PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Military Families Speak Out- Founders Talk in Pittsburgh
by andy Monday, Aug. 25, 2003 at 5:46 AM

Saturday, August 23, Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson, the couple who founded Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) came to speak in Pittsburgh. Their son Joe was sent to Iraq with the US Marines. She explained “a year ago our son Joe was deployed. The drumbeats for war were getting louder and louder. We couldn’t understand the messages we were hearing."

ncdc_20cropped.jpg, image/jpeg, 263x325

Military Families Speak Out founders Speak in Pittsburgh.

Saturday, August 23, Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson, the couple who founded Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) came to speak in Pittsburgh. Their son Joe was sent to Iraq with the US Marines a year ago. The meeting was in the Steelworkers International Headuarters, sponsored by four Labor oriented Pittsburgh groups.

Nancy Lessin began with a salute to the MFSO members, Vets for Peace and others who were demonstrating in Crawford, Texas, where the vacationing President Bush’s ranch is, to “bring ‘em Home Now!” even as she and her husband was speaking in Pittsburgh.

She explained “a year ago our son Joe was deployed. The drumbeats for war were getting louder and louder. We couldn’t understand the messages we were hearing”. She named the unbelievable tales about Weapons of Mass Destruction, El Quaida being allied with Iraq, Iraq being involved with 9-11, and that a war would bring stability to the region. It was obvious to her and her husband that the coming war was “not for the reasons they were saying, it was about Oil and Empire-Building”.

Last November couple went to the Washington protest with a sign saying “Our Son is a Marine. Don’t Send Him to a War for Oil.” Lots of people came up to them.

Before the war started, 2 families formed MFSO. They carried out a flurry of activities, leafleting, lobbying, writing letters and so forth, They also filed a lawsuit claiming it was illegal to go to war without a Declaration of War from Congress.

Since the war ended they have worked on ending the continuing fighting and occupation.

Their organization has grown to 600 families.

Nancy was indignant speaking about Bush’s statement ‘Bring ‘em On!’ “It was false bravado from a safe and secure location surrounded by armed guards”, she complained. “We said in response, ‘Bring ‘em Home’, because of the lies, and because the war and occupaton are illegal under international law.”

She recounted the weekly lone picket of one MFSO member in Richmond, Virginia with a large sign saying “Iraq Oil is Not Worth My Son’s Blood”. When he began, he received very mixed signals from passers-by. Now 90% of the cars passing by are honking.

“Those who do come home are not safe and sound”, she related, They face Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depleted Uranium poisoning, Gulf War Syndrome, pneumonia, and suicide. We have deep concern for the people of Iraq who face the same thing.”

MFSO launched a campaign August 13-14th: Time to End the Illegal Military Occupation”.

Nancy reached into the store of e-mails the group has received. They get a lot of eMails. Many are from formerly pro-war people and many are from Republicans who now feel they have been deceived. Now they are starting to get e-mails from GIs.

From a Vietnam Vet; “I see it starting all over again” crom another, “How the hell did we manage to do it again, we may as well spit on the Black Wall”.

Nancy closed with part of the group’s message about the Occupation. “There is no right way to do a wrong thing.”

Her husband Charley Richardson spoke next. “It’s incredibly difficult to deal with this on a personal level”. He explored the dynamic of getting together and reaching out. “ People all over the country got in touch once we spoke out. It became easier and we made a lot of contacts. What is hard is to be alone, and not to speak out”.

“Lots of people ‘believed’ because their families were there. It is hard enough when someone in your family is over there, it is unbelievably hard when you think they might die in a war for no good reason.”

“I was against it until the war started” is how some expressed the psychological pressure to believe against your own knowledge.

Charley characterized how Bush used fear to mobilize people for a war for Oil and Empire: “Fear is a weapon I can use against the American people and people of the world”. And so the famous Duct Tape alert.

“Smallpox vaccine is being thrown away as expired. People won’t use it.. But it was used to create fear.”

He continued “Our son Joe is back but we are also thinking about those sent over to replace him....It is no good to subsitute other Marines or Japanese or Spanish to replace him. The US want s to use other countrie’s troops but retain control. It’s about control. They don’t want to internationalize control”.

MFSO also receives negative eMail. He related some of the negative e-mail comments that MFSO receives: “What did your loved ones sign up for?” and “they volunteered” being the most common. Charley replies “The oath says they will defend the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic. Our enemy is not external. It is in the White House.” Another negative email theme is accusing the troops of whining, about lack of A/C, etc.
He said “What the whining is really about is a lack of mission.”

“We do have a responsibility toward Iraq, but it is not military. We cannot fulfill that responsibility......Our responsibilty is to Bring the Troops Home Now and End the Occupation. Bring Bechtel and Halliburton Home.”

“We are aking people to speak out in every place they can and to speak out to others outside the anti-war community”.

There is a tremendous amount of pressure on military families not to speak out. “We are now getting a lot more spouses- for them to speak out is HUGE- they are going up against the most powerful taboos and cutting themselves off from their support structures. Some have been kicked out of military-established support groups.”

Military families, especially in base housing feel so isolated. “I thought I was the only one who thought this way!” is one of the more common e-mails.

Charlie gave a few lessons of the campaign:

x You CAN make a difference.

x “Grab the waves when they’re there.” There is a new opportunity right now. We’re seeing the cracks in the foundation.

x You have to organize people from where they are. Some people are only ready to take tiny steps.

x Build the broadest tent possible- those who just want their loved one home belong in the tent.

He ended saying “We are 600 families, we are just the tip of the iceberg. We are now hearing from active-duty troops. “I’m not going to re-enlist. I’m getting out.”

There was a long and fruitful discussion with the audience afterward.

www.mfso.org

add your comments