RESISTANCE CINEMA Presents “WINTER SOLDIER” , Millarium Zero and Winterfilm in collaboration with Vietnam Veterans Against The War, Produced by the Winterfilm Collective, 1972, 95 minutes,
WHEN: Sunday February 17th, 1:15pm
WHERE: Community Church NYC, Assembly Hall, 40 east 35th st. @ Park ave.
ADMISSION: Free, donations appreciated
SPECIAL GUEST: Joe Urgo – Organizer Winter Soldier 1970 - 1972
We are extremely pleased to be able to present another very special film this month. “WINTER SOLDIER” is an historically important film. It is a collectors item that powerfully captures an event organized over 35 years ago by Vietnam Vets Against The War that proved to be a watershed in the course of the war in Vietnam. Next month a similar event is being planned in Washington D.C. by Iraq Vets Against The War. (see more below)
A Vietnam Vet, an organizer of that original meeting and lifelong anti war activist Joe Urgo will be our guest speaker after the film.
In February 1971, one month after the revelations of the My Lai massacre, an astonishing
public inquiry into war crimes committed by American forces in Vietnam was held at a Howard Johnson motel in Detroit. The Vietnam Veterans Against the War organized this event called the Winter Soldier Investigation. More than 125 veterans spoke of atrocities they had witnessed and committed.
Though the event was attended by press and television news crews, almost nothing was reported to the American public. Yet, this unprecedented forum marked a turning point in the anti-war movement. It was a pivotal moment in the lives of young vets from around the country who participated, including the young John Kerry. The Winter Soldier Investigation changed him and his comrades forever. Their courage in testifying, their desire to prevent further atrocities and to regain their own humanity, provide a dramatic intensity that makes seeing Winter Soldier an unforgettable experience.
Next month a new generation of young vets inspired by the historic 1971 event have organized the second Winter Soldier meetings in Washington D.C.. Iraq Veterans Against The War are this generation's heroes standing up and speaking truth to power. They deserve all of our support and admiration and we urge you to find out more about them and what they are doing by clicking on the link below.
photo by Leif Skoogfers
used with permission
http://www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier
You may wonder what the significance is of the title “Winter Soldier”. The name was inspired by a quote from one of the founding fathers of the United States. Thomas Paine was the fiery pamphleteer whose writings in his newsletter Common Sense inspired the generation that made the American Revolution.
“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” - Thomas Paine, 1776
Thus to be a “Winter Soldier” is to answer the call of duty in even the most difficult times. For these young men who have already demonstrated their bravery on the battlefield, the notion of duty demands the courage to speak the truth no matter how ugly and unpopular.