Iraq Veterans Use Street Theater to Show True Reality of War
Operation First Casualty aims to bring the story of the war to the American people

WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to illuminate the true reality of the conflict in Iraq, members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) engaged in a series of street theater actions around the nation’s capital on Monday. This day begins the fifth year of a war that has claimed the lives of over 3,100 American service members and over 655,000 Iraqis.

Actual veterans of the conflict in Iraq played the part of American service members – with reenactments that highlighted various aspects of life in combat in Iraq. The event was treated like a military operation with participants in full military uniform, however, there were no weapons used at any time.

“We are calling Monday’s action Operation First Casualty because we believe that truth was the first casualty of this war. Our aim is to show the American public the truth of the US occupation in Iraq,” said Garett Reppenhagen, IVAW board chair and one of the organizers of March 19th’s event. “It is time for the American people to know the truth so they will act to bring the troops home now.”

In actions staged around the city, local activist volunteers acted as civilians in realistic portrayals of actual interactions between U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians. The result was a lot of shouting, commotion and tension in the middle of workweek D.C. – giving the American public a taste of what Iraqis and U.S. troops deal with day in and day out.

Participants hoped that by giving the American public a sense of the ugly reality of the war they would then be inspired to act to end the war now.

Iraq Veterans Against the War was founded in 2004 to give those who have served in the military since September 11, 2001 a way to come together and speak out against an unjust, illegal and unwinnable war. Today, IVAW is made up of close to 400 members in 42 states, Washington, D.C., Canada and serving in bases overseas.

IVAW gives its members the opportunity not only to connect with other veterans and active duty soldiers but also to speak with one voice. As members of IVAW, they go to colleges, middle schools, high schools, churches, libraries, and to the media – and give first-hand accounts of what is really happening in Iraq. As eyewitnesses and participants in the war on terror, they are viewed as credible sources that are able to explain why the war must end now.

Click here for photos of this action