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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TimF who wrote (9203)	1/17/2006 8:35:34 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 541991

Asking the Biggest Question: Why We Fight By Paul Rieckhoff* huffingtonpost.com 01.17.2006 As the war in Iraq approaches its third anniversary, it's easy to lose perspective. Critical issues such as the lack of body armor, or the difficult transition back to civilian life consume our attention and resources. Twenty-four hour news chatter drones on with the story of the hour. When the war does make it into the headlines, it is soon elbowed out by the latest scandal, disaster, or pop-culture faux-pas. In the midst of this maelstrom, we owe it to past, present and future generations of American Troops to remember the bigger picture. "Why We Fight," a stunning new documentary, is a great way to quickly reacquaint yourself with the history of the American military. Along with the history, this film takes the subject one step further, with the compelling personal stories of Sen. John McCain, William Kristol, Chalmers Johnson, Gore Vidal, Richard Perle and others. The film, directed by Eugene Jarecki, won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. One more reason to like this film: It's helping to support Veterans. If you're in New York City or Los Angeles tomorrow night (Jan. 18), you can attend a benefit screening of "Why We Fight." After the film, there will be a panel of Iraq Veterans who will share their experiences and answer questions. All the proceeds from the screenings will go to support IAVA: Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. For more information on how to get tickets, click here. It's a great way to support the Troops and Veterans, and remind yourself of just how important the big picture really is. _________________________________________________________ * Paul Rieckhoff is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Executive Director and Founder of IAVA (Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America), the country's first and largest Iraq Veterans group. When Paul Rieckhoff returned from a tour of duty leading an infantry platoon in Baghdad in early 2004, he quickly became concerned with the way the war in Iraq was being portrayed in the media. There were many policy wonks and four-star Generals on TV, but no one to explain what the War was really like on the ground. As the one group of people that could communicate the “Ground Truth,” or the experience of war known only by those on the front lines, Veterans were notably (and counter-productively) absent from the public dialogue. Rieckhoff decided to remedy that problem. Rieckhoff created IAVA (formerly Operation Truth) in June 2004 along with a couple of other Veterans, a handful of volunteers, and massive amounts of credit-card debt. In less than one year, the organization attracted to its advisory board supporters such as former Navy SEAL/Governor Jesse Ventura and Vietnam Veteran leader Bobby Muller. The group also attracted over 600 Iraq War Veterans and more than 45,000 grassroots supporters across America, including family members of the troops presently in or recently returned from the theaters of combat.