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Resolution Against the War in Afghanistan

Winter Soldier Europe

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American, British and German veterans will testify March 14 in Freiburg, Germany, about their military service in Iraq and Afghanistan, in the run-up to the April 4-5 NATO’s 60th summit in nearby Strasbourg.

Coordinated by Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), Winter Soldier Europe will include testimony from:

  • A U.S. AWOL soldier and Iraq veteran who seeks asylum in Germany;
  • A U.S. veteran who deserted before deployment to Afghanistan;
  • An active-duty German officer and veteran of the war in Afghanistan;
  • Two British veterans of Iraq;
  • An American veteran who served at Guantanamo Bay;

The veterans will stand up to reveal the unpleasant and unpublicized realities of the ongoing U.S. military occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"Winter Soldier is the perfect opportunity for the public to get an inside look at to what is being done in their names during wartime. For far too long the American government has done its best to keep reality at bay, while feeding its population a romanticized view of the events on the ground. Our aim is to educate, and hopefully bring about an end to these morally bankrupt endeavors," said André Shepherd, who is applying for asylum in Germany after deserting from the U.S. Army.

The event has been named Winter Soldier to honor a similar gathering 30 years ago of veterans of the Vietnam War. Winter soldiers, according to American founding father Thomas Paine, are the people who stand up for the soul of their country, even in its darkest hours.

Who: American, British, and German veterans
What: Winter Soldier Europe – testimony by on-the-ground troops
When: Saturday March. 14, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Where: Café Velo, Wentzingerstr. 15, Freiburg, Germany
Why: To present eyewitness accounts of the Iraq and Afghanistan occupations

More information and testimony: