ANTI-WAR GROUP MAKES SPECIAL STOP
'TO SHOW SOLIDARITY': DRUM HAS GROUP'S ONLY ACTIVE-DUTY MEMBERS

By CORY NEALON
WATERTOWN TIMES STAFF WRITER
July 9, 2007

Making Watertown the last stop of the Iraq Veterans Against the War's two-week bus tour was an easy choice.
It is, after all, home to the only U.S. military base - Fort Drum - with soldiers who are members of the organization.

"This is kind of a special place," IVAW co-founder Jimmy Massey said Sunday while sitting on a bench at Thompson Park. "We decided to end the tour here to show solidarity."

About 70 people - some who joined the bus tour at its start on June 23 outside Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. - participated in Sunday's barbecue and rally.

IVAW, formed in July 2004, calls for:

* The immediate withdrawal of occupying forces in Iraq.

* Reparations paid for the destruction of Iraq.

* Full benefits to all veterans of the Iraq War.

Mr. Massey, a former staff sergeant and recruiter in the Marine Corps who participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, said the Fort Drum chapter of IVAW boasts 15 members - no other base has active duty members.

Some were present Sunday but declined to be interviewed by the Times.

Mr. Massey, who was discharged from the Marines, said it's difficult for veterans to speak out against the war, especially if they're still enlisted.

"You're putting yourself in the line of fire," he said. "When you stand up to the war machine and say, 'no more,' that takes some pretty solid intestinal fortitude."

With the exception of IVAW's bus - a greyhound-style jalopy emblazoned with American flags and the ominous message 'Don't Attack Iran' - Sunday's event was more like a family reunion than a war protest.

Twenty-somethings huddled around grills sizzling with hot-dogs and hamburgers. Middle-aged couples and seniors mingled throughout the crowd swapping stories and shaking hands.

That's intentional, Mr. Massey said. While IVAW's main purpose is to end the war, it has other goals, such as ensuring veterans receive proper health care upon returning from war.

Events such as Sunday's barbecue bring people together and further the dialogue about the war and veteran care, he said.

"The community has the power - not the federal government - to pick up the pieces and make sure these people are taken care of," he said.

The event took a more serious turn when IVAW members, wearing matching black T-shirts, formally introduced themselves to the crowd.

Later, some shared why they decided to speak against a government that once formed the backbone of their lives. They told stories of the killings of innocent Iraqi women and children. They spoke of the Bush administration's bungled assertion that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. They talked about returning home with multiple injuries and not receiving adequate medical care.

Such was the case for Spc. Eugene Cherry, a combat medic who until recently was facing court-martial for going AWOL to seek treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Spc. Cherry said he left because he was denied necessary treatment. The Army last week said he will be discharged with access to care from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

During a lighthearted storytelling competition, Spc. Cherry, who left Fort Drum in November 2005, said the Army didn't figure that out until this spring.

"They didn't have the slightest inkling I was gone all this time," he said.

His comments drew laughs from the crowd.

Relating a previous IVAW event, former 82nd Airborne soldier Dave Lester of Syracuse said: "Being surrounded by hundreds of soldiers and veterans is definitely an outlet. Nothing moves me more than that."

His friend, Dan Wesche, also of Syracuse, agreed, saying he can talk about war experiences more openly with IVAW members. Mr. Wesche, a member of 403rd Civil Affairs Battalion in Mattydale, joined IVAW on Sunday.

They are part of a growing organization, Mr. Massey said. Asked how long IVAW will actively recruit members he said: "As long as Bush keeps on with his agenda, we'll keep on with ours."

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