04-10-05_Iraq_Vet

04-10-05_Iraq_Vet
Originally uploaded by Ravenmn.

In the late '60s, I was convinced the Vietnam War was wrong because I listened to the veterans. It is taken for truth that the vets were treated badly when they came back from Vietnam, but the assumptions about who treated them badly are usually wrong.

The anti-war movement welcomed these women and men and listened to their stories. They helped build the GI coffeehouses and newspapers that spread the word. Many of the vets wanted and needed to talk about their experiences and the vast majority of those against the war from pacifists to radicals, were there to listen and help them speak out.

Already, only two years into this particular war, the veterans are telling their stories and the anti-war movement and the churches are listening and providing them a platform from which to speak.

This is a flyer I did for the latest event. One of the problems with these kind of graphics is that so much information gets crammed in it is difficult to put together anything creative. The thought behind it is that the flyer itself becomes an educational tool. It can be handed out for people to read, it can be posted on bulletin boards and phone poles to relay its message. So the organizers cram in a ton of information. Basically, I turn off the graphic artist in me and turn on the propagandist. I'm never particularly happy with the compromise, but that's my problem to handle.