It’s the time of year that we make our annual appeal for funds.  Every dollar is thoughtfully managed and put to good use. Your generous support has made our vital work possible.

2021 has been a challenging year. With the support of our families, our steadfast allies and you, we are motivated to work harder in 2022 to bring all remaining US troops out of the Syria and Iraq.  After 20 years of the ‘forever war” in Afghanistan, we military families were beyond relieved that our troops finally began withdrawing last August 31^st. MFSO’s Welcome Home Campaign was not only yellow ribbons and banners, but rather a challenge to bring all of our troops home, and a stern reminder for the public that for many military families, the war is not over. (View video here) Our loved ones will continue to struggle with suicide and PTS; injuries that are physical, psychological, and moral, and we understand full well that military families are on the front lines for taking care of our troops when they return.

Within the MFSO organization strong bonds exist that hold us together because of our shared experience. Although our hearts ache every day our troops remain in harm’s way, MFSO provides us with a safe place to express our hurts with others who understand.  Over the years the support we have received from our friends has empowered us to stay in the struggle and do all we can to reduce the shameful daily average of 17 veteran suicides and advocate for improved services for veterans and military families. We recognize that to really stop endless wars we need to get to the root of the problem and work hard to repeal both AUMFs- that is the Authorization for the Use of Military Force.

You can help us continue to have our voices heard. MFSO partners with many other organizations such as Veterans for Peace, The Poor People’s Campaign, About Face, United US Deported Veterans, United for Peace and Justice and Win Without War to bring the voices of our loved ones to light.  But it’s not enough. Going forward takes commitment and money. We have no membership dues, only each other and you.

For over 19 years MFSO has provided a unique voice and steadfast presence, amplifying the voices of military families who choose to speak out against the endless wars – sometimes even risking their relationships with family.

Won’t you please consider making a one-time tax-deductible donation this year or support the work military families do every day by becoming a monthly sustaining contributor?  Your donations will help MFSO grow stronger and ensure our plans for next year will become a reality.  Donation

Also, please consider offering the gift of your time.  If you can assist with our social media, a monthly newsletter, or other small task, please contact us at mfsooc@earthlink.net /562-833-8035

Let’s work together to make 2022 the year that we repeal the AUMFs, so we bring all our troops come home and that the people in our country and the Middle East can begin the task of healing.

Military Families Speak Out
The MFSO Board
Arturo Cambron, Diane Picotte-Haberdank, Melissa Castaneda, Robert Vivar, Ellen Barfield, Don Kimball, Bill Schuerer, Pat Alviso, Jeff Merrick, Kharis Murphy

 

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Military Families Speak Out 

July 2021 Newsletter 

Troops Home Now! 

Editorials from MFSO members: 

Pat Alviso, Long Beach, CA 

“After 20 years… I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan with no reasonable expectation of achieving  a different outcome.” .. “How many more- how many thousands more of American’s daughters and sons are you willing to risk? How  long would you have them stay?” Already we have members of our military whose parents fought in Afghanistan 20 years ago. Would  you send their children and their grandchildren as well? Would you send you own son or daughter?” “We did not go into Afghanistan  

to nation-build. And it’s the right and the responsibility of the Afghan people alone to decide their future and how they want to run  their country”… “Just one more year of fighting in Afghanistan is not a solution’’…moving the withdrawal timeline “would be a  recipe for being there indefinitely.” – President Joe Biden 

Do these words sound familiar? They are almost the same words and persuasive arguments MFSO members  have been saying for years to voice our opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Time after time, place  after place, and year after year, military families across the country courageously spoke out and made these  same discerning and salient points. This time, however, the words are coming from the president of the United  States and that’s a stark change from statements made by earlier presidents. 

If only these words had come from any of the earlier presidents- Bush, Obama and Trump! Countless lives and  an incalculable amount of suffering could have been prevented. But as war-weary and devastated as we are by  these wars, we are glad to hear them- finally. We can now recognize that something different is happening and that this is a major turning point that deserves recognition. The price has been too great, but it seems that we are  getting close to ending this terrible chapter in US and Afghan history at last.  

