IVAW member Casey J. Porter, from Fort Hood, TX, has posted his sixth video about the life of a stop-lossed soldier in Iraq. In his words: "Take an inside look at the fleecing of Soldiers while they are deployed to Iraq. Every single day Soldiers are suckered out of their money by major corporations which tempt the young enlisted "Joe" to spend, spend, spend. Greed, corruption, and putting Soldiers lives in harms way in this, our latest film, The Deployment Game: Livin' FOBulous"

Casey, along with his fellow Texas IVAW members Ronn Cantu and Hart Viges, are profiled a new Austin Chronicle article. Click here to read Stop the Loss.

IVAW member André Shepherd has applied for political asylum in Germany. Shepherd, a 31-year-old Army helicopter mechanic from Ohio, served for six months in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. While serving in Germany in the spring of 2007, Shepherd received orders to redeploy to Iraq. Instead, he chose to go into hiding.

Shepherd submitted his petition for asylum based on Germany's opposition to the illegal war in Iraq. "If I carried out my orders, it would make me a criminal. But I swore my oath on the American Constitution, which prohibits wars of aggression of any nature, such as the one in Iraq,"

After 19 months living with friends and supporters, Shepherd is now staying at an asylum facility in Karlsruhe, Germany while he waits for a decision on his asylum application.

Media coverage of André Shepherd's case:
US Soldier Seeks Political Asylum in Germany Der Spiegel
US army deserter applies for asylum in Germany Army Times

Seven members from IVAW's LA Chapter staged an early morning action on October 11th, placing 4,200 miniature soldiers around a gas station along with posters declaring "The Price of Gas: 4171 US SOLDIERS" (since the action, the number of US soldiers has climbed to 4,193). Participants in the Operation W.A.N.T. (We Are Not Toys) said their goal was to show average Americans what 4,171 US Soldiers looks like and to connect the deaths of US troops to this country's dependence on foreign oil. Read more for a photo gallery of this action

On Veterans Day, Body of War, the documentary about IVAW member Tomas Young who was paralyzed by a bullet to his spine after serving in Iraq for less than a week, will be shown at 7pm ET on the Sundance Channel. There's no better way to mark Veterans Day than by listening to veterans, and watching this film is just one of many ways you can listen.

While it is fitting that our nation reserves a special day to honor the sacrifice and commitment of our warriors, it also serves to highlight how we, as a country, have fallen short of caring for our veterans, reintegrating them back into our communities, and demanding that our military be used responsibly and only as a last resort. Over 1.7 million men and women of the U.S. military have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and many of them now struggle to cope with physical and emotional injuries, with family relationships strained because of prolonged separation, and with finding employment during an economic recession.

Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War know that in order to truly honor our veterans, we must listen to them, not just on Veterans Day, but on the other 364 days as well. It is for each other, our military brothers and sisters, and for our country that IVAW works every day to share our experiences, to challenge the predominant narrative of war as heroic and glorious, and to expose people to the brutal reality and true human costs of modern warfare.

On November 4th Americans came together across lines of race, gender, class, and religion to elect Barack Obama as President of the United States, marking an historic moment for our nation.

Over the course of President-elect Obama’s campaign, many were ignited with the hope that change is possible, and we share that hope. As we take a moment to reflect on the significance of this vote, it is important for us to remember that our struggles did not end on election night. Real change has never come because of the actions of any one person, but only through the combined efforts of grassroots organizing by people with the courage and conviction to see their struggle through to the end.

Over the last four and a half years, Iraq Veterans Against the War has brought our message of change to our fellow veterans and members of the military, the American public, and indeed the world. Our message remains the same: it is time to immediately withdraw all occupying forces from Iraq; it is time to end the death and destruction facing the people of Iraq and address the needs of the Iraqi people; and it is time to provide our veterans with the care and benefits that they need and have earned through their service to our country.

The newly formed IVAW Fort Lewis chapter, along with IVAW Seattle and the GI Voice Project have opened Coffee Strong, a GI coffee house that will serve as the as a space for military veterans, active duty soldiers, military families and supporters to meet and discuss the war, deployment, PTSD and the hardships of life in the military. Coffee Strong will also be the base of operations for the Fort Lewis Chapter.

The project is completely funded by donations from supporters – it will take over $3500 per month to keep this resource available to the community. Coffee Strong opened its doors on November 5th, and a grand opening concert with Son of Nun will be held at 9pm on November 15th. Stop by the coffee house at 15109 Union Ave SW, Lakewood, WA to show your support! Get more information and make donations to support Coffee Strong at www.givoice.com.

On October 15th, fourteen members of IVAW attempted to present questions to Obama and McCain at their final debate. Veterans and supporters were arrested (and several were badly injured) that night – they will be arraigned for "disorderly conduct" at 9am on November 10th at the Nassau County District Court in Hempstead, New York.

Please join the "Hempstead 15" outside the courthouse at 8AM to show your support! (Get directions here.)

You can also sign a petition condemning the treatment of IVAW member Nick Morgan (who was arrested after his cheekbone was broken when he was trampled by a police horse) at www.ipetitions.com/petition/justicefornick/. Donations to help cover Nick's medical and legal bills can be made through our online donation form (please enter "Nick Morgan" in the special projects section).

On October 15th, fourteen members of IVAW attempted to present questions to Obama and McCain at their final debate. The veterans were turned back by police, several were arrested including IVAW member Nick Morgan who was trampled by a police horse. Nick suffered a broken cheekbone.

IVAW members had contacted debate moderator Bob Schieffer in advance, but received no reply. On October 23rd, a debate of third party candidates Ralph Nader and Chuck Baldwin was held, moderated by journalist Chris Hedges. Hedges decided to include a question from Nick Morgan in the debate, which was held while Nick was undergoing reconstructive surgery for the injuries he suffered outside the October 15th debate.

Nick's question is highlighted in the video posted here - to see the whole debate, click here.

Please consider making a donation today to IVAW. You can specify that you'd like your donation to go to Nick Morgan's medical bills by , or specifically for Nick Morgan’s medical bills by entering "Nick Morgan" in the Special Projects field.  Click here to make a donation now.

A recent RAND Corporation study, released in April of this year, found that one in five Iraq veterans reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression. However, due to a current military culture that considers psychological issues a sign of weakness, only slightly more than half of returning service members seek treatment. Kris Goldsmith, an IVAW member from Long Island, NY, talks to CNN about how his experiences in Iraq led to a personal diagnosis of PTSD, and the stumbling blocks he's faced along the way while trying to receive care from the VA.

The interview will air on a special edition of Anderson Cooper 360 called "Back From The Battle" this Saturday and Sunday at 8pm Eastern.

Goldsmith talked to CNN about his experiences as a soldier in Iraq, his struggle with PTSD, and his work in the anti-war movement. "I don't think that my 18-year old self would recognize who I am today. At the age of 18, I thought that I was going to be a career soldier.... I never imagined speaking out." Click here for more on CNN.com.