Iraq veterans make noise at Democratic convention

Iraq veterans make noise at convention

By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Aug 27, 2008 6:15:59 EDT

DENVER — Iraq war veterans are playing an active role at the Democratic convention, where they’ve marched, staged mock foot patrols on downtown sidewalks and met with a former first lady to discuss veterans’ health care.

Their activism is reminiscent of Vietnam veterans who came home and protested the Vietnam War. But their approach is much more low-key than veterans-turned-activists from Vietnam, some of whom threw out their medals in public protest.

The Iraq veterans in Denver say they want to keep the war and veterans’ issues in the public spotlight. They are doing that by soliciting donations at fundraisers for vets running for Congress, marching in demonstrations and throwing a concert today, headlined by Rage Against the Machine, for 8,000 people.

“The war has really changed this generation,” said David Bellavia, 33, of Buffalo, N.Y., an Iraq veteran who helped form the group Vets for Freedom, which advocates against immediately withdrawing troops from Iraq. “We can no longer be looked at as this couch-potato-what-about-me” generation.

Bellavia and another Iraq veteran were walking the convention grounds in suits and ties and meeting with reporters and delegates. Once uninterested in politics, Bellavia said seeing comrades die motivated him to get involved.
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