Jason Washburn

Originally from San Diego, CA, Jason Washburn served four years in the United States Marine Corps as an Infantry Rifleman. He was deployed to Iraq three times with two different units during his enlistment, serving in Al Hillah, Najaf, Haditha and much of Al Anbar province.

Jason’s experiences with repeat combat tours and neglect by the VA, along with witnessing “only death, destruction, fear-mongering and racism” in Iraq, led him to Join IVAW in 2007. He enlisted in the Marines to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, and he is doing that through his work in IVAW. He believes the best way to support our troops is to bring them home from an illegal and immoral occupation, and make sure they get the care they deserve when they get back.

“This tour is so important because servicemembers have the most credible voice in the nation in regards to what is being done in Iraq in the American people’s name, but that voice is continually silenced,” said Jason.

Steve Mortillo

Originally from Nutley, N.J., Steve Mortillo served 3 years in the US Army as a Cavalry Scout. In March of 2004 he deployed to Iraq with the 1st Infantry Division and returned home in February of 2005. “The biggest threat to American freedom is not at the hands of foreign extremists, but a corrupt government that refuses to abide by the Constitution or the will of the people,” said Steve. He wants to ensure servicemembers who disagree with the administration’s occupation of Iraq are no longer silenced. “This base tour is about making sure our brothers and sisters know they are not alone,” he said.

Marlisa Grogan

Originally from Wayne, NJ, Marlisa Grogan received her commission in the US Marine Corps in May 2002. She underwent officer training at The Basic School in Quantico, VA and was stationed at New River, NC, as an adjutant for Marine Aircraft Group 26 (MAG-26) for her four years of service. In 2005, Marlisa deployed with her unit to Al Asad, Iraq, for 12 months before her end of active service in June 2006. Marlisa Grogan is currently a Captain in the IRR and transitioning from her work as a union organizer to graduate school at the Columbia University School of Social Work. She intends to focus her study on veterans’ issues, namely the rising rates of suicide and homelessness.

Marlisa joined IVAW in June 2007 after realizing that the illegal occupation of Iraq will not end until veterans organize their stand against it. The 2008 State of the Union Base Tour is a valuable opportunity to strengthen that organized resistance and build support networks for our active duty servicemembers.

Kristofer Goldsmith

Originally from Long Island, NY, Kristofer Goldsmith fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a Soldier when he enlisted at age 18. Fueled with anger by the events of 9-11, he chose the occupational specialty of Forward Observer to direct mortars and artillery strikes. Stationed with the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Kris deployed to Iraq in January 2005. In Sadr City Kris worked closely with interpreters and scores of Iraqis, and soon discovered that the American Occupation Forces were unwelcome by most of Iraq's populace. During his eight months in Iraq, Kris witnessed the ineptitude of the US Military in repairing the destruction caused by US Forces during and after the invasion.

Just before Kris was scheduled to leave active duty, Bush announced “The Surge” – causing Goldsmith's unit to fall under Stop-Loss orders. Overwhelmed by the combination of PTSD and the feeling of losing all control of his life to the military, Goldsmith attempted suicide the night before he was supposed to get on the plane.

Jason Hurd

Jason Hurd, of Ashville, NC, joined the Army as a medic in 1997 after graduating from high school. He did so despite his father’s opposition, a Marine who served in the Pacific campaign and saw both the battles of Tarawa and Guadalcanal – two of the bloodiest occurrences of the war.

Hurd was “gung-ho” at first, but slowly became disillusioned with the Army's prevailing leadership style of threatening and intimidating Soldiers to keep them submissive.

In November 2004, Jason deployed to central Baghdad with Bristol, Tennessee's Troop F 2/278th Regimental Combat Team. Over the next year, he saw numerous car-bombings, body parts, dead civilians, dead Soldiers and witnessed the general suffering that followed the U.S. military across Iraq.

Since his return in November of 2005, Jason has spoken out against the occupation of Iraq throughout Southern Appalachia as the president of the Asheville chapter of IVAW. Along with his fellow chapter members, Jason intends to do everything in his power to put an end to the massive suffering the U.S. has caused in Iraq. Jason feels the State of the Union Tour is an important and very powerful way to bring this message to active duty troops.

Ray Curry

Ray Curry was born and raised in Annapolis, MD, on a diet of GI Joe, Rambo and Full Metal Jacket. The week of the attacks on Sept 11, 2001, he found himself shaking hands with a Marine Corps recruiter and signing papers at age 17. As a 19-year-old Non-Commissioned Officer, he was deployed with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Al Najaf Province of Iraq. After 10 months of the Muqtada Militia, fallen servicemembers, Iraqi civilian “collateral damage” and providing security for the regional “elections,” it became clear that the occupation of the Sovereign Nation of Iraq was both illegal and immoral.

Return to Base Tour main page