Here is a statment put out by Vietnam Veterans Against The War after the September 11th attacks send them this message as they will be more likely to listen to ex servicemen who they can relate to than anyone else:

We are an organization of veterans of the armed forces of this country. We have been to war and have seen what military power can and cannot accomplish. We know what war does to those who fight it and those who live where it is fought. We hear our government loudly pledge support for our servicemen and women as they are sent into battle but have seen it turn its back on many when they returned, suffering physical and mental wounds, from the Vietnam and Gulf wars.

We agree with Congresswoman Barbara Lee that "military action will not prevent further acts of international terrorism against the United States". The use of massive military power will only escalate the cycle of violence, spreading more death and destruction to more innocent people with no end in sight.

Afghanistan has already been destroyed by 20 years of foreign occupation, civil war and religious repression. Both the British and Soviet armies were unable conquer that country. We see many parallels between Vietnam and Afghanistan but the lessons we should have learned from the war in Vietnam are being ignored today.

We speak out of duty to our country and the world, solidarity with those serving in the military and love of our families and friends when we take this stand:

*We condemn the criminal attacks of September 11 and demand that those responsible be held accountable and brought to justice.

*We mourn for the victims and offer our heartfelt sorrow and sympathy to the families and friends of those we lost.

*We condemn bigotry and violence against Arabs, Muslims and immigrants which threaten these communities because of their race, nationality and religion.

*We oppose efforts to curtail our basic civil liberties and democratic rights and must defend the Constitution from those who are undermining it.

*We do not believe that militarism and war will provide justice or security and oppose major US military intervention in Afghanistan or other countries.

On a more fundamental level, our country has to address the reasons behind the violence that has now come to our shores. The seeds of this anger and hatred were sown over many years.

For over a century, Western corporations have dominated the Middle East to profit from its oil. For the last 50 years, the United States has supported Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands and has helped prop up corrupt regimes in some Arab countries. The continued American troop presence in Saudi Arabia and the suffering of the Iraqi people under economic sanctions has added to this resentment.

As long as US foreign policy continues to be based on corporate exploitation and military domination, we will continue to make more enemies in the poor, underdeveloped countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. We can achieve enduring security and lasting peace only through domestic and foreign policies based on social and economic justice. That will come about only when the American people demand it.
Vietnam Veterans Against The War. September 27, 2001

 http://www.vvaw.org/

Below is a message from Vietnam Veterans Against The War, the troops will be more likey to listen to ex servicemen than anyone else.

We are an organization of veterans of the armed forces of this country. We have been to war and have seen what military power can and cannot accomplish. We know what war does to those who fight it and those who live where it is fought. We hear our government loudly pledge support for our servicemen and women as they are sent into battle but have seen it turn its back on many when they returned, suffering physical and mental wounds, from the Vietnam and Gulf wars.

We agree with Congresswoman Barbara Lee that "military action will not prevent further acts of international terrorism against the United States". The use of massive military power will only escalate the cycle of violence, spreading more death and destruction to more innocent people with no end in sight.

Afghanistan has already been destroyed by 20 years of foreign occupation, civil war and religious repression. Both the British and Soviet armies were unable conquer that country. We see many parallels between Vietnam and Afghanistan but the lessons we should have learned from the war in Vietnam are being ignored today.

We speak out of duty to our country and the world, solidarity with those serving in the military and love of our families and friends when we take this stand:

*We condemn the criminal attacks of September 11 and demand that those responsible be held accountable and brought to justice.

*We mourn for the victims and offer our heartfelt sorrow and sympathy to the families and friends of those we lost.

*We condemn bigotry and violence against Arabs, Muslims and immigrants which threaten these communities because of their race, nationality and religion.

*We oppose efforts to curtail our basic civil liberties and democratic rights and must defend the Constitution from those who are undermining it.

*We do not believe that militarism and war will provide justice or security and oppose major US military intervention in Afghanistan or other countries.

On a more fundamental level, our country has to address the reasons behind the violence that has now come to our shores. The seeds of this anger and hatred were sown over many years.

For over a century, Western corporations have dominated the Middle East to profit from its oil. For the last 50 years, the United States has supported Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands and has helped prop up corrupt regimes in some Arab countries. The continued American troop presence in Saudi Arabia and the suffering of the Iraqi people under economic sanctions has added to this resentment.

As long as US foreign policy continues to be based on corporate exploitation and military domination, we will continue to make more enemies in the poor, underdeveloped countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. We can achieve enduring security and lasting peace only through domestic and foreign policies based on social and economic justice. That will come about only when the American people demand it.

A Message to Troops, Would-be Troops, and other Youth
Know anyone in the military, or thinking about
signing up soon? Pass this along to them. They may
appreciate it, or not... but they deserve a heads up.

By Jeff Paterson
In August 1990 I was an active duty US Marine Corps Corporal. I was ordered to the Middle East, the Gulf War was about
to come. Four years prior-thinking I had nothing better to do with my life-I had walked into the Salinas, California recruiting
station and told them to "put me where I was most needed".

