Protesters 'march' to hear war veterans
NaDea Jeter and Pablo Albilal / Contributing Writers
Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: Page One
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Military veterans and anti-war activists took to the podium Oct. 5 to Oct. 7 for "Marching Home," a three-day symposium to raise awareness on the plight of soldiers on active duty and veterans returning home from the war.
Organized by Rutgers Against the War and the Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War, the weekend conference included lectures, workshops and a hip-hop concert, all geared toward students, veterans and families of those serving in the military.
"We want to combine the veterans movement with the student's anti-war movement," said Rutgers Against War member Ian Chinich, a University alumnus.
A room of more than 100 grew solemn Friday evening as a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War set up an M16 rifle and a battle helmet between a pair of black combat boots: the sign of a fallen soldier.
Attendees were there to hear Jimmy Massey, a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq and one of the first to report widespread human rights abuses in the Middle Eastern nation, according to his Web site.
"Iraq is now a nuclear wasteland," Massey said. "We are committing genocide in Iraq. We're leaving enough depleted uranium there to ensure genocide long after we're gone."
Since returning from war, Massey has been diagnosed with degenerative spinal disease, a condition his doctor attributes to being exposed to depleted uranium. He also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, a mental ailment that affects one in eight veterans, according to an Army study.
"The horrors of war are forever burned in my mind," Massey said. "It's something I can't escape from."
Meanwhile, Gold Star Families for Peace Co-founder Sue Niederer, a mother who lost her son in Iraq in 2004, related a family's point of view at a separate gathering in the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus.
"He will never ever see the military," Niederer said as she held up a photograph of her 18-month-old grandson. "I won't allow it."
Organized by Rutgers Against the War and the Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War, the weekend conference included lectures, workshops and a hip-hop concert, all geared toward students, veterans and families of those serving in the military.
"We want to combine the veterans movement with the student's anti-war movement," said Rutgers Against War member Ian Chinich, a University alumnus.
A room of more than 100 grew solemn Friday evening as a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War set up an M16 rifle and a battle helmet between a pair of black combat boots: the sign of a fallen soldier.
Attendees were there to hear Jimmy Massey, a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq and one of the first to report widespread human rights abuses in the Middle Eastern nation, according to his Web site.
"Iraq is now a nuclear wasteland," Massey said. "We are committing genocide in Iraq. We're leaving enough depleted uranium there to ensure genocide long after we're gone."
Since returning from war, Massey has been diagnosed with degenerative spinal disease, a condition his doctor attributes to being exposed to depleted uranium. He also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, a mental ailment that affects one in eight veterans, according to an Army study.
"The horrors of war are forever burned in my mind," Massey said. "It's something I can't escape from."
Meanwhile, Gold Star Families for Peace Co-founder Sue Niederer, a mother who lost her son in Iraq in 2004, related a family's point of view at a separate gathering in the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus.
"He will never ever see the military," Niederer said as she held up a photograph of her 18-month-old grandson. "I won't allow it."