53407595.

doc Page 1 of 3

Saturday, March 15, 2008; B01

War Stories Echo an Earlier Winter

By Steve Vogel
Washington Post Staff Writer

Grim-faced and sorrowful, former soldiers and Marines sat before an audience of
several hundred yesterday in Silver Spring and shared their recollections of their
service in Iraq.
The stories spilled out, sometimes haltingly, sometimes in a rush: soldiers firing
indiscriminately on Iraqi vehicles, an apartment building filled with Iraqi families
devastated by an American gunship. Some descriptions were agonized, some vague;
others offered specific dates and locations. All were recorded and streamed live to
the Web.
The four-day event, "Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan -- Eyewitness Accounts
of the Occupations," is sponsored by Iraq Veterans Against the War and is expected
to draw more than 200 veterans of the two wars through tomorrow. Timed for the
eve of the fifth anniversary of the war's start next week, organizers hope the soldiers'
accounts will galvanize public opposition.
For some of the veterans speaking yesterday, the experience was catharsis.
Former Marine Jon Turner began his presentation by ripping his service medals off his
shirt and tossing them into the first row. He then narrated a series of graphic
photographs showing bloody victims and destruction, bringing gasps from the
audience. In a matter-of-fact voice, he described episodes in which he and fellow
Marines shot people out of fear or retribution.
"I'm sorry for the hate and destruction I've inflicted upon innocent people," Turner
said. "Until people hear about what is happening in this war, it will continue."
Winter Soldier is modeled after a well-known and controversial 1971 gathering of the
same name at which veterans of the Vietnam War gathered to describe alleged
atrocities. John Kerry, then a young veteran, spoke at the Detroit event, which
brought him to prominence. The soldiers' claims sparked lasting enmity, which
resurfaced during Kerry's run for president in 2004.
The 2008 Winter Soldier will probably be no different. The event drew dozens of
counter-protesters who were kept from the conference site at the National Labor
College by a contingent of Montgomery County police. Although entrance to the
event was limited to participants and the media, one protester managed to slip in
and walked toward the stage, interrupting a speaker.
"Kerry lied while good men died, and you guys are betraying good men," the man
yelled. The protester was roughly hustled from the room by several men in red knit
shirts and jeans -- members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, who are providing
security for the event.
Counter-protesters outside derided the event and were deeply skeptical of the claims
being made inside. "We want absolute specifics," said Harry Riley, a retired Army
colonel who leads Eagles Up!. "This is too important to our nation. The credibility of
our nation and the credibility of our soldiers are involved."
53407595.doc Page 2 of 3

Riley said those making allegations against the U.S. military should have to give
sworn testimony instead of speaking at an antiwar conference.
Organizers said they have sought to verify the records of all soldiers speaking,
including reviewing their service records and talking to other members of units. Some
soldiers had videos and photographs, which were displayed yesterday on a large
screen in the auditorium.
"The ubiquitous nature of video, photo and technology really sets this apart" from the
original Winter Soldier, said Jose Vasquez, an IVAW member who directed the
verification process. Organizers and speakers said Winter Soldier is not meant to
vilify soldiers. Instead, they said, it is aimed at changing war policy.
"These are not bad people, not criminals and not monsters," said Cliff Hicks, 23, a
former 1st Armored Division soldier from Savannah, Ga., who spoke about his
experiences in Iraq. "They are people being put in horrible situations, and they
reacted horribly."
A Defense Department spokesman said he had not seen the allegations raised
yesterday but added that such incidents are not representative of U.S. conduct.
"When isolated allegations of misconduct have been reported, commanders have
conducted comprehensive investigations to determine the facts and held individuals
accountable when appropriate," Lt. Col. Mark Ballesteros said.
Yesterday's panels included two sessions on "Rules of Engagement," in which soldiers
and Marines described in emotional and often graphic terms incidents in which they
said unarmed and innocent civilians were killed.
Most of the stories involved Iraq, though some took place in Afghanistan.
Two former soldiers who served with the 1st Armored Division described an attack by
an AC-130 "Spectre" gunship on an apartment building in southern Baghdad that
they said took place Nov. 13, 2003.
"It was the most destructive thing I've seen, before or since," said Hicks, one of the
soldiers.
Adam Kokesh, a student at George Washington University who served with the
Marine Corps in Iraq, said Marines were often forced to make snap decisions about
whether to fire on civilians.
"During the siege of Fallujah, we changed our rules of engagement more often than
we changed our underwear," he said.
On the screen, a photograph showed him posing next to a burned-out car in which an
Iraqi man was killed after approaching a Marine checkpoint.
"At the first Winter Soldier in 1971, one of the testifiers showed a picture like this and
said, 'Don't ever let your government to do this to you,' " Kokesh said. "And still the
government is doing this."
At a session on shortcomings in veterans' health care, audience members sobbed as
Joyce and Kevin Lucey described the suicide of their son, Marine Cpl. Jeffrey Lucey, a
death they blamed on his inability to get treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Mental health specialists were on hand to help speakers and audience members, and
a workshop was offered on PTSD.
Those who spoke yesterday described the experience as intimidating.
53407595.doc Page 3 of 3

"It was terrifying for me," said Steven Casey, a former 1st Armored Division specialist
from Missouri who also described the AC-130 attack. "I knew somebody needed to
hear it. All I wanted to do is say what I saw. I'm not accusing anyone of a crime."
The conference can be viewed athttp://www.ivaw.org.
Staff writer Hamil R. Harris contributed to this report