THE CHANGE WE NEED:

BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!

While the nation's attention is focused on the economic crisis unfolding on Wall St. and Main St., the war in Iraq continues. Military Families Speak Out will hold a teach-in Friday featuring testimonies from those whose lives have been directly impacted by the war. Speakers will be available for interview following the formal presentation. Confirmed speakers include:

• Elaine Johnson, mother of Spc. Darius Jennings who was killed in action in Iraq on November 20, 2003. Johnson is a member of Gold Star Families Speak Out, a chapter of MFSO.
• Tim Kahlor whose son suffers from Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of his service in Iraq with the U.S. Army. Kahlor is a member of MFSO.
• Kevin and Joyce Lucey, parents of Cpl. Jeffrey Lucey, who served in Iraq with the Marine Corps Reserves and killed himself on June 22, 2004 after being denied treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at a Veterans Administration Hospital. The Luceys are members of Gold Star Families Speak Out, a chapter of MFSO.
• Stacy Bannerman, whose husband is currently on his second tour of duty in Iraq with the Washington National Guard. Bannerman is a member of MFSO.
• Raed Jarrar, an Iraqi-born architect and political analyst who moved to the US in 2005. He is currently the Iraq Consultant for the American Friends Service Committee facilitating meetings between Iraqi and US elected officials and working on bringing Iraqi voices into the US debate.
• Phyllis Bennis, a Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and the Transnational Institute, and a leading authority on U.S. policy in the Middle East. She recently appeared on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer to discuss the foreign policy challenges facing the Obama administration.
• Sgt. Kris Goldsmith, served as a combat intelligence soldier with the Army's Third Infantry Division in Iraq. He suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and is an advocate for Veterans with PTSD and other combat injuries. He is active with Iraq Veterans Against the War.
• Spc. Ryan Deckard, served two tours of duty in Iraq in Iraq with the Army's 101st Airborne Division and remains in touch with a number of soldiers now stationed in Iraq. He is active with Iraq Veterans Against the War and is a Legal Specialist in the U.S. Army Reserves.
• Mike Marceau was severely injured and received a Purple Heart while serving with the U.S. Army in Viet Nam. He is Vice President of the Washington, DC Chapter of Veterans for Peace.