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In Memoriam: No More War dedicated to fallen members of about face: veterans against the war (Formerly Iraq Veterans Against the War)

This is a space for the About Face Veteran community to remember our members who have died and honor their legacy of anti-war truth telling work. Please share your stories of these brave people to commemorate their lives; we will update this site as people share.

If you are suffering from suicidal thoughts or depression, you are not alone. Help is available. Call the National Suicide Hotline and press 1 for experts who focus solely on helping veterans: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). You can also find free mental health services by visiting www.giveanhour.org

Some artwork can be seen in its entirety by clicking the artist credit link or by viewing the portfolio linked at the bottom of this page.

Jaime Kwebetchou

1992 - 2019

Jaime was full of life and always ready for an adventure. His love for travel and adventure led him to become a United States Airman - but his moral conviction led him to speak out against the wars. Jaime was friendly, funny, compassionate and loved by many. His passion for general knowledge, history, and people grew into his passion of teaching students overseas. He was young, free-spirited, and lived life to the fullest. Jaime had a heart for serving and helping others, now we must do the same for him. Whether you met Jaime on an airplane, through the Air Force, or through many of the neighborhoods he's lived in throughout childhood, his quick wit, general knowledge, and his ability to genuinely listen to understand (without judgment and positive energy) will forever live on in each of us. His first action with About Face was during the Poor People's Campaign 40 days of Action. His statements protesting former President Bush receiving the Liberty Medal are unforgettable. He was a dedicated member of the New York Chapter, traveling 8 hours round-trip by bus every month to attend meetings in person. After going missing for a period of time, he was found in the Hudson River. His death was investigated as a homicide but the results of that investigation are still unclear.

Shortly before his death, Jaime was recorded in a 1.5 hour interview with The Baltimore Guys in which he shared his story and perspectives that you can listen to here.

Kyle Quigley

1984 - 2015

“Life is too short and full of too many beautiful experiences to allow it to be confined by legalities and social normality.” - Quigley

Kyle Quigley served in the Army from 2004-2008 and was deployed to Iraq. After returning home, Kyle joined Iraq Veterans Against the War and started a Harrisburg, PA chapter. Kyle was a free spirit who enjoyed traveling the world. He was a great friend who was always willing to help and would make people laugh until their sides hurt. Kyle was killed on February 8, 2015 when the car he was driving was hit by a drunk driver.

Artist Credit: Aaron Hughes

Ethan Kreuzter

1985 - 2014

Ethan Kreutzer served in the Army from 2002 to 2004 and was deployed to Afghanistan. In 2009, he joined the Bay Area Chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War where he was an active member. Ethan left a lasting impression on everyone he came into contact with. However, he never stayed in one place for too long due to his wandering soul. Ethan tragically died by suicide on October 30, 2014. He was one of the key members of the "Make Drag, Not War!" project. The drag shows paired talented queens with veterans to help them process their trauma during the era of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and raised funds for veteran artists.

Artist Credit: Aaron Hughes

Jacob George

1982 - 2014

Jacob George, self proclaimed banjo pickin’, peace ramblin’, hillbilly from the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas began his journey towards peace one pedal at a time. He worked his way across the south covering thousands of miles on a bicycle journey he called “A Ride Till the End” promoting peace and justice. After serving three tours of duty in Afghanistan he became an outspoken critic of the “war on terror” joining Iraq Veterans Against the War and co-founding the working group Afghanistan Veterans Against the War. Jacob struggled with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder from what he’d seen and done in Afghanistan, suffering from what he called “A Soldier’s Heart.” On September 17, 2014, Jacob died by suicide but his wide smile, songs, and warm spirit live on.

View Jacob's soul-touching and heartfelt music here: http://www.jacobdavidgeorge.org/

Artist Credit: Poem by Jon Turner. Illustration by Sarah Farahat.

Tomas Young

1979 - 2014

"I have, like many other disabled veterans, come to realize that our mental and physical wounds are of no interest to you, perhaps of no interest to any politician. We were used, we were betrayed. I write this letter on behalf of all of us, the human detritus your war has left behind. War is the last resort." - Young's open letter to President Bush

New York Times Obituary

Artist Credit: Eleanor Warner & Julia Warner

Joshua Casteel

1979 - 2012

"What we believe on the inside can never be removed from what we do on the outside..." - Casteel

Joshua was trained as an Arabic translator and worked as an interrogator at Abu Ghraib prison from June 2004 to January 2005. During an interrogation in Abu Ghraib, a 22-year old self proclaimed jihadist suggested that Casteel was not following his own Christian faith. “He said I wasn’t fulfilling the call to turn the other cheek, to love one’s enemies. When posed with that kind of challenge, I had nothing I could say to him. I absolutely agreed with him. My position as a U.S. Army interrogator contradicted my calling simply as a Christian.” Upon his return home, Joshua applied for conscientious objector status and was honorably discharged in May 2005. Joshua was diagnosed in early November 2011 with stage IV lung cancer that has spread to his liver, spine, and adrenals. He believed the cancer was a result of his service in Iraq where he was exposed to the toxic fumes from burn pits.

