Alex Ryabov was born in Kharkov, Ukraine. At the age of seven, he and his family emigrated to the U.S and settled in Brooklyn, NY. At the age of 17, Alex enlisted in the U.S.Marine Corps. He joined for the educational benefits, the pride of being a Marine, and because the military seemed like a good choice at the time. While in the Marine Corps, he was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan as part of "R" Battery, 5th Battalion, 10th Marines. He was an ammunition technician and ammunition technician chief for his 155mm artillery battery. Alex was later part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, including taking part in the initial invasion (his unit was attached to 5th Battalion, 11th Marines, 1st Marine Division). In the year following his return from Iraq, Alex began to question the reasons for the invasion, and the policies that have led to the deaths of many U.S. troops. Because of this, he decided not to re-enlist and was honorably discharged in July of 2004. About the same time, Alex was introduced to the peace movement, and is one of the co-founders of Iraq Veterans Against the War. Alex currently resides in New York City.