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."
The presentations by Massey and Niederer were just a few of the highlights, which included a number of workshops ranging from military recruitment to the radioactive dangers of the battlefield.
Oskar Castro, a member of the American Friends Service Committee, said one of his organization's efforts is to educate young people about the realities of the war, a component he believes is missing from the recruitment process.
"We want [young people] to really think about what they're getting themselves into before they enlist," Castro said.
Niederer said recruiters try to convince prospective military candidates that it is unlikely they will be sent to Iraq and that, in the event of being shipped out, they could easily come back home. She added that other tactics recruiters use include DVD and video game giveaways, as well as the promise of paid tuition and even a nice car.
"People should know that military recruitment has always gone on, even when there was a draft," Castro said. "What we're concerned with now is how it's done."
A workshop, titled "Outreach to Soldiers," featured a discussion about different ways to boost morale among war veterans.
"The key of active duty outreach is building relationships with people," said Appeal for Redress Co-founder Liam Madden, an Iraq war veteran.
Madden said more social spaces for troops - like coffeehouses, Internet cafes, storefronts, and bars - need to open up in order to unify them and achieve a successful GI movement.
"We can make inroads without a physical location, but that's like having a sailboat without the wind," Madden said.
Madden and others who are involved in the organization hold educational programs and try to spread awareness about how dangerous the weapons can be for both American soldiers and Iraqis.
So far, Madden said the strategy has worked.
"I've found that a good way to convince people not to join the military is to tell them about uranium," he said.
