There’s another group of military detractors called IVAW (Iraq Veterans against the War) imitating John Kerry’s lying VVAW (Vietnam Veterans against the War). This group has all sorts of vague accusations about war atrocities, only this time the posers or fake soldiers have already been exposed. Most of the IVAW members reference stories they “heard” about but have no direct involvement.

CJ at Soldier’s Perspective has an accounting of the upcoming Winter Soldier II taking place on March 13 – 16th and it’s members. This event will be just as disreputable as the 1971 Winter Soldier Investigation led by now Senator John Kerry.

However, this time around those testifying could be subject to a new law which was adopted in 2000 (for you Bush haters note this is during the Clinton Administration). So, other than vague secondhand hearsay stories, if one of the members tells of their involvement in an event which involved abuse or noncompliance they could face prosecution.

Winter Soldiers Face New Law, by D. Keohane

In 1971 the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) held their Winter Soldier Investigation (WSI) during which over one hundred members told often lurid stories of war crimes and atrocities they had witnessed or participated in during the war. The event led to young John Kerry’s testimony before Senator Fulbright’s Foreign Relations Committee to the effect that such behavior was widespread and routine.

None of those who testified faced any charges for crimes they claimed to have committed or witnessed and had not reported at the time, most likely owing in large part to the inability of the military investigators to substantiate that any of the claims were true other than one which had already been under investigation before WSI. Neither, however, were the testifiers put under oath where their claims could subject them to charges of perjury if not true.

The Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), formed with the assistance of the older VVAW, is holding its own WSI this week near Washington D.C. (Mar 13-16), patterned after its 1971 namesake.

Writing in Winter Soldiers on Slippery Slope to Haditha, Nathaniel R. Helms and David Allender point out that the law has changed since 1971, when the legal ramifications were more of a grey area:

“Lawyers watching the events say the former warriors who participate in Winter Soldier II face a different world than their Vietnam-era counterparts. A new law adopted in 2000 puts them at risk of prosecution by the federal government… the IVAW member’s desire to ‘tell the truth’ about the war in Iraq carries with it possible heavy consequences because doing so expose the veterans to possible prosecution under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA).”

One IVAW member identified by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Citypages only as “Jen” (and who may be Jen Spranger, of the IVAW Milwaukee chapter), has claimed to have poisoned Iraqi detainees and will likely “testify” at WSI.

Members of IVAW relying on the National Lawyers’ Guild for legal protection should remember that the NLG is an ideological group that will likely trade a presumed propaganda victory for time in jail for the party they represent. It’s the “cause” that matters, not a few broken eggs! If the NLG attorneys have not informed IVAW’s testifiers of MEJA and the possible ramifications, including facing subpoena and testifying under oath, it just might be a signal for the Winter Soldiers to get a second legal opinion, or another attorney for the appeal.

Technorati Tags: Iraq, VVAW, IVAW, Winter Soldier, John Kerry, Winter Soldier II

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