would be fantastic if VFP Members could make it again from the USA.
How do you think serving in U. K.‟ s military compares to serving in the U. S.?
There are some tragic similarities between the UK and U. S. military. One is that the primary function of a sailor, soldier or airperson in the UK and U. S. militaries is to follow orders without question, no matter what the orders are, even if those orders contradict International Law, UN Conventions or the Geneva Conventions.
Another similarity is the arrogance of our military and those that serve within it. This is hardly surprising given the arrogance of the societies we come from.
Who is your main audience?
Our regular audience in the UK would be folk who identify as antiwar, but we have also had support from people with a wide range of views and political backgrounds. Our target audience is the general population, veterans and serving soldiers. We are highly supportive of every active duty soldier who approaches us.
Anything else to add?
Members of Veterans For Peace, please accept our invitation to attend our Annual Conference in London this November. There will be three days of events culminating in our walk to The Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday under our banner ― Never Again ‖. There will be three of us at Convention in SF this summer if you would like to know more.
www
. vfpuk. org | coord @ vfpuk. org | twitter. com / vfpuk | facebook. com / veteransforpeace. org. uk
Tijuana, Mexico
Tell us a little about your chapter.
In Spring, 2015, the Deported Veterans Support House in Tijuana, Mexico formed VFP Chapter 176 through our long-standing relationships with U. S. VFP members George Johnson, Willie Hager and Jan Ruhman. The chapter is made up of U. S deported veterans currently residing in Tijuana. The main work of the Tijuana chapter is to leverage the work of VFP legislative committees to protect the rights of deported veterans.
What are your major concerns and what actions are you taking?
In April, Representative Ruben Gallego and a group of veteran members of Congress introduced H. R. 5012: Restoring Respect for Immigrant Service in Uniform Act that could help deported veterans return to the U. S. and reunite with their families. The bill would also prevent the removal of service members and veterans in the future.
The chapter also supports the broader work of the Deported Veterans Support House, which is extensive. We can provide temporary shelter for up to 9 deported veterans and coordinate with other local groups to provide direct services to deported veterans and their families. These services include a toy drive for the children of the deported veterans for the holiday season, weekly support groups
8 VFP Newsletter Summer
Hector Barajas & Daniel Torres at Deported Veterans Safe House.
and weekly religious services. We work in partnership with employers to provide job training to put them on a path to selfsufficiency.
Anything else to add?
The house maintains a database for deported U. S. veterans around the world, promoting media awareness of the plight of deported U. S. veterans. We also work with a service officer on filing for VA benefits and upgrades. And we are working in partnership with the ACLU and others to provide legal counsel on benefits, citizenship, humanitarian parole and post-conviction relief.
Here ' s one example of what we can do-- In January, 2016, we were able to welcome one of our residents back to the United States. Former Marine Daniel Torres, who came to the U. S. as a young child with his family, lied about being a U. S. citizen when he enlisted because he wanted to serve his adopted country and prove his loyalty. When it was discovered that he was not a citizen, he was deported to Mexico and stayed at the deported veterans ' house. That ' s when we began our work.
First, we put him in touch with an immigration law specialist from the ACLU. Their hard work paid off when Daniel was granted U. S. citizenship April 22, 2016.
Visit us at deportedveteranssupporthouse. org