Press Conference on June 19:
Veterans and Military Families Speak Out on
Possible U.S. Military Action in Iraq

Press conference to be held outside Veterans Administration to highlight heath care crisis at the VA

WHEN: Thursday, June 19, 10am
WHERE: VA Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Center, main entrance (351 W Temple St), in front of flagpoles
WHO: U.S. military veterans of Iraq, Vietnam and other conflicts; military families; and concerned local residents.
WHY: Today, it has become increasingly likely that the U.S. government will once again take military action in Iraq.
After 13 years of endless war, there is a crisis of health care for veterans, as highlighted by the recent “secret wait list” scandal that forced VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to step down. The people of the United States just celebrated the end of the very costly war in Iraq, only to see it again become a danger. As the Obama Administration weighs airstrikes, which killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis during the Iraq war, over 200 Marines and sailors have already been rushed to Baghdad.
As veterans and their families reflect on their sacrifices in the Iraq war, hear their perspectives on what is happening in Iraq today and the potential of more U.S. military action.
“275 military personnel were just deployed to Iraq. My son was deployed there three times. If we couldn’t solve the problems after a decade of war, why would airstrikes make any difference? The ones who suffer the most from our bombs have been over 1 million innocent Iraqi civilians –mostly women and children. It is wrong to ask our military and their families to make any more sacrifices or to ask them to go back and be a part of this horrific catastrophe” said Pat Alviso of Military Families Speak Out.
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