Although President Biden was quick to point out that the 300,000 Afghan troops are capable of defeating the  75,000 Taliban, we are not naïve about the possibility of a Taliban takeover. Whether they do or not, we will always believe that we have nothing to gain by continuing to put our troops in harm’s way by keeping them there any longer. We have been saying for years, that every day we stay, we just make more enemies. Nothing  will bring any of our loved ones back that died, or ease the immeasurable amount of suffering our families have  have endured, and still do. Yes, anything can happen at this point, but we should not allow ourselves to get  stuck in the trap of thinking “nothing’s changed” and close our eyes to the reality of the large de-escalation and  the push back that is happening at this very moment. This “push back” is coming from those who don’t care  about us or our troops and want to keep them there forever and with no different mission.  

With 90% of troops withdrawals already complete, (including from the iconic Bagram Air Base hub), and a  publically announced exit date of Aug. 31st, we can easily track the large US exodus. Sadly, it’s apparently not a big headline to the general public who, in the past few years shrugged off that war entirely, or worse yet,  would tell us that they thought that war had already ended! We never “forgot” or stopped pushing to bring them  home, but we also know that even when all troops leave it will be far from over for military families. This will only be the beginning of the healing process. The war will not end for us at home, but it’s a milestone and we  need to be at the forefront of conversations about what’s next. 

Now is not the time to get caught up in unsupported claims that we are not really leaving Afghanistan and that  nothing’s changed really, or that there’s hidden troop numbers, troops left to protect the embassy is nothing  more than a cover for mercenaries to stay, that contractors or secret black ops will remain or that we’re  abandoning our allies. I understand and can relate to why even some of our members are responding to the news  of withdrawal with such skepticism. Clearly, we are used to being disappointed and find it hard to believe that  the US is really pulling out of Afghanistan albeit only ground troops at this point. Let’s just accept this major  step as an important milestone, take a moment to take credit, along with our allies, for helping change the  course of these disastrous wars and internalize the fact that our mantra- that we should bring them home now- is  the popular and right view and we can now visualize itWe’ve got to keep our eye on the ball while the situation on the ground changes quickly. We need to focus and put our energy into speaking out against the big push  back that is happening in full swing from many voices who are painting the withdrawals as the US “turning tail”  and that leaving means losing. We also need to speak out against the foreboding and continued US  airstrikes*and prepare for the huge humanitarian and refugee crisis that is sure to follow. We must also give our  full attention to getting our loved ones out of Iraq and Syria and to making sure wars of aggression that lead to  “forever wars” like Afghanistan never happens again. 

 WHAT CAN MFSO MEMBERS DO? 

MFSO members can play a critical role in counteracting this narrative by making sure our unique voice is heard  and amplified. The opportunity to mark the final withdrawal of US troops out of Afghanistan has been  announced for Aug. 31, and we will all have an opportunity to reach out to the media at a time when people will  want to hear what military families and veterans have to say about the true cost of war. We are the ones the  media will want to interview because we have been directly impacted by war, even if you don’t have a loved  one who served in Afghanistan. We are the voice of authority and people do listen to us. Please help by  planning your own event on this day to mark the occasion any way you deem appropriate. Once President Biden  makes his announcement (Aug. 31st?) we are asking you to join other military families and veterans and to spring into action by having an event in your neighborhood. So far we have five families that will be hosting a Welcome Back event, which can take place outdoors or indoors. Your board has prepared up-to-date talking  points, a flyer you can personalize, a press release, assistance getting the media to your event, and tech support  from our intern Sebastian. 

We can’t afford to let this moment pass us by. While many cast doubts about the reality of us actually leaving  Afghanistan, we can show that we are not going to be caught unawares, that our stories are relevant and that we  are moving forward to ensure this exit is completed and especially that wars like these never happen again. Yes,  the wars aren’t over yet, but we are compelled to plan now because we know we are the best ones to tell the  whole story in a way no one else can. Please, MFSO members- let’s own this moment and step up- this golden opportunity is right before us.  

To hold an event in your area please contact Pat Alviso, Rossana Cambron (562-833-8035 or email at  mfsooc@earthlink.net)-West Coast, Diane Picotte- -Haberdank (mstwobyfour@yahoo.com)– Midwest, Don  Kimball (don.kimball@yahoo.com-East Coast. Our intern, Sebastian will also help with any technology  requests 

*The President has been using the phrase “over-the-horizon capacity that we can be value added.” He is referring to a plan, that appears might cost $10 billion, to fly  drones and manned attack aircraft from bases as far away as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait to “assist the current Afghan central government in defending  itself against the Taliban”. 

