Winter Soldier begins now with a Thursday night panel, "Winter Soldier and the Legacy of GI Resistance".  Kelly Dougherty, Executive Director of Iraq Veterans Against the War, is speaking to a group of about 200 people.  She says, "We've been transformed by our service and we have a responsibility to uphold the values we swore to defend.  IVAW will be the force that will end the occupation of Iraq."

The KPFA live radio broadcast crew is joined by Free Speech TV, milbloggers, and reporters from The Nation, and other media outlets right now.  Earlier today, IVAW held a Winter Soldier press conference at the Washington Press Club.  There were 85 media outlets, including many from the international press.  There are already news reports filed.  We're here at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland in a large room with a bank of cameras in the back and our radio broadcast along one side. 

Today, I've met veterans and active duty soldiers from Iraq, Afghanistan as well as the Persian Gulf War and the Vietnam War.  There are greiving, angry family members. Many sport black IVAW shirts and there is a large crew wearing red security shirts.  The Gathering of Eagles is expected here tomorrow to try to discredit these veterans, so security is tight.  There's a solomn, determined feeling here among both veterans and families and allies.  We're doing something we must do, their faces say. 

We tried to get John Kerry on our show.  He played an important role in the 1971 Winter Soldier - testifying on behalf of the Vietnam Veterans against the War at a Senate Foreign Relations committee hearing in the wake of public testimony from Vietnam era vets.  His office told us he'd be available in a 'couple weeks'.  Of course, the right wing continues to dog him, even as recently as today, on his bold statements as a young officer back from Vietnam. 

Please email us at wintersoldier@kpfa.org to post to our blog.  We'll be updating you over the course of the event this weekend.