I bid you farewell

To the Membership of IVAW: Some of you may have heard that I am leaving IVAW after almost nine years. This month, I am starting work as an organizational development consultant with Dragonfly Partners, as well as working as a coach, helping people move through personal impasse and flow freely toward their goals. I will continue to be a monthly sustainer, a devoted supporter of IVAW's work, and an advocate for the organization everywhere I go. I came in to IVAW in October 2004, angry about the wars and wanting to make a meaningful contribution toward their end. I had been active in the massive protests against the first Gulf War in the early 90s as a college student, and I felt like I was watching a re-play of history. An email to my activist network when I was looking for part-time work connected me to founder, Michael Hoffman, and started me on this long journey with IVAW. Along with beloved VFP member, Frank Corcoran who served as a full-time volunteer, the diligent Lovella Calica (Warrior Writers founder and unofficial IVAW photographer), later with Salih Watts as extraordinary administrative support staff, and then with the wonderful Kelly Dougherty as our first Executive Director, we helped lay the groundwork for the future of the organization as best we could. During those early, scrappy days in the Philadelphia basement office of IVAW, I could already sense the potential power of the organization. And with each year, I have come to understand more keenly how the power of veterans transformed by their experiences can teach this society - and the world - hard lessons about the human costs of war and militarism. This almost nine year journey with you at times has been tough and demoralizing with everything we've been up against, but it also has been filled with numerous beautiful experiences. As members, you have inspired me so much along the way and have made me laugh so hard that I cried. Together we marched through the Deep South after hurricane Katrina, where poor Black church congregations who had little to give, generously fed and hosted us with glorious choir performances. We brought the wars to the streets of our cities with Operation First Casualty actions and made previously oblivious residents get a taste of the terror of war. We pulled off Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan, an amazing event that touched millions around the globe. We've stepped onto military bases to let service members know they are not crazy and they are not alone. And I couldn't be prouder of the work we've begun on the Right to Heal initiative with our Iraqi and Afghan partners. All along the way, we have trained a generation of activists and have shaped public opinion against the wars. Moreover, we have created a community and a platform for like-minded veterans to express the courage of their conscience and find their voices. We have strategized together, partied together, and held each other. If there is any advice I can leave you with, it is this: SELF CARE and SELF LOVE. Our ability to transform what lays outside of us works in tandem with our own self-care and internal transformation. When you are struggling, tell someone before you get to your breaking point. Don't rely solely on self-medication, but also seek out complementary therapies for self-care like massage, energy healing (Reiki), yoga, etc. Forgive yourself. NURTURE OUR RELATIONSHIPS. Have high standards for each other and hold each other accountable, but continue to take care of each other with kindness and patience. When people make mistakes or disappoint you, assume that they are doing the best they can at the moment, and challenge them to do better from a place of love. KNOW THYSELF. Identify what you are good at, where you have skills, and where you need to grow and develop. Admit when you don't know something, and ask for outside help when you don't. (This applies on an individual level and organizationally.) Take part in the pieces of IVAW work where you can apply your skills, or where you think you might be able to learn something that is important to you. Understand the roots of your own motivation. BUILD ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY. Build, build, build our organizational infrastructure and systems - and write that shit down! This can be tedious unglamorous work, but it is the nuts and bolts behind the scenes that keep the machine running smoothly and will keep the organization going for the long haul. Historically, this has been women's work within organizations - just look at the Black civil rights movement - but a dedicated nerd (or team of nerds) can tackle this. WORK WITH OTHER MOVEMENTS. Do a power map. Systematically identify what other organizations are doing the work that will directly and indirectly end militarism. Find common causes and issues that will benefit them and us, and prioritize and work with those allies consciously and constructively. IVAW has had help from allies every step of the way, and it will take a broad-based movement to achieve our goals. Special shout outs to some additional members and allies who have worked in the trenches with me and supported me in my time at IVAW: Maggie Martin, Matt Howard, Aaron Hughes, Joyce Wagner, Jason Hurd, Joseph Callan, Anita Foster, Steve Mortillo, Geoff Millard, Todd Dennis, Garett Reppenhagen, Jose Vasquez, Hannah Frisch, Lori Hurlebaus, Siri Margerin, Ryan Harvey, Claire Bayard, Sarah Lazare, John Grant, Lily Hughes, Michael McPhearson, Nick Jehlen, Jethro Heiko, Jodi Evans, Dave Cline, Bill Perry, and Stan Goff. I would call you all my first string bench, and there are many others too numerous to name. Working with IVAW has been some of the most rewarding work of my life. It has been an honor to serve this organization and support its growth and development. Know that I am still in this struggle with you, but from the outside. We are part of the force of goodness, righteousness, and light. And the path ahead of us is ours to take. Peace and Love, Amadee