In the News:  

Biden administration formally launches effort to return deported veterans to U.S. Homeland Security  Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. “We are committed to bringing back military service  members, veterans, and their immediate family members who were unjustly removed and ensuring they receive  the benefits to which they may be entitled.” Good news but we still need to keep the pressure on to return all  deported veterans and family members. Link 

Most European troops exit Afghanistan quietly after 20 years The majority of European troops have now  left with little ceremony — a stark contrast to the dramatic and public show of force and unity when NATO  allies lined up to back the U.S. invasion to rid the country of al-Qaida after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Link 

U.S. military vacates main air base in Afghanistan but slows withdrawal plan U.S. officials discussed  keeping Bagram open longer, as the Taliban continues an offensive, but the Biden administration decided to go  ahead with its withdrawal plan. Nightmares of ramp ceremonies and torture remain at the base. Link 

Pentagon chiefs insist flat defense budget is enough Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the House Armed  Services Committee the requested 2022 Military budget of 1.6% increase and 16% non-defense budget is “ just  right”. Unfunded requirements, trade-offs for which weapon system to buy and considering the “threat” of  China as the reason we need to increase the military budget are debated on Capitol Hill- details here Link

Cotton, Pentagon chief tangle over diversity training in military Austin has made tackling extremism a  priority after a number of individuals arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack were found to have  military backgrounds. Link 

Turkey is in discussions to operate and secure Afghanistan’s International Airport– Kabul airport is  Afghanistan’s only gateway to the world and vital for diplomatic missions in the country to continue. Taliban  spokesperson says Turkey’s presence as NATO member would be perceived the same as the US remaining  there. Link 

The cost of the Afghanistan war, in lives and dollars A good article with great data and talking points from  Linda Bilmes of Harvard University’s Kennedy School and from the Brown University’s Costs of War Project on Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Link 

News from the MFSO Board: 

∙ One piece of our campaign to keep the pressure on so that we can ensure that all of our troops leave  Afghanistan, MFSO approved writing a letter to President Biden thanking him for making the call to  withdraw troops from Afghanistan by Aug. 31 and also pressing him stop to airstrikes and protect our  allies that helped our troops.  

∙ Welcome Back from Afghanistan Campaign– The MFSO board asks you to be part of the plan to  make sure our troops are recognized as they withdraw from Afghanistan. Please host an event to mark  this important milestone that recognizes the end of our presence so you can share your our own stories  about the true cost of war. We will help you get the media there. MFSO has organized many support  materials and campaign coordinators to make your event easy. mfsooc@earthlink.net 

∙ VFP Convention– Please join us for this year’s Veterans for Peace online convention with this year’s  theme “Rising to the Moment”. Look for our ad in this year’s convention booklet. Spread the word link 

∙ Please welcome our new part-time intern, Sebastian Munoz-McDonald from Dartmouth College. In  addition to having many skills in the area of organizing, Sebastian interested in counter recruitment and  gender equity. He is also an intern for On Earth Peace(link). On Earth Peace, under the leadership of MFSO board member Bill Scherer, has been a great ally and fiscal manager for our interns and we are  grateful for their steadfast support over the years. 

From Jeff’s desk 

Leaving Afghanistan is great news which I have looked forward to for a long time. I’m sad about the current  state of the country, but as my stepdad was known for saying, we need to move forward and not look back sometimes. Sadly, I think that Afghanistan with its corrupt government will probably fail and the Taliban will  re-impose Islamic fundamentalist rule, including its oppressive treatment of women. The last 20 years have  been painful for military families, Afghan civilians and American foreign policy, but at least we been shown some useful lessons about nation building. I just hope we can learn from them. Now that we are a more  experienced nation, I hope we will STOP saying we are the best and stop believing we need to make all nations  like ourselves. I don’t believe that we can or should fix the world. Welcome Back, US Troops- Let’s get all the  rest of your brothers and sisters home from Iraq and Syria next.  

Note: The opinions above and in future editorials do not reflect any official stance approved by the MFSO board, which meets  monthly and posts official positions decided by the board on our website. Your responses and opinions are welcome. If you would like  to send your own editorial on any MFSO related issue, please send to mfsooc@earthlink.net 

Contributions & editing by: Jeff Merrick & Pat Alviso 

4,586 American Troops killed in Iraq; 2,452 American Troops killed in Afghanistan