Illinois Valley News

On Tuesday, Aug. 31, President Obama addressed the nation, and declared the end of combat operations in Iraq.

But during an interview on Grants Pass-based KAJO radio the following day, members of the Rogue Valley Chapter 156 of Veterans for Peace disputed the president’s contention and continued their call for a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Veterans for Peace is a non-profit organization with over 100 chapters and 6,000 members nationwide. Although 80 to 85 percent of its members are veterans, local chapter president and Hugo resident Hal B. Anthony said that prior military service is not a requirement for anyone hoping to join.

“It’s a good, strong organization that’s actually gone somewhat international as well,” Anthony said.

Anthony served four years of active duty with the U.S. Coast Guard in the 60s and 70s, during the Vietnam War. He described his stint as a “great experience” but “one I would not like to do again.”

While in the Coast Guard, Anthony said he had orders to go to Vietnam, but those were rescinded before he reached the shores of that war-torn country.

Joining Anthony on the Sept. 1 KAJO show was Talent resident Don Chapin, vice-president of the local chapters of Veterans for Peace. Chapin spent 10 years enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and another 10 years commissioned prior to his retirement in 1977.

During his military career, Chapin said that he agreed with the Dept. of Defense concept of being able to fight two major wars at the same time anywhere in the world and the “domino theory” that prompted American involvement in Vietnam.

But after retiring, Chapin said, he “began to see a little bit different picture.”

Chapin said that although the U.S. is “finally getting down to a more manageable level” in Iraq, American forces are still going out on patrol there.

“We’re not out of the combat situation,” Chapin said. “It’s not really a total withdrawal, by any means.”

Anthony agreed, and said the 50,000 American soldiers remaining in Iraq may not be referred to as combat troops, but are still trained to serve that function.

“Just because they put a new label on you does not make you a non-combat troop,” Anthony said.

Both Chapin and Anthony expressed doubt that the U.S. would be able to win in either Iraq or Afghanistan with a military presence.

“It is obvious this cannot be won with boots on the ground,” Anthony said.

Chapin stated that the long-term costs of the conflicts will far exceed the $1 trillion already spent on them. Those hidden costs will include services for veterans, Chapin said, many of whom will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“We have to take care of that,” he said.

The military’s use of depleted uranium in its munitions is also a cause for concern, Chapin said, comparing it to the use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War.

For more information on the Rogue Valley chapter of Veterans for Peace, go to http://rv-vfp156.org.

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