This Is Where We Take Our Stand, Episode 3: Why We Fight

This is a very interesting and candid film of Iraq Veterans Against the War discussing their various motivations for organizing G.I. resistance against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And they all come from different perspectives. Some have become radicalized in their opposition to U.S. imperialism and militarism, and are motivated by the immorality of what these wars have done to the Iraqi and Afghani peoples. Others are motivated by more patriotic issues and are most concerned with how these wars are killing and maiming their fellow soldiers and hurting the interests of the country. Of course these various perspectives and concerns need not be mutually exclusive. But it is very interesting how these war veterans debate these issues amongst themselves. I have a lot of respect for these people. I hope we never forget that in the 2000s the veterans were the vanguard of the anti-war movement. Can we have a "hoorah for peace"?

Here is a synopsis from the website:

Flashback to January, three months before Winter Soldier. How do you bring hundreds of veterans to Washington DC, to tell their stories? An IVAW national planning meeting reveals sharp differences among the members. Is the point of Winter Soldier to show how these wars are hurting America, or the destruction America is bringing to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan? Is the goal to strengthen the military, or weaken it? Despite the differences, a deep unity is built because, as Geoff Millard declares, the bottom line is “No one can hear our stories and still support this shit.”

Why We Fight 7/21 from Displaced Films on Vimeo.