The following letter is written by a veteran of the first Gulf War.
He's started Veterans for Common Sense -- a group of former militaryfolks who oppose the current plans for war on Iraq. If you or someone you know are interested in joining him, please check out their website:

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/

Sincerely,
--Eli Pariser
MoveOn.org

__________________

Dear MoveOn member,

Twelve years ago, in February of 1991, I crossed the border between Saudi Arabia and Iraq with the 24th Infantry Division. Back then I was a 20-year-old Abrams tank crewman, and I fought in several battles in southern Iraq. I can say from personal experience, the media got it wrong. The first Gulf War wasn't clean, it wasn't pretty, and it wasn't precise. In the chaos and destruction of battle, anything can happen. We killed a lot of people.

Like many of the men and women I served with, I do not believe that President Bush or Secretary of State Powell, in his presentation at the United Nations on Wednesday, has made the case that Iraq poses an imminent threat to the United States. Without proving imminent threat, the administration has failed outright to justify its rush to war. Many senior military leaders, including Generals Norman Schwarzkopf, Anthony Zinni and Wesley Clark, have all questioned the
wisdom of another war with Iraq.

Thousands of veterans of all U.S. wars have stepped forward, marched in demonstrations and raised their voices to say that the nation they defended should not be attacking other nations. There is no sense of just cause in the U.S. armed forces today. Most recently we veterans have been joined in our message by families with loved ones in themilitary.

Tens of thousands of American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis could die in a long, drawn-out war in Iraq.

We need your help to spread our message that veterans oppose this war.
We can win without war.

How can you help? Join Veterans for Common Sense. Whether you are a veteran, or you have a family member in the military, or you simply support our message, you can join us in calling for a common senseapproach to Iraq. We need your support.

To find out more, please visit:

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/

Already we have reached across the country through successful press conferences, innumerable appearances on television and radio programs, and op-eds, letters to the editor and interviews published in local, regional and national newspapers. Already we have visited innumerable congressional offices, winning impressive support across the politicalspectrum.

Add your voice to the growing chorus of voices speaking common sense against the rush to war.

For more information, and to find out the latest news about a possible war in Iraq, visit our web site:

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org

Together we can win without war,

Charles Sheehan-Miles
Veterans for Common Sense