Soldiers' Stories from Iraq

This weekend marks the beginning of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The following people can provide perspectives on some of the experiences of U.S. soldiers who have been in Iraq.

MICHAEL HOFFMAN, iraqvet@mail.com, http://www.ivaw.net
Hoffman is a co-founder and national coordinator of Iraq Veterans Against the War. He was in the U.S. Marine Corps for over four years and was part of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He said today: "Marking the anniversary of this bloody war is even more important now that it has dropped off the front pages since the elections in Iraq. We in Iraq Veterans Against the War will never forget what is happening in Iraq though. We have lived it and seen the horrors of this war ourselves and realize that this war cannot be resolved as long as Iraq is occupied; that the death toll will continue to rise as long as this occupation continues." On Wednesday, Hoffman will be in D.C. and then will travel to Fayetteville, North Carolina, near Fort Bragg for protests on March 19.

KEVIN BENDERMAN, MONICA BENDERMAN, mdawnb@coastalnow.net, http://www.bendermandefense.org
Benderman, a sergeant in the 3rd Infantry Division, was in the Army for ten years and was repeatedly decorated. He is seeking conscientious objector status and has been charged with desertion; his court martial trial is scheduled to begin May 11. On Saturday, he will be speaking at a rally in Ohio. Monica is Kevin's wife and is also available for interviews on his case. He said today: "I witnessed many things in Iraq. From seeing a young girl standing on the side of the road with her mother, her left arm burned black from hand to shoulder, crying in pain, with no one willing to stop and help her -- to viewing mass graves filled with bodies of young children, old men and women, and having to chase dogs from eating the remains -- to having to repeatedly remind my young troops that they were truly in a war zone, and to keep their heads down and be on their guard for incoming rounds that could kill them -- I saw what war does to humanity."

KATHY DOBIE, via Giulia Melucci, giulia@harpers.org, http://www.harpers.org
Dobie wrote the cover story for this month's issue of Harper's magazine entitled "AWOL in America: When Desertion is the Only Option." She wrote that "the Pentagon has estimated that since the start of the current conflict in Iraq, more than 5,500 U.S. military personnel have deserted..." Dobie is available for a limited number of interviews.

For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167