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Iraq Veterans Against the War has become About Face: Veterans Against the War. About Face can be found at aboutfaceveterans.org

Iraq Veterans Against the War

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Jose Vasquez

Jose N. Vasquez was born in Bronx, NY and grew up in Southern California from the age of nine. After graduating high school in 1992, he enlisted in the U.S. Army serving over four years of active duty as a cavalry scout assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 24th Infantry Division at Fort Benning, GA, and the 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, HI. He was honorably discharged in December 1996 at the rank of specialist (E-4).

In April 1997, Jose enlisted in the Army Reserve serving as a combat medic with the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment at Fort Shafter, HI and the 1984th U.S. Army Hospital at Tripler Army Medical Center, HI where he was promoted to sergeant (E-5). He reenlisted in June 2000, as a practical nurse with the 344th Combat Support Hospital at Fort Totten, NY. His last position was as an EMT instructor with the 11th Battalion, 98th Division at Fort Hamilton, NY.

He intended to retire from the Army Reserve after twenty years or more. However, after listening to the stories of antiwar combat veterans on Democracy Now! and a period of soul-searching, Jose applied for discharge as a conscientious objector in January 2005. He learned in February that his unit was on alert for deployment and reported for duty in March 2005 at Fort Sam Houston, TX for mobilization training. After a few weeks, he was sent back to New York to complete his CO process, which was approved in May 2007. He was honorably discharged the same month at the rank of staff sergeant (E-6).

Jose joined IVAW in June 2005 and co-founded the NYC chapter serving as the president. He also served on the interim board of directors and was elected to the first official board in 2006. Jose was the Executive Director from 2009-20012. He helped organize numerous actions and events including the Veterans’ and Survivors’ March to New Orleans, Operation First Casualty in NYC, and Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan. He represented IVAW in the editing process for the Winter Soldier book published by Haymarket.

Jose is pursuing a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology at the CUNY Graduate Center where he is conducting research on militarization and the politics of sacrifice among veterans in contemporary American society. He teaches at John Jay College and works part-time as the Training Director of the Veterans Organizing Institute at Beyond the Choir.

Jose Vasquez's Posts

Convention 2012: Save the date!
Posted to:
Staff
Everyone, This year's IVAW annual convention will be held July 5 - 8, 2012 in Austin, Texas. Save the date! Based on the positive feedback from the 2009 convention in Maryland, we have reserved McKinney Falls State Park which offers premium campsites with electricity, water, and shade. We will also have a limited number of screened bunk houses,...
On the Ground in Basra: An Interview with Hashmeya Muhsin al-Saadawi
Posted to:
Staff
May 2, 2012 - Iraqi unions demonstrated yesterday on May Day 2012 at a difficult historical moment. Still operating without a labor law that sanctions their organizing, and under the consolidation of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s growing police/military powers, their movement faces an array of antagonistic forces. In this wide-ranging...
Arredondo Family Mourns Death of Second Son
Posted to:
Staff
Dec 22, 2011 - IVAW is deeply saddened to learn about the death of Brian Arredondo, son of Carlos and Melida Arredondo. Brian chose to end his life on December 19th, the day the Iraq war ended. Veterans for Peace reports, "His older brother, Alex, who 'always wanted to be a Marine' was killed during his second combat tour, in Najaf, Iraq, on...

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Jose Vasquez's picture

Branch of Service:

United States Army Reserve

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