The idea of an IVAW Oregon chapter was born after the Winter Soldier Northwest event that took place in Portland, OR on October 18, 2008.

The number of members in the Oregon Chapter has grown and evolved over time.

WHAT DO WE DO?
1) Support active duty military, veterans, and their families regardless of politics.
2) Support and defend the Constitution of the United States.
3) Work together to end this goddamn illegal expanding never-ending fucking war(s).

Additionally we help with:
-VA benefits
-Education benefits
-Finding work / resume work
-Legal referrals for veterans and families
-Finding non-government alternatives to the VA for medical treatment
-Finding support communities
-Standing in solidarity with oppressed people and freedom fighters across the world.
-Supporting alternative life styles that challenge this contemporary shithole of a society.
-Procuring Beer

ARE YOU GUYS A BUNCH OF GODDAMN COWARDLY TRAITOR HIPPIES (AND/OR) COMMIES?

No. Most of us are US Combat Veterans who served in the US Army or Marine Corps in Iraq between 2003 and today. If we didn't give a shit about the people around us, we wouldn't be here.

We understand why you don't like us, but if you calm down and talk with us, you might understand:

1) These wars are illegal under the US Constitution. We took an Oath to support and defend the Constitution. We were never relieved of that Oath. We oppose and will fight every unconstitutional act.

2) The military mistreats soldiers. How many stores of rape did you hear of in the military? We know the military won't ever take care of our brothers and sisters who have been raped because the military only cares about lethality, not humanity and fair treatment. We have to help those in the military that need help, including those who are wounded and no longer want to fight, those who can not get help from their chain of command, those who are betrayed by their commanders and superiors. If not us, then who?

3) The VA mistreats and lies to veterans. How many stores of misdiagnosis and apathy can you stand? We've heard too many. Ever have problems navigating the bureaucracy? Are you a fully or partially disabled veteran who is denied treatment? Ever see an old vet storm out of the VA in anger and disappointment over the VA refusing to help with something completely trivial? IVAW demands full funding for the VA administration so that veterans can seek the help they need. If we do not stand up for our rights, then who?

4) The government doesn't give a shit about veterans. 18 vets kill themselves each day. At least 1/3rd of the male homeless on the street are veterans. We have to organize ourselves, advocate for ourselves, fight for ourselves. If the veteran community does not unite, who will fight for us? Congress?!

5) Civilians will never get it - we cannot count on civilians to help us, or to understand how to fix our problems. Civilians have their own struggles, unless a civilian has a very close relationship to the military or veterans, they need to work on their own struggle and we will work on our own. Veterans need our own community. IVAW-Oregon is one tribe in this veteran community.

6) These wars are bankrupting our nation and have nothing to do with national security. War is a Racket (.pdf) to give money to rich at the expense of the nation. These wars are a greater threat to national security than the "Terrorists" we fight.

7) If we do not end these wars, then we will have hundreds of thousands of veterans who kill themselves, end up on the streets, get addicted to drugs, or locked up in a government cage. These wars are not bringing us peace at a swift pace, so every day that these wars continues means more work for those who care about veterans.

8) These wars fucking ruined us: every one of us carries the burden of giving a shit. Physical tolls, emotional tolls, psychological tolls - these are the prices we pay for our service to the nation. The war affected us personally, and we cannot be apathetic to our brothers and sisters who are currently serving who will someday deal with the agony and loss that we deal with every day. The war is not in our past, the war is happening every fucking day. Every fucking day, someone loses an eye, or an arm, or their life. This happens overseas, this happens at home. The war is still in our daily lives, we must end the war to bring our selves peace.

9) The political leaders of this country have no intention of ending warfare. Major General Smedley Butler wrote, "[Warfare] is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes." According to former Argentine Prime Minister Néstor Kirchner, President George W. Bush once said, "all the economic growth that the U.S. had, had been based on the different wars it had waged." If this is the way political leaders view warfare, then they have absolutely no interest in ending war, but rather expanding it for the purpose of economic growth. Is economic growth only achieved at the cost of soldier's lives, and tax payer's dollars? To be a prosperous nation we must have peace and justice.

10) War comes at the cost of Liberty and Justice. Glenn Greenwald wrote, "In addition to the body count and the vast sums of money, this inevitable erosion of liberty from our continuous wars -- and the always escalating wall of secrecy that enables it -- must be counted when deciding whether to support them. Wars degrade a nation's character and the fabric of its political culture; Endless War has that effect exponentially." Our system of justice, or even how we interpret the US Constitution at its most basic, is perverted under the guise of “National Security” during war. The Bill of Rights is incompatible with a nation that uses secrecy and fear to conduct and maintain foreign wars.

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