Please help get the word out today that parts of almost four hours of
"Winter Soldier" testimony, shared by Iraq war veterans at a hearing
organized by the Congressional Progressive Caucus on Capitol Hill Thursday
morning (May 15, 2008) will be broadcast on the "News Hour with Jim Lehrer"
(PBS) Friday evening (tonight.)

However, one can also watch most of the parts of those special hearings "streamed"
onto the C-SPAN website, right here, now: http://tinyurl.com/5lxqlv

I spent a of couple hours watching this gripping testimony online, and must
say it took me right back to 1971 when Viet Nam vets testified among members
of Congress regarding their involvement in that war - and what it was REALLY
like.  The response that ensued then has been deemed by historians as one of
those watershed moments which helped the American people understand what was
actually going on and contributed to popular support for the wind-down of
that war.

These courageous young men and women sharing their stories Thursday are
mostly Marines, leaders among their peers.  Their gripping testimony is
articulate, detailed with facts, impassioned about what it was REALLY like -
both there and here after returning, and anguished about what they were
forced to see and do.

Their opportunity to finally be able to speak truth to power has set them
free!  Each is now engaged in doing something vitally important with their
lives: leading groups, writing books and papers, organizing, wanting to
expose their own experiences and truth to the masses, and advocating much
better and more timely mental health care for returning veterans.

These vets are now, obviously, a potent force to be reckoned with, thus
watching this will provide you with a visceral awareness of what drives
them.  (Some 1200 members have already joined their group, which has doubled
in the last year alone.)

The media has not shared their message much, heretofore, but today they were
finally present.  Ironically the event was interrupted by the listening
members of Congress needing to take a break to go vote on the next big
supplemental funding package the Bush administration wanted to continue
"business as usual" in Iraq -- which we now know they voted down!

These vets said they want to send representatives of their group to come
speak in any community willing to invite them.  So, please share this
information with others you think will be interested in watching PBS's
condensed report on what transpired in these hearings.

Clair Hochstetler