their
communities. To secure the health and well being of our community of veterans with jobs, training, and healthcare. To defend the global human rights, as so many of us joined the military to do. To bring all of our brothers and sisters home.”
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Iraq Veterans Against the War is nonprofit 501(c)3 advocacy group of veterans and active-duty US military personnel who have served in the U.S. Military since September 11, 2001. IVAW currently has over 1,500 members in fifty states, as well as in Canada, Europe, Iraq and Afghanistan.