At the Left Forum in NYC on June 3, 2017 veterans with the We Are Not Your Soldiers project of World Can’t Wait present what they do in high school and college classrooms where students have grown up under continual wars, know very little about them and may be considering joining the U.S. military with no first-hand knowledge of what it really entails. Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans relate their experiences in boot camp, occupying countries and post-military, honestly and forthrightly sharing what happened to them and the people in the countries under attack by the US. Based on the class curriculum, we also can provide a historical presentation with a Vietnam military resister and/or veteran. Students are provided with information military recruiters don’t give them on PTSD, suicide, medical/psychological issues, homelessness and the danger of losing their humanity. Students freely raise issues, ideas and questions and engage in critical thinking.

Stephanie Rugoff, Coordinator, We Are Not Your Soldiers
Joe Urgo, Vietnam veteran
Lyle Rubin, Afghanistan veteran
Filmed by Ed Briody