"What am I going to do with my life?" has always been huge question of youth, and today in the wake of the horror and
tragedy of New York September 11th this question has increased importance for millions of young people.

No one who has seen the images will ever forget. In a scene as seemingly unreal as the Matrix, a conflict reached into
American reality in an unthinkable way. Copy clerks to admin assistants, restaurant workers to firefighters-thousands of lives
ripped away from friends and family. Now the television shouts, "revenge", "infinite justice", and "something must be done!"
Wave a red, white and blue flag to ease the sorrow, to declare, "We're not going to take it."

And if I hadn't spent those four years in the Marine Corps, I might be inclined to fall into line now. Most of the time my unit
trained to fight a war against peasants who dared to struggle against "American interests" in their homelands-specifically
Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala. I saw dire poverty in the Philippines, US government-sanctioned prostitution rings to
service servicemen in South Korea, and unbridled racism towards the peoples of Okinawa and Japan-the standard response
to a child waving a "peace sign" at us with his fingers was "yeaa, ha ha, two bombs little gook." I began to understand why
billions of people around the world really do hate the United States-specifically it's war machine, covert contra wars, and an
increasing system of economic globalization that replaces hope with 12-hour days locked in sweatshops producing "Designed
in the USA" exports.

Faced with this reality, I began the process of becoming un-American-meaning that the interests of the people of the world
began to weigh heavier than my self-interest. I realized that the world did not need or want another U.S. troop. Although they
did not look much like me, I found I had more in common with the common peoples of the Middle East than I did with those
who were ordering me to kill them. My Battalion Commander's reassurance that "if anything goes wrong we'll nuke the rag
heads until they all glow" was not reassuring. Up against that, I publicly stated I would not be a pawn in America's power
plays for profits, oil, and domination of the Middle East. I pledged to resist, and if dragged out into the Saudi desert, I would
refuse to fight. A few weeks later, I sat on the airstrip as hundreds of Marines-many of whom I had lived with for years-filed
past me and boarded the plane. I fought the Gulf War from a military brig, and after worldwide anti-war protesters helped
spring me, we fought the war in the streets.

But back then we failed to stop the war. Since 1990 over 1.5 million Iraqi people have died-not mainly from the massive US
bombing from the sky, but from a decade of economic sanctions. All the while the US government has coldly declared that
these Iraqi deaths are "worth it" in order to achieve strategic regional objectives. So today, as the US Government demands
the world mourn with us for our loss, we in turn are expected to ignore the suffering that this nation produces.

Every time the war machine is kicked into high gear, acknowledgements are made about past "mistakes": Gulf War Sickness,
Agent Orange and napalm in Viet Nam, massacres of refugees in Korea, U.S. troops used as nuclear exposure guinea pigs
after World War II. And always: "Trust us, this time it will be different". But it never is.

One need not be a pacifist, a Communist, a Quaker, or a humanist to oppose this war. However, it certainly helps to be an
Internationalist-realizing that our collective future is bound with the majority of humanity, and not with those who are taking
this horrific opportunity to threaten world war. For those woman and men now in uniform, you have a choice to make.
Silence is what your "superiors" expect of you, but the interests of humanity require more. Think. Speak out. Resist. And if
you refuse to fight, there are hundreds of thousands who will support you-many of whom have already taken to the streets to
oppose this war.

Like his father before him, Bush Jr. has drawn a line in the sand: "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists." Simply
put, the rulers of the U.S. see much unfinished business for their "New World Order". While we grieve, they grin that "the
normal rules no longer apply" (translation: now is the time to settle our scores), and we have "a blank check to act, the nation
is united" (translation: dissent will be ignored, or suppressed as required). Bush Jr. has established a "Czar of Homeland
Security" to coordinate domestic government spies, phone taps, and Internet surveillance. During a staged televised CNN
"Town Hall" meeting, a businessman rises: "I'll gladly give up my right to protest in order to be safe!" Applause. Now more
than ever, the people of the world are not safe from the U.S., and the people in the U.S. are not safe from the U.S.

I will not wave the red, white and blue flag-instead I'll wear a green ribbon in solidarity with immigrants and Arab Americans
facing increasing racist attacks. Stop the War. Support the troops-who refuse to fight.

Let's dedicate our lives to changing this situation, and ending all terror.

September 22, 2001

On August 30, 1990, 22-year-old Marine Corporal Jeff Paterson refused to board a military plane in Hawaii heading to Saudi Arabia. He was
the first active-duty military resister in the U.S.-led attack on Iraq. The photo of Jeff Paterson sitting on the airstrip, defying orders to go fight
in the Gulf War, appeared on TV and in newspapers around the world. Later Jeff edited the Anti-WARrior newsletter of military resistance to
the Gulf War. Jeff currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a member of Vietnam Veterans Against the War Anti-Imperialist
(www.oz.net/~vvawai). He can be reached through VVAW AI, or directly at " EMAILJP@post.com".