Artist Credit: Aaron Hughes

Anthony Wagner

1982 - 2011

"I demonstrate in the streets because I know my service offers the credibility needed to discredit a lie." - Wagner

Anthony Wagner was a truth teller and a truth seeker. He served in the Army from 2001 to 2007 and was deployed to Iraq with the 1st Cavalry Division from 2004 to 2005. While deployed he survived several RPG and IED attacks that left him with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). After his service, he joined Iraq Veterans Against the War and began speaking out in high schools and colleges about the realities of war and occupation with We Are Not Your Soldiers. He was active in the Occupy Movement, volunteered regularly with the Midwest Brain Injury Clubhouse, and studied film at Columbia College in Chicago. Anthony, like many other veterans, struggled with his war wounds, TBI, PTSD, and addiction. Anthony died of suspected overdose in his friend’s apartment the morning after he visited Zuccotti Park, ground zero of the Occupy Movement.

Artist Credit: Aaron Hughes

Keenan Rinehart

1985 - 2011

Keenan was an IVAW member and had deep friendships with in the community. He died by suicide right before launching his career as a photographer. He loved working with people to bring out their true personalities in pictures. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He shared with his friends about how the wars needed to be stopped and joined to fight against endless war.

Lisa Morris

1981 - 2010

Lisa Morris was a regular at Under the Hood Outreach Center & Cafe and member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. Lisa, originally from Michigan, enlisted in the Army and was deployed to Iraq in 2004 where she was wounded in Sadr City and received a Purple Heart. After her discharge, she stayed in the Fort Hood area, where she was known for her barbecuing skills and adored by every cat and dog that crossed her path. Lisa suffered with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and struggled with a variety of conditions relating to her war wounds. She died at home in her sleep May 25, 2010.

Artist credit: Aaron Hughes

Jonathan Millantz

1981 - 2009

Johnny Millantz joined the Army in 2002, serving as a Combat Medic for the 4th Infantry Division. He was deployed to Iraq in 2003, and shortly after his return in 2004 he joined Iraq Veterans Against the War to speak out about his experience. He brought joy and laughter to his friends and the larger anti-war movement, but privately struggled with addiction and moral injury due to his combat experience. Johnny died at home on April 3, 2009. We will always remember his compassion and the big smile he brought to our community and the anti-war movement.

Artist Credit: Aaron Hughes

Timothy Swanson

1985 - 2007

On Saturday, January 27, 2007 Cpl. Timothy Swanson was killed by an IED in Taji, Iraq. His tragic death is a blow to us all; not only because he is numbered among the three thousand American soldiers who died for a lie, but because he was a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. [He joined shortly before his second deployment completely disillusioned with what his service actually meant. He planned to file for conscientious objector status. However, he never got the chance.] Tim was vehemently anti-war when he died. His rage was misguided, but his mind was always in the right place; he knew about the profiteering, and the racism, and the lies that surrounded the war. The government owned his body, but it never owned his mind. They should never own his memory. They will never steal his soul or the essence of who he was. Tim was a rebel, he was all about “sticking it to the man”; and I know the best way to honor his memory - to bring all the soldiers home, and to end this senseless war!

Text adapted from IVAW member Mike Blake who wrote about his friend shortly after Tim died.

Sammantha Owen-Ewing

1986 - 2007

One of IVAW's members, the wife of Scott, and a former Army medic, died by suicide in her Rhode Island home. Sammantha was only 20 years old, and in that short time had been an Army medic training to become a nurse while stationed at Walter Reed, then became a patient herself in Walter Reed's mental health ward. In June, she married Scott Ewing, also an IVAW member, and was discharged from the Army. Despite an uphill battle to receive care from the VA, things seemed to be looking up; she was getting settled into life in Rhode Island, planned to continue her medical career, and was becoming active in Iraq Veterans Against the War.

It is impossible to sum up the life of a person, their personality and how much they meant to the people who loved them, in a few short lines. In her obituary, Sammantha was described as "sweet, thoughtful, and loving. She brought joy to the lives of those around her."

Text adapted from email sent to members shortly after Sammantha died, written by Kelly Dougherty.

Douglas Barber

1970 - 2006

All is not okay or right for those of us who return home alive and supposedly well. What looks like normalcy and readjustment is only an illusion to be revealed by time and torment. Some soldiers come home missing limbs and other parts of their bodies. Still others will live with permanent scars from horrific events that no one other than those who served will ever understand. - Barber

Douglas Barber joined IVAW in 2005 and started speaking out against the war. He also documented his fight with the VA by blogging about the two year struggle to get the proper benefits he deserved. He placed the blame for the suffering of veterans squarely on the shoulders of the Bush Administration officials and talking heads that did not want to fight the wars that they made but gladly profited from them. His tragic death by suicide sparked a rising tide of voices of veterans who demanded better care from the VA and to end the wars that caused needless death and suffering in the first place. Barber had been planning on marching with IVAW shortly before his death; members conducted the 135 mile Gulf Coast March carrying his legacy.

Some posters for these remembrance series were made by Justseeds as part of a larger art collaboration for Iraq Veterans Against the War. See the entire portfolio, including full size-renderings of most of the posters, here. Other posters were made in the style of Aaron Hughes' work by staff of About Face unless otherwise credited.

Credits:

From Justseeds portfolio https://justseeds.org/portfolio/celebrate-peoples-history-iraq-veterans-against-the-war/