Dying to Preserve the Lies

We are a military family with 2 returning Iraq veterans; OIF, March 2003 - August 2004, He deployed to Iraq in his second stop-loss extended 15 month deployment; Dec 2007 - April 2008. Now he has standing orders for deployment to Afghanistan. I believe it is a sacrifice too large to ask of him, his wife and their three children.

'Let's go home son' is how we captioned the photo

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Jon Soltz, Iraq War Veteran, guest on MSNBC discusses military suicides

video - Jon Soltz, Iraq War Veteran and Chairman of VoteVets.org appears twice on MSNBC to discuss a new report on the alarming rate of suicides in the U.S. Army

Posted by Lietta Ruger at 10:31 AM

Labels: Jon Soltz, military, suicide, VoteVets

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President George W. Bush's statement in March 2006 after 3 yrs of war "a future President will have to resolve war in Iraq"

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More young, married soldiers in Iraq war than in previous wars

One of the features of military families in this war that differs from previous wars is that there are more young married soldiers.

Here are some statistics:

-- in Iraq war, soldiers often married, with children.

-- 55% of military personnel are married. 56% of those married are between 22 and 29.

-- One million military children are under 11 years old.

-- 40% are 5 years or younger.

-- 63% of spouses work, including 87% of junior-enlisted spouses.

Source: Department of Defense and National Military Family Association - 2004.

Lietta Ruger

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Lietta"s blog

Lietta began this blog in 2004, themed to chronicle the events as relates to deployed military troops in Iraq, fully believing her own activisism as a military family speaking out would bring the Iraq war to a close and bring the troops home quickly. Five years after the initial invasion, the U.S. occupation of Iraq (Iraq war) rages on ....

Lietta is also a contributing editor at Washblog, a political blog forum relevant to politics in Washington state, where she focuses on issues related to politics governing Iraq war.

Lietta and Arthur on Newshour with Jim Lehrer, "Homefront Battles", Oct 2004

Newshour with Jim Lehrer interview; Homefront Battles Our first media interview speaking out as military family, Lietta and Arthur Ruger, on Newshour with Jim Lehrer, Homefront Battles; aired Oct 04.

Focus of this Newshour piece was the new phenomenom of military families speaking out publicly.

MICHAEL BESCHLOSS - "We're seeing something that really is unusual because military families in history have been pretty much inclined not to do this sort of thing.

It's in a way sort of part of that culture.

And the fact that they are doing it now shows how deeply many of them feel about the fact that they were never convinced at the beginning of this war that it was the right thing to do."

Below is a list of Lietta's other thirty plus military family speaking out media covered interviews that came after the Newshour piece.

Newshour with Jim Lehrer, Homefront Battles

Lietta Ruger reports on meeting with Senator Maria Cantwell

Lietta Ruger participates in meeting with U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell to challenge the Senator's continued position of support for Iraq war - April 2006

Lietta's account of our meeting with U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell challenging her continued position of support for Iraq war

History of Lietta's media interviews as military family speaking out against Iraq war

What began in March 2004 on a small, local scale with sermons I prepared and delivered in my local church, speaking out about the war in Iraq, was altered when I agreed to do an interview with Newshour with Jim Lehrer, which aired nationally October 2004.

Chronicling below a list of media interviews I've done since then as a military family speaking out. Listing chronologically with most recent interviews at top.

History

Spokane Inlander; 'Back to Iraq' July 17, 2008
The Daily World; 'Baird Faces His Constituents in Raymond', Sept 22, 2007
Voice of Washington Women Lawyers Newsletter Sept - Oct 2007 (pdf)
The David Goldstein Show" KIRO 710 radio - interview with Lietta Ruger and Bob Watada, Jan 13, 2007
'Supporting US Troops By Putting the War on Trial', interview Jan 2, 2007
Citizens' Hearing on Legality of U.S. Actions in Iraq
support Lt. Ehren Watada Organizing Committee
The Olympia Social Forum; Bringing Global Issues Home; Military Families in Our Community; How Military Families are Lobbying to End the War, May 19 2006
The Stranger; 'Counter Intel - The Questions' May 9 2006
Tacoma Weekly; 'Opponents of Iraq war march through Hilltop' March 23, 2006
Tacoma News Tribune; 'Community marches against war', March 20, 2006
Tacoma News Tribune; 'Overpass could become Freedom Bridge' March 10, 2006
Tacoma News Tribune; 'Families keep peace at talk on war' March 2, 2006
Fort Lewis Ranger; ' Peace Group Wants Soldiers', Feb 16, 2006
Seattle Post Intelligencer; 'Sheehan went too far with the T-word' February 1, 2006
The Olympian (photo gallery); Hunger strike for peace, Oct 31, 2005
Bring Them Home Now Tour website; 4 week tour Crawford to DC, chronicles events and media reports for all participants on all three tours (Lietta on central tour), Aug 31 - Sept 24, 2005
Redeye radio, Canada, interview Lietta Ruger, Camp Casey, Aug 27, 2005
radio interview with Lietta - Camp Casey August 2005
Live blogging at My Vote is My Voice, 'One Woman's Observations of Camp Casey ' Aug 28, 2005
The Guardian; 'Showdown in Texas: The end of the occupation begins in Crawford' Aug 24, 2005
KOMO 4 TV News; 'Local Mom Joins Cindy Sheehan's Protest In Texas' Aug 19, 2005
New York Daily News; 'Looks like Pentagon's walk tramples truth' Aug 17, 2005
Agence France Press: article and photo Lietta, Cindy, Juan Torres, Aug 15, 2005
KOMO 4 TV News; ' Northwest Woman Joins Protest Outside President Bush's Ranch' Aug 13, 2005
Seattle Post Intelligencer; ' NW mom enlists in the Texas peace corps' Aug 12, 2005
Seattle Post Intelligencer; 'Mother's peace vigil gains support' Aug 11, 2005
Intervention Magazine; 'Mothers on their Soldeir Sons' July 20, 2005
article; 'Mr President, I'll Fly My Flag At Half Staff' July 4, 2005
NPR radio; 'National Guardsman Challenges 'Stop-Loss' Policy' April 6, 2005

Lt Ehren Watada

Ehren Watada with Daniel Ellsberg Citizens' Hearing on Legality of U.S. Actions in Iraq
JANUARY 20-21, 2007 Tacoma, Washington, USA

In an unprecedented two-day Citizens' Hearing held over January 20-21, more than 600 citizens joined a distinguished tribunal panel in listening to testimony about the legality of the US invasion of Iraq.

The Citizens' Hearing was convened to present evidence that Lt. Ehren Watada would have presented in his February 5, 2007 court martial on the question that the military ruled barred from entry - the question of the Iraq War's legality.

Lt. Watada has repeatedly asserted that because the Iraq War is illegal, it is his duty to refuse orders to deploy.

He twice attempted to resign his commission and the Army refused his resignation citing 'stop loss'.

He stated he was willing to deploy to Afghanistan, but not Iraq as he discerned that would be illegal order on the premise that Iraq invasion/occupation is illegal.

He is the Army's first commissioned officer to take such a stand.

click on link below

Citizens' Hearing on Legality of U.S. Actions in Iraq

video of testimonies given at Citizen's Hearing on behalf of Lt. Watada - part 1

video of testimonies given at Citizen's Hearing on behalf of Lt. Watada - part 2

video of Lt Watada court martial - witness testimonies

video of last public speech Lt Watada gave before his court martial

Daniel Ellsberg giving testimony at Citizens' Hearing on Legality of U.S. Actions in Iraq, Tacoma,WA, Jan 20-21, 2007.

Lietta introduces the Panelists who will hear two days of testimony at Citizens' Hearing on Legality of U.S. Actions in Iraq, Tacoma, WA, Jan 20-21-2007

Lietta Ruger and Ann Wright at Citizens' Hearing on Legality of U.S. Actions in Iraq, Tacoma, WA, Jan 20-21-2007.

Thank You Lt Ehren Watada support website

Lietta in support of Lt. Ehren Watada at his first press conference, June 2006, Tacoma, WA. Photograph: Ted S Warren/AP

Lietta with MFSO- WA chapter members Judy and Jenny in support at Lt Watada noon press conference, June 2006.

Lietta Ruger and Bob Watada interview with Goldy KIRO 710.

CITIZEN'S HEARING ON THE LEGALITY OF US ACTIONS IN IRAQ

http://wartribunal.org
---
David Goldstein interviews Lietta Ruger on KIRO

JAN 20 - 21 TACOMA

--- Lietta Ruger and Bob Watada interview on KIRO 710: Promote Citizen's Hearing support venue for Lt. Watada

JAN 20 - 21 TACOMA

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