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Operation First Casualty II (New York City) a success!
by Jose Vasquez | Tue, 05/29/2007 - 3:16pm
 OFC II in New York City was a big success! We had over 20 members in attendance and more than 30 volunteers. The New York City chapter took the model that DC established and expanded on it coming up with new leaflets, a detailed route plan, and an OFC checklist. All these materials along with white t-shirts, zip-cuffs, and sandbags will be sent to Chicago for the next OFC on June 17-18. Memorial Day for most folks could mean a number of things: cook-outs, travel, sales, a day off, a solemn day of mourning and reflection, or a political opportunity. For some it's a combination of these. It's meaning is never fixed, but continually being contested and shaped by the social and political climate of the time. A lot of the news coverage I saw yesterday highlighted politicians, generals, flags, and wreath-laying ceremonies. The usual fanfare and contrived emotion. I had an email exchange with a veteran who thought Memorial Day was not a time to put forward political messages like “End the War” or “Stay the Course.” He didn’t disagree with the message—in fact he was quite supportive of it—but rather the timing of it. Is Memorial Day the right time to call for an end to the occupation? IVAW's position is decidedly to the left. We're calling for immediate withdrawal, increased benefits for vets, and reparations for Iraqis. These may not be the dominant views on the hill, but they are the right ones in our opinion. As a main organizer for OFC in New York City, a veteran, and a patriot I think Memorial Day weekend was the right time for this action. The places we chose to patrol were not Memorial Day ceremonies but shopping malls and tourist traps where the war dead was the furthest from people's minds. We placed flowers at the World Trade Center and had a respectful closing ceremony at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn. It was our way observing Memorial Day. Honoring the dead, while being mindful of the living. During the planning phase of OFC-NYC the issue he raised about Memorial Day never really came up. Everyone seemed to feel that it was the right weekend for this action. As a scholar, this intrigues me because it says a lot about how people relate to the mainstream thinking in this country. The most compelling part of this event is that IVAW members have a pretty good understanding of the sacred nature of Memorial Day. Many of the guys on patrol on Sunday lost friends during their tours in Iraq. Our goal with OFC is to wake people up to the reality of the occupation in Iraq. I think there is no apolitical position one can take regarding the troops or the war. We can't hide behind the slogan Support the Troops without thinking about what support really constitutes. Why are they being supported? For what purpose? Are we to blindly accept the civilian leadership's decision to send our troops in harm's way without question? The fact is the occupation needs to end and until people start demanding that, politicians and corporations will continue to profit. Meanwhile, the troops we support continue to get blown to bits. Ten did just this weekend. Everyday is a good day to struggle for an end to the occupation. Memorial Day should be no different. I find this topic fascinating and have actually been thinking a lot about how soldiers and veterans are used and abused. I also think that soldiers and veterans are viewed by most people in this country as ideal citizens. This translates into a form of social capital that soldiers and vets can "spend" for different purposes. My future research will focus on how what I’m calling the ‘veteran mystique’ gets constructed and manipulated for competing political purposes. I’m working on that now and hope to someday publish my thoughts on the subject. On behalf of IVAW-NYC I'd like to thank all the folks who helped make this weekend possible: Special thanks goes to our good friends at the War Resisters League--Steve, Matt, Francesca, and Madeline--who organized volunteers, contacted media, and conducted training for us. This is just the beginning of our organizing efforts together. Pete of Chapter 34 VFP for help during the planning phase. Yusef and Hannah of ISO were instrumental in obtaining a permit for us at Union Square as well as connecting us with the National Lawyers Guild. Katherine of Military Project and Elaine from World Can't Wait secured the podium from WBAI for our press conference. Mary Ann of Astorians for Peace and Justice for mobilizing folks to cook for us on Saturday. Colby of The Green Party in Brooklyn and Brooklyn Parents for Peace for lunch on Sunday. Judith at UFPJ for leads to media contacts and faxing out our press release. All of our amazing volunteers from CAN, ISO, and VFP, and Ya Basta! Ryan and Lily, OFC I and II veterans, from DC. And of course our brothers and sisters from IVAW. Garett, Geoff, Adam, Demond, Jen, Fabi, Aaron, Paul, and Lovella deserve special recognition for their leadership and dedication. Here's some of the media links so far: IVAW Updates NY1 YouTube International Herald Tribune News 4 Jacksonville, FL Newsday Auburn, NY WBIR KCRA Pravda |