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| American Veterans Union (AVU)Memorial Day Statement 2023 On this Memorial Day 2023 the American Veterans Union not only wants to remember the individuals whose lives were lost on the battlefields of war, but also on the battlefields for peace and justice. We also want to remember those who died fighting wars that they knew nothing about; those who were politically ignorant and who were lied to about the unjustified conflicts the U.S. promoted. We must not forget those whose lives were lost, not on the battlefield, but in their consciences; suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) for the rest of their lives due to combat orders fraught with potential war crimes that have been committed in the name of imperialist capitalist for-profit wars. Was the cost worth it? According to the VA (Veterans Administration), a veteran takes his own life approximately every 80 minutes; around 6500 suicides per year; 20% of all suicides in the U.S. are veterans. Child abuse is 3 times higher among military families, and domestic abuse is 177% higher in military households. Was the cost worth it? According to the Watson Institute at Brown University over 7,000 U.S. service members were killed; Approximately 177,000 military and police were killed from: Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, and Western Allies; and a minimum of 300,000 civilians died. Once again was it worth it? We went into Iraq under the guise of capturing WMDs (weapons of mass destruction) and spreading Democracy; but there were no WMDs, and the Iraqi Parliament voted to expel U.S. troops in 2020 but, we are still there. What happened to Democracy? The U.S. spent 300 million dollars a day in Afghanistan to combat terrorism and “Spread Democracy”, but the Democratic system we imposed on them fell within 10 days of the U.S. troops’ withdrawal. Where is the accountability? We constantly see veterans stand up to the political instigators of these illegal and unjust wars; but veterans are shunned, berated, and discredited as if their opinions and experiences are insignificant. No, I.C.C (International Criminal Court) indictments [1] have been served on those U.S. officials who lied people into war and committed war crimes. The U.S. passed “The Hague Invasion Act” in 2005 which states, the U.S. can invade another country, (mainly the Netherlands) if it’s (U.S.) War Criminals are ever arrested.[1] Is it worth it still? With the War Hawks ratcheting up their Cold War rhetoric against China and Russia the possibility of more Imperialist Proxy Wars is greater than ever. We must oppose puppets of the Military Industrial Complex to send U.S. men and women to die in some senseless proxy war. No more Endless Wars! No Cold War with China and Russia! https://americanveteransunion.